All eyes on Asian Eye

October 2010
Available online at www.Lopezlink.ph
All eyes on Asian Eye
P-Noy in TFC townhall
meeting …page 2
IT could have been a scene during sale weekend at the mall for all
the hustle and bustle. Nurses and support staff flitted in and out of
the examination rooms. Practically every bit of space in the waiting
area was taken up, the patients and their companions either skimming through magazines or watching an adventure program on
the TV along one wall. The ladies at the reception juggled phone
calls and actual patients, while the guard shepherded even more
visitors through the door.
This was the scene at the ninth floor facility of Asian Eye Institute
at the Phinma Plaza, Rockwell Center. On a regular day, doctors and
staff attend to some 150 patients, although the number of people actually on the premises is sometimes as much as double this.
The chain of events that led to the establishment of Asian Eye
started in the US in the 1990s. For about a decade, then Lopez
Group chairman Oscar M. Lopez (OML) had regularly made the
trip to Boston, Massachusetts to have his glaucoma treated. There
he met Dr. Felipe I. Tolentino, a member of the Harvard Medical
School faculty and senior clinical scientist at Harvard’s Schepens Eye
Research Institute. The world-renowned ophthalmologist also happened to be a Filipino who devoted a lot of his time to helping the
poor in his native country through various charitable undertakings.
OML and Dr. Tolentino realized the need for a “center of excellence in eye care in the Philippines” and, in short order, buckled
down to the nitty-gritty of realizing their vision.
Back in Manila, OML enlisted the participation of business’
leading lights, including the Phinma Group of Ambassador Ramon del Rosario, Ambassador Alfonso Yuchengco, Jaime Zobel de
Ayala, Manuel V. Pangilinan and Washington Sycip. Also among
the institutional stakeholders are Lopez Group companies ABSCBN Corporation, First Philippine Industrial Corporation and
First Philippine Holdings Corporation; Meralco; Rustan Marketing Corporation; and Sumitomo Corporation.
Meanwhile, in the US, Dr. Tolentino, who later became the
founding president of Asian Eye, gathered a core team of seven
Harvard Medical School-trained Filipino ophthalmologists.
Turn to page 6
FPSC inducted into
Palladium Hall of Fame
…page 2
Wild over Zaijian in
‘Noah’…page 5
Asian Eye specialist Dr. Pik Sha Chan-Uy measures the degree of eye deviation of a pedia patient. Just last
month, Asian Eye introduced pediatric optometry, complementing its pediatric ophthalmology service.
Lopezlink October 2010
OFWs remain country’s bright hope
OVERSEAS Filipino workers
(OFWs) remain the country’s
bright hope amid the threat of a
double dip recession in the global
economy.
Enoch Fung, an economist and
executive director of the Goldman
Sachs Economic Research Team,
said OFWs quickly moved up the
value chain in the last five years to
become more competitive, secure
high-value add jobs and end up
less affected by the massive layoffs resulting from a slower world
economy. As a result, revenues
from remittances continued to
grow even during the height of
the US recession, together with
revenues from business process
outsource (BPO) providers.
“The Philippines continues
to have the highest quality labor
force in the region,” Fung said at
the September 3 economic and
political briefing that kicked off
the Five-Year Strategic and Annual Budget Planning process of
the Lopez Group.
OFW remittances grew to
$17.35 billion in 2009 from
$16.43B in 2008 and $14.45 in
2007.
Remittances continue to rise
Secretary Ricky Carandang
of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office, speaking at
the same briefing, affirmed that
OFW remittances continue to
rise and are at record levels at
$9.06B for January to June 2010,
up 6.87% from $8.48B in the
same period in 2009.
In addition, Carandang said
the government is encouraging
the establishment of BPOs outside Metro Manila. “But there is
a bottleneck in terms of skills and
we are focusing on raising the
level of education and technical
skills training so that we can meet
the high demand for workers in
the BPO sector,” he said.
Fung said focusing on high value-added BPOs can differentiate
the Philippines from competitors in the region such as India
and Malaysia, which both have
a large English-speaking population. Shenzhen in China is also
positioning as a BPO for Hong
Kong which has requirements for
Mandarin-speaking staff.
Both Fung and Carandang
mentioned tourism as a relatively
robust area deserving the attention of investors.
RP’s key competitive edge
Carandang said the Aquino
administration recognized tourism as a key competitive edge
of the Philippines. “Tourism is
labor-intensive and can spread
prosperity outward to rural areas,
to all the provinces. We need to
build the infrastructure that will
make our destinations accessible,
even as simple as online booking
of plane tickets and accommodations,” he said.
“Except for Singapore and
Macau, there has not been much
build-up in tourism infrastructure in all of Asia in recent years.
This is an area of opportunity
because employment in tourism
spreads across the entire labor
market—counting low-end to
high-end jobs,” said Fung.
Lopez Group comptroller
Pearl Catahan organized the
economic and political briefing moderated by Danny Gozo,
head of Group Public Relations
of Lopez Holdings Corporation.
Lopez Group chairman emeritus Oscar M. Lopez led over 100
senior executives and corporate
planning officers who joined the
forum. (Carla Paras-Sison)
FPSC: A winning story of strategy execution
FIRST Philec Solar Corporation (FPSC) was one of the
seven organizations inducted
into the Palladium Balanced
Scorecard Hall of Fame for Executing Strategy during the 2010
Palladium APAC Summit at the
Sofitel Philippine Plaza on September 22-23, 2010.
FPSC now holds the distinction of being the first private
company in the Philippines to
receive this recognition.
First Philippine Holdings
Corporation chairman Federico
R. Lopez, FPSC president Dr.
Dan Lachica and First Philec
and FPSC representatives accepted the award from Dr. David
Norton, founder and director of
Palladium Group, and Matthew
Tice, managing director of Palladium Group Asia Pacific.
FPSC now holds the distinction of being the first private
company in the Philippines to
receive this recognition.
The
Palladium
Group
launched the Palladium Balanced Scorecard Hall of Fame
for Executing Strategy program
10 years ago to publicly recog-
nize high-performing organizations that use the Kaplan-Norton strategy management system
based on the Balanced Scorecard
(BSC) to become strategy focused, execute their strategies
and achieve breakthrough performance results. The award is
recognized worldwide as the
gold standard of strategic performance management.
At the start of its operations,
FPSC adopted the BSC to ensure focus and alignment in
meeting target growth projections and gaining market share
against Chinese and
Japanese competitors.
Scorecards were cascaded to the individual
employee level. In just
two years, the company
delivered its first commercial wafers ahead
of schedule, increased
revenue 19%, became
profitable in its first
full year of operation,
increased its customer
FPHC chairman Federico R. Lopez at far right with (r-l) FPSC manufacturing
base, and beat their
manager Ronald Catignas, HR manager Lanie Gomos, OSM head Camille Gargantiel, First Philec OSM VP Gemma Roque, Palladium Group founder and director employee satisfaction
Dr. David Norton and FPSC president Dr. Dan Lachica
target by 27%.
“We implemented the KaplanNorton approach to map, execute
and measure our strategy,” Dr.
Lachica said. “The FPSC story
is one for the record books—we
are probably one of the first organizations to adopt the BSC at
inception, radically improving the
way we do things and helping us
in record time to become a global
leader in the solar industry.”
He thanked the FPSC team,
the Lopez Group, SunPower,
Drs. Norton and Kaplan, and
God in empowering FPSC to
receive the recognition.
“When we started First Philec
Solar a little over two years ago,
it was not really a green field, but
more like a ‘green mountain’ project. We had to level mountains
and take on the quest to start up
a company. At the time, we were
so new, greenhorns in the wafer
slicing business. What we have is
the backing of the Lopez Group,
our experience in manufacturing,
and the knowledge of the Balanced Scorecard. This award is
the cap of the tremendous efforts
of our team,” Dr. Lachica said.
(Camille Gargantiel)
First Gen eyes BG stake in power plants
FIRST Gen Corporation started a road show in the US in September ahead of plans to bid for
British Gas’s stake in the 1,000MW Santa Rita and 500-MW
San Lorenzo power plants.
At the same time, the company plans to use the proceeds
from the fundraising to pay off
dollar-denominated debts. The
funds will “cover the company’s
$300 million convertible bonds
due February 2011.”
British Gas, which has already divested some of its assets
abroad, is looking to unload its
stake in the power plants. First
Gen currently owns a controlling stake with 60% and has
first dibs on the UK firm’s share
should it go through with the
divestment.
The natural gas-fired Santa Rita
and San Lorenzo power plants are
considered the most efficient ones
in the Luzon grid. They supply
power to Meralco, the country’s
largest distribution utility.
First Gen, the power generating unit of the Lopez Group,
is the country’s biggest independent power producer with
more than 2,000 megawatts
in its portfolio. Aside from the
Santa Rita and San Lorenzo
plants, it also owns a controlling
stake in Energy Development
Corporation, is the world’s second largest geothermal energy
producer.
Lopezes join ‘P-Noy’
biz delegation to US
LOPEZ Group chairman
emeritus Oscar M. Lopez and
ABS-CBN chairman Eugenio
Lopez III were among the 34
top-caliber business leaders
who accompanied Pres. Noynoy
Aquino III in his working visit
to the United States on September 20-27, 2010.
OML and EL3 were part
of the President’s 34-person
business delegation, which
also included Philippine Long
Distance Telephone Co. chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, San
Miguel Corp. president Ramon
Ang and Ayala Corp.’s Jaime
Augusto Zobel de Ayala.
According to the President’s
spokesman, Edwin Lacierda,
the business delegation will
bring home investments and
jobs from the States. He added
that the group shouldered their
own expenses on the trip.
The official delegation from
government was made up of 55
people led by Finance Sec. Cesar
Purisima, Trade and Industry
Sec. Gregory Domingo, Foreign
Affairs Sec. Alberto Romulo and
Energy Sec. Rene Almendras.
Meanwhile, Lopez Group
chairman Manuel M. Lopez
was among the delegation that
welcomed the President during
the “townhall meeting” in the
TFC studio in California on
September 26. It was aired live
over ANC on the morning of
September 27.
Moderated by Gel Santos-Relos, “Global P-Noy: Townhall sa
TFC” was the first news live special totally produced out of Manila. It linked Pres. Aquino to the
Filipino communities in various
parts of the US as well as Canada,
Dubai, Japan and the United
Kingdom. At the same time, online audiences in the Philippines
and elsewhere were able to keep
abreast of the meeting over abscbnnews.com and TFCnow!
Bayad Center partners
with Davao Light
TO provide convenience to electric bill payers in Davao, CIS Bayad Center Inc. (CBCI) and Davao
Light and Power Company have
sealed a collection partnership.
The partnership enables Bayad
Center to accept individual, corporate and government current
and overdue electric bill payments in its accredited RCPI/
USSC and Villarica Pawnshop
branches for cash collection, and
in its accredited eBiz branches
and Robinsons Supermarket for
cash and check collections all
over the Davao region.
CIS Bayad Center, the trailblazer and market leader in the
payment collection business
since 1997 through its over 1,400
Bayad Center branches located
nationwide, accepts payments
for over 160 brands covering
Meralco, Bayan, SKYCable and
Internet, ABS-CBN Interactive,
PLDT, Smart, Maynilad, SSS,
NSO, National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation, electric and water utilities, internet,
cable TV, cellphones, landlines
and insurance, among others.
Bayad Center now accepts payments for PhilHealth as well.
In March 25, 2008, the People
Management Association of the
Philippines and the UK-based IiP
Quality Centre awarded CBCI
the Investor in People certification as a company that nurtures
the development of its employees
side by side with its corporate
growth. ( Joel Aurellano)
Lopezlink October 2010
Lopez Holdings signs
payment scheme
LOPEZ Holdings Corporation signed in late September a debt
repayment scheme with a local bank.
In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, the company
said the acceptance deal it signed with UnionBank of the Philippines was for the “settlement of the 19.93 million Eurobonds held
by the bank in accordance with the Dec. 19, 2008 term sheet circulated to creditors.”
Under the scheme, Lopez Holdings will conduct a bullet repayment of the principal amount in 12 and a half years at an interest
rate of 4% per annum gross of final tax.
“With the settlement of this debt, the remaining obligations of
Lopez Holdings amount to $25M and P875 million,” the company
said.
Lopez Holdings’ debt has dropped to the current level from
$560M eight years ago when it declared a debt standstill.
Position paper on
role of media during
conflict situations
The following is
excerpted
from
the position paper
written by Maria
Ressa, ABS-CBN
news and current affairs division
head, and published on the ABSCBN news website on September
14. The full text is available on
www.abs-cbnnews.com/.
IN any democracy, there is a
symbiotic relationship between
the government and media,
particularly during times of crisis. Government officials must
resolve the crisis, managing
information for that end goal.
Journalists report events for the
public, which holds them accountable for their actions.
Media cannot do government’s
job, just as you cannot expect government to do media’s job.
In more than two decades of
reporting from conflict situations, I can tell you from experience that the rules always change
depending on the situation, depending on the judgment calls
made by the crisis leader.
Media has an important role
to play in our country because
our institutions are weak, law
and order is weak, corruption
is endemic, and power is often
abused. A week before the hostage-taking, the Manila Police
District faced charges of torture
based on a cellphone video obtained by ABS-CBN.
I’d like, your Honors, to state
for the record that it is an insult to
journalists to say that we only do
what we do because of ratings. All
of us have been in conflict situations, and ratings are the furthest
thing from our minds. The reason
we risk our lives is to tell the story.
That is how journalists save lives.
Because often, the presence of a
camera, of one reporter, makes it
just a little safer for those caught
in the conflict. People are more
civilized when a camera is on.
I am proud of the men and
women of ABS-CBN News.
Many of us were torn by the
events on Aug. 23 and were affected for days. I have analyzed
every moment of that day, and I
can tell you we did our best with
the situation handed to us because
we were not in control.
We immediately assessed and
released our preliminary findings
three days later on Aug. 26 (Refer to the September issue for ABSCBN’s statement on the August 23
hostage tragedy.).
L-R: EDC SVP Agnes
de Jesus, DOE Secretary
Jose Rene Almendras,
PSALM OIC Atty.
Ma. Luz Caminero,
NPC president Froilan
Tampinco, EDC chairman and CEO Federico
R. Lopez, former EDC
vice chair Paul Aquino,
and EDC directors John
Russell, Giles Puno and
Ernesto Pantangco.
EDC subsidiary pays P1.28B
for Bacman power plants
BACMAN Geothermal Inc.
(BGI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Energy Development Corporation (EDC), has
achieved closing on the 150megawatt Bacman geothermal
power plant acquisition after
remitting to PSALM on September 3 P1,279,725,000, representing full payment of the
purchase price for the power
facilities. The turnover followed
BGI’s submission of the highest
offer price for the Bacman plants
in a competitive bid conducted
by PSALM on May 5, 2010 and
its successful completion of the
conditions precedent required in
the asset purchase agreement.
“Our main focus now is to rehabilitate these plants and restore
capacity and reliability factors to
100% to add clean, reliable and
much-needed power to the Luzon grid,” EDC president and
COO Richard Tantoco said.
Located in the towns of Bacon, Sorsogon and Manito, Albay in the Bicol region, the Bacman plant package consists of
two steam plant complexes. The
Bacman I geothermal facility
comprises two 55-MW turbines,
while Bacman II consists of two
20-MW units. EDC supplies
the steam fuelling these plants.
“…With the turnover of the
Bacman power plant, we are
now fully integrated across the
geothermal value chain. This
vertical integration will result
in more efficient and seamless
operations,” Tantoco added.
The Bacman plants boost
EDC’s current portfolio of
geothermal power generation
assets to 1,199 MW. EDC
also acquired the 112.5-MW
Tongonan and 192.5-MW
Palinpinon geothermal plants
auctioned by PSALM last year.
(Toni Nieva)
Rockwell’s Edades shines through its details
ROCKWELL’S Edades Tower
and Garden Villas have become
the new standard of prestige
with their revolutionary aesthetic, handpicked materials
and meticulously engineered
finishes.
The Edades Tower and Garden Villas bear the carefully
chosen finishes and fixtures that
have become marks of distinction in every unit. Upon entering the living and dining room,
engineered wood flooring de-
fines the spaces into useable
areas for the home.
In the kitchen, a quartz
countertop complemented by a
double bowl sink and a row of
cabinets fulfill the demands of
any chef—as well as the critique
of any art dealer.
The master bathroom has
natural stone flooring, natural stone and glass wall tiles. ,
Faucets and showersets from
Grohe, Kohler and Hansgrohe
ensure the ultimate in comfort
Blogger wins Adtel solar
kit for adopted ‘sitio’
ADTEL Inc. is back on the
market in a big way with its
breakthrough product, the Adtel
Solar Home Kit.
The kit is a stand-alone system that includes a solar panel,
a battery with charge controller,
provisions for an AM/FM radio, and a LED (light emitting
diode) lamp.
The company recently invited bloggers to post about why
they wanted to own an Adtel
Solar Home Kit.
Kelly Austria wrote that she
wanted to donate a kit to an
off-grid community in Kibungan, Benguet. Austria and her
mountaineering group Trails to
Empower Kids (TREK) took
the community under their
wing as part of their mission
to “help schools that because of
their isolation no longer get the
same aid and attention as their
counterparts in other areas.”
Austria won an Adtel Solar
Home Kit worth P10,000 for
TREK’s adopted community.
Meanwhile, Adtel hopes to
distribute the kit among even
just a fraction of the 3.4 million homes in the Philippine
countryside that remain un-energized.
“We would like to start there
because we can see nobody is
attending to them,” said Adtel
Adtel’s Japs Batara with blogger
Kelly Austria
president Regie Casas. “Our
priority is to alleviate poverty
through solar electrification.”
This it aims to accomplish by
tying up with foundations and
companies and institutions looking for CSR projects.
For more info about the Adtel
Solar Home Kit and the Adtel
program, email Japs Batara at
[email protected] or call
435-1804.
and quality. Wall-mounted
Grohe square rain showerset
and undercounter lavatory come
standard in every master bath.
In the common bathrooms,
mosaic floor and glass wall tiles
are paired with an over-coun-
ter-style lavatory with Kohler
faucets and a vanity cabinet.
Visit the Edades model unit at
the South Court of Power Plant
Mall. Call 793-0088 for details
or log on to www.e-rockwell.
com/edades. (Vienn Tionglico)
PROMOS & OFFERS
Bayad Center promo for SSS
members
CIS Bayad Center Inc. is raffling
off cash prizes in “Libu-Libong
Cash Papremyo, Linggu-Linggong Panalo.” SSS members who
are self-employed, voluntary and
OFWs, and who pay their SSS
contributions and salary, real estate and calamity loans at Bayad Center (excluding SM Payment
Centers) will earn one raffle entry for each type of payment they
make in a month. Four winners per month will receive P5,000.00
each. Succeeding raffle draws will be held at the CIS Bayad Center head office on October 14 and 28, November 11 and 25, and
December 9 and 22, 2010. For more info, visit www.lopezlink.ph.
SKYCable Digibox redefines TV
Whenever he leaves the country, SKYCable subscriber Tin Ang
adjusts his cable package from SKYCable Gold to SKYCable
499 and gets charged accordingly. In addition, he avails of live
sports events on a pay-per-view basis by calling the SKYCable
hotline; this can be activated on his Digibox while he is still on
the line. This shows the flexibility of SKYCable Select, which
lets consumers add the channels they want to basic cable packages like SKYCable 280, SKYCable 499, SKYCable Silver and
SKYCable Gold. Current SKYCable Silver or Gold subscribers even get a free Digibox for each TV set! Call 631-0000 or
log on to www.mysky.com.ph. (Susan Ortiz)
Did you miss an issue of LopezLink? Access our archives at www.Lopezlink.ph
Lopezlink October 2010
BIZ EXCELLENCE
Business Excellence, HR Council produce new IiP advocates
AN Investors in People (IiP)
Facilitators Workshop was
successfully held on September 14 and 15 at the Oakwood
Premiere Joy-Nostalg Center. Organized by the Lopez
Group HR Council and Business Excellence, this workshop
was held in partnership with
the People Management Association of the Philippines
(PMAP).
Majority of the 29 participants representing 10 Lopez
Group companies were HR
managers, while a few were division heads, project managers
and senior officers.
Felipe Alfonso, the Lopez
Group HR director,
gave the opening remarks; the deputy program director of Lopez
Group Business Excellence, Rene Mayol, introduced the workshop.
Pinky Diokno, VP for
HR of Lopez Holdings
Corporation, formally
introduced Plana, while
Elizabeth Canlas, VP
for HR of First Philippine Holdings Corporation,
closed the two-day workshop.
PMAP executive director Gerardo Plana, FPM, the
speaker for the workshop, is
the chief executive of the In-
Comptrollers’CIRCLE
The new IiP advocates with PMAP executive director Gerardo Plana, the HR Council and the Lopez Group Business Excellence team.
vestors in People-Philippine
Center, which is the sole fullylicensed IiP quality center in
the Philippines and Asia.
The participants were given an overview of IiP, an ori-
entation on its context, tools
and features, and an in-depth
discussion of its indicators.
Dyad and group activities
enhanced their skills in asking questions, articulating
their answers and assessing
their findings.
The participants highly recommended the workshop to
their top management, division heads and managers. A
considerable number shared
that the most important lesson
they gained from this workshop is employee empowerment and engagement. (Christine Salazar)
Comptrollers’ Circle’s tax, corporate governance, SEC regulations seminar
By Jei-Jei Gertes
JJ Moreno of the Corporate Governance with the
seminar facilitator, Jei-Jei Gertes (right)
PR CHALLENGE
THE Comptrollers’ Circle of the Lopez Group
held its annual conference, called Latest Developments in Tax, Corporate Governance and
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Regulations, on September 17, 2010 at the ELJ
Communications Building.
The program addressed issues and concerns
related to tax planning techniques in the different organizations brought about by the latest tax
updates. Also, the most recent regulations in SEC
financial reporting and the newest activities being
done in the corporate governance were presented.
The speakers were Jonathan Juan Moreno,
president of the Institute of Corporate Direc-
tors who discussed corporate governance in
the Philippines and the Institute of Corporate
Directors’ initiatives; Janette Cruz, chief of the
Large Taxpayers’ Assistance division of the Bureau of Internal Revenue who discussed tax updates; and Atty. Ma. Gracia Casals-Diaz, SEC
general accountant, who discussed updates on
the financial reporting regulation of the SEC
and the results of the evaluation of 2009 audited
financial statements.
Group comptroller Pearl Catahan gave the
opening remarks and Brad Geiser of Geiser
Maclang Marketing Communications Inc. discussed the Lopez Credo cascade program.
This year marks the 11th year of the Comptrollers’ Circle and through the years, it continuously aims to maintain a high quality of
financial reporting in the Lopez Group and to
promote a work-life balance among its members.
Its major achievements include the development
of a uniform chart of accounts and accounting
policies and the issuance of an updated planning
and control manual for the Lopez Group.
The Lopez Group Comptrollers’ Circle Core
Team includes Catahan, Lito Banaag, Mon
Pagdagdagan, Marvi Marcelino, Jei-Jei Gertes,
Jingle Hernandez, Lanie Caimol and Vicky
Martinez.
Engage, build, deliver
SECRETARY Herminio Coloma of the Presidential Communications and Operations Office challenged over 200 delegates to the 17th
National Public Relations Congress to help
build the nation by living the congress theme,
“PR2.0: Build. Engage. Deliver.”
In his keynote address, Coloma presented two
case studies on the use of digital technology on
the internet to engage citizens, one catapulting
President Benigno S. Aquino III to electoral
victory and the other serving as a mechanism
for feedback as he governs the country.
“You are all exceptionally gifted and strategically positioned in your organizations. What
can you do to make our country a country we
can all be proud of,” Coloma asked his audience
as he concluded his presentation.
The two-day conference organized by the
Public Relations Society of the Philippines
(PRSP) showcased best practices using the internet to promote causes, sell products and gain
advocates or customers.
Weber Shandwick Asia Pacific chairman Tim
Sutton stressed the need for offline activities to
match online activities to provide effective sup-
port and earn credibility for any organization.
“There must be consistency. Online without offline is not in line with best practice,” he said.
The Philippine Star columnist and Lopez Group
consultant Boo Chanco, meanwhile, said he embraced new media for the convenience and facility
they bring to his work as a journalist. Although he
called social media double-edged, that is, presenting both an advantage and a danger, Chanco said,
“politicians and business executives…ignore the
digital world only at their peril.”
Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide managing and Southeast Asia director Andrew Thomas proposed to change the 4 Ps of the marketing
mix to 4 Es or from product to experience, place
to every place, price to exchange, and promotion to evangelism.
Yes! Magazine editor Jo-Ann Maglipon and
broadcast journalists Grace dela Peña of GMA
Network Inc. and DJ Sta. Ana of TV5 shared
their strategies for coping with the new 24/7
news media cycle.
Meanwhile, the PRSP conferred accreditation on five members: Dulce Festin-Baybay of
Lopez Group Foundation Inc. (LGFI); Anna
Gizelle Camua of Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation; Lourdes de
Guzman of CF Philippines; Catherine Salceda
Ileto of Bang PR Philippines; and Jorge Miguel
Marco of Ayala Land Inc .
John Rojo, APR of Bayan Telecommunications Inc. chaired the 2010 PR Congress. Lending support were Rosan Cruz, APR of Lopez
Holdings Corporation and Bong Osorio of
ABS-CBN Corporation as part of the 20-member PR Congress committee.
Delegates of the Lopez Group were Jay Lopez,
Nicole Carlos and Hazel Velasco of First Philippine Holdings Corporation; Angela Lopez-Guingona and Festin-Baybay of LGFI; Vienn Tionglico
and Aissa Rivera of Rockwell Land Corporation;
Save the Date
Dulce Baybay with PRSP president Butch Raquel,
APR at her APR conferment on the first day of the PR
Congress
Freya Santos and Caloy Campos of Bayan; Kane
Choa of ABS-CBN; Carla Paras-Sison, APR and
Lucy Torres of Lopez Holdings; and Joel Gaborni
of First Gen Corporation. (CPS)
October 4: Deadline for submission of entries, International Association
of Business Communicators Philippines’ 2010 Philippine Quill Awards.
Call the IABC secretariat, 756-0441, 756-0424, or email info@iabc.
com.ph.
October 7: IABC Fellowship Night. 6 pm, Merk’s Bar and Restaurant,
Greenbelt 3. Register at 756-04-41.
couch potato
treats
Shaina goes
daring in
‘Alyna’
Based on the pocketbook “Dominic” by
Martha Cecilia, “Precious Hearts Romances
Presents: Alyna” revolves
around the life of Alyna
(Shaina Magdayao), a
girl who grew up deprived of love. She falls
in love with Rex (Sid Lucero) but after they get married and have a child, Rex disappears. Alyna meets
another man, Dominic (Jason Abalos), but things
soon get complicated when Rex returns. Directed by
F.M. Reyes, “Precious Hearts Romances Presents: Alyna” airs after “Rosalka” on ABS-CBN’s Hapontastic.
(Kane Choa)
‘Sharon at Home’
now on Lifestyle
Get comfy and cozy with
Sharon Cuneta as she welcomes viewers to her life
and home. Savor, learn and
discover the simple joys
and pleasures that life
has to offer. Each episode
gives you an intimate
look at the people in her off-cam life and a glimpse
of the Megastar that viewers have never seen. Sans
the frills and glamour, she is interested and passionate about the things homemakers are interested in
too. (Cherry Pineda)
Velvet raises the stakes
with ‘Celebrity Apprentice ’
Velvet airs the battle of well-loved celebrities in
the all-business arena of Donald Trump in “Celebrity Apprentice 3” to win $1 million for their chosen
charities. “Celebrity Apprentice 3” features Sharon
Osbourne, Cyndi Lauper, Bret Michaels, Curtis Stone, Maria Kanellis, Bill Goldberg, Selita
Ebanks, Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Darryl Strawberry,
Sinbad, Carol Leifer and Olympians Michael Johnson and Summer Sanders. Catch “Celebrity Apprentice 3” Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on Velvet (SKYCable
Channel 53)! (Kathy Solis)
ABS-CBN, Unica Hija join forces
for ‘Idol’ ABS-CBN and Unica Hija entered into a
licensing agreement for the primetime series “Idol” starring Unica Hija brand endorser Sarah Geronimo (center,
with Unica Hija’s Atty. Leo Lagon and Anna Marie
Lagon). As the show runs, Unica Hija will embellish
their store windows with the “Idol” theme. Idol shirts are
available in Unica Hija boutiques nationwide. Orders
may also be placed via http://abscbnstore.multiply.com.
“Idol” airs weeknights on ABS-CBN after “Noah.” (A.
Domingo)
Lopezlink October 2010
Zaijian gets better and better!
ZAIJIAN Jaranilla just gets
better and better. This is evident in his top-rating primetime series on ABS-CBN,
“Noah,” where he plays the role
of a jungle boy named Eli.
Zaijian breathes life to his
role in “Noah” with a sense of
truth. He incorporates and
does not neglect the nittygritty details of his character
down to its nuances in his
acting, making him an effective child actor.
As Eli conquers the city,
delightful scenes will unfold
right before the viewers’ eyes
which will highlight Zaijian’s
talent even more. Eli’s adventure continues as he
meets new characters along the way.
“Bukod sa very expressive eyes ni Zaijian, may
angking talento talaga ang bata. Yung continu-
ity ng character niya, yung
mga simpleng detalye hindi
niya nakakalimutan. Iba na
ang set namin ngayon, pero
yung kilos niya dapat yung
tipong nasa gubat pa rin, at
hindi iyon madali. Pero kita
naman siguro na magaling
na nae-execute ng bata ang
mga eksena niya. Nakakabilib,” director Lino Cayetano shared.
“Noah,”
Zaijian’s
second major project on
primetime, gained the
number one spot in the
overall nationwide ratings
for the month of August
based on Kantar Media’s data as it earned an average of 35.9% against its rival’s 27.1%.
Don’t miss the exciting episodes of “Noah,” weeknights after “TV Patrol” on ABS-CBN. (A. Domingo)
‘Hitmakers’ join ‘Win na Win’
The “Hitmakers,” composed of Rico J. Puno, Rey
Valera, Marco Sison and Nonoy Zuñiga, will join
Pokwang and Valerie Concepcion on “Pilipinas,
Win na Win” starting this October, said Bong
Osorio, head of ABS-CBN corporate communications, in an official statement.
“Management has decided to try a combination
of new hosts for the program…. The program continues to bring fun, games and hope to Filipinos
around the world,” he said.
Aquino confirmed on September 28 that she is
leaving “Pilipinas, Win na Win” just two months
after its launch. Aquino, who is President Benigno
Rico Puno, Marco Sison, Rey Valera and Nonoy Zuñiga
Aquino III’s youngest sister, is the third “Win na
Win” host to leave the show. Actor Robin Padilla
and TV host Mariel Rodriguez also went on indefinite leave from the show to get married.
UFC champ GSP shows off his
moves Not even Georges St. Pierre (GSP), UFC
superstar fighter, escaped the clamor of the “madlang
people” for a sample dance number in ABS-CBN’s
“Showtime.” All in the spirit of fun, GSP moved to the
beat and of the music and of his screaming fans. GSP
was in Manila for a three-day visit to promote UFC
on Balls Channel. He had a press con, TV and radio
guestings and a public training at the SM Mall of Asia
in September. (Kathy Solis)
ANC reveals
new ‘face’
A new station ID and on-air look greets
viewers of ANC, the ABS-CBN News
Channel, to mark the station’s commitment to deliver news to Filipinos wherever they are and amid fast changes in
media.
With information dissemination so
much easier and faster and with citizens
able to report on their surroundings,
ANC chief operating officer Glenda M.
Gloria said it is integral to have a news
organization focused on making sense
out of all the clutter in the media.
“As a news channel, we’d like to be
able to connect the dots for our viewers so they could make informed choices
and decisions,” she said.
Gloria said the award-winning station has been able to do this without
sacrificing the standards and values that
brought ANC to where it is now: integrity, perspective, and respect.
The blue rhombus logo remains as the
key design element in ANC’s new look,
which conveys the channel’s glossy, substantive and engaging nature.
The sleek and edgy new ID, meanwhile, depicts how the nature of newsgathering has changed due to technology
and citizen empowerment. It shows how
information captured by an ordinary individual and shared to ABS-CBN can
become a news story reported by our reporters on the scene and anchors on the
air.
It also highlights the experience and
expertise of the anchors and the news
organization that allow ANC to present
these stories with context and texture.
Stay tuned to the country’s only 24/7
news channel, ANC, on SKYCable
Channel 27. (Kane Choa)
Back-to-back ‘Kapamilya
Karavans’ in major cities
ABS-CBN Regional Network
Group (RNG) brings together
during the most colorful regional
festivals the biggest names in the
industry. Producing memorable
provincial and international shows
via the Kapamilya Karavan, stars
perform for their fans.
With lots of prizes for the audience and a rare chance to bond
with the stars, Kapamilyas of
all ages flock to each Kapamilya
Karavan, leaving a smile on their
faces and if they’re lucky, a few
extra bucks, snapshots with their
idols and some surprise giveaways.
In the Kadayawan Festival, “Banana Split” gang member John
Pratts danced with pretty Davaoeñas, “Agua Bendita” star Matteo
Guidicelli sang with a flawless
falsetto, and sweethearts Angelica
Panganiban and Derek Ramsay
performed together. Angelica
sang for Derek and ended with a
message: “Salamat sa proteksiyon,
suporta, pagtatanggol at pagmamahal.” Derek responded, “Hindi kita
iiwan.”
The following week, Kapamilya
Karavan flew to Cagayan de Oro
for the Kagay-An Festival where
two fans had a chance to share
the stage with “Precious Hearts Romances: Impostor” star Maja Salvador. She brought the house down
with her charm and dance moves.
A lady from the audience
who has been following Diether
Ocampo for years now cried when
Diet chose her among the crowd.
Diet shared: “Bihira lang itong
pagkakataon na ito kaya I made sure
na magiging memorable ito para sa
kanya. Ako man, fan din noon kaya
alam ko ang feeling.”
Watch for more kilig moments
with your favorite stars in Kapamilya Karavans coming soon to a city
near you! (K. Solis)
Derek and Angelica
Lopezlink October 2010
(L-R) Asian Eye just added one more floor to its existing two-floor Rockwell clinic; its newly-opened 8th floor clinic provides more space and comfort for all
ages; At Asian Eye, patients are assured of comprehensive eye and vision examination prior to treatment. Dr. Amadeo Veloso Jr., retina and vitreous disease
specialist, examines the front and back parts of the eye; Asian Eye’s Quality, Environment, Safety and Health System was certified to the ISO 9001:2008,
14001:2004 and OHSAS 18001:2007 standards this June. It was also recognized as an Investor in People by the U.K. Quality Center in 2006.
ALL EYES...
from page 1
On September 18, 2001,
Asian Eye accepted its first
patients at the ninth floor of
Phinma Plaza at the Rockwell
Center, Makati.
“In a nutshell, Asian Eye’s
mission is to become the premiere eye care center in the
Philippines, and to deliver to
Filipino patients the same level
of care that patients get in First
meet the
World countries,” Anna Karina
Peña-Gerochi, Asian Eye vice
president and general manager,
said. “Also part of our mission is
to advance the science and practice of ophthalmology in the
country; we want to contribute
to the progress of the whole
industry, and to be a resource
for other doctors, locally and
internationally, in terms of what
the best practices are, and what
new and effective treatments are
available for patients.”
Asian Eye’s current roster includes over a hundred personnel
distributed among the flagship
facility in Rockwell and two satellite clinics. In addition to eight
ophthalmologists, the medical
team includes a low vision and
contact lens specialist and an
anesthesiologist. There are also
optometrists, nurses, technicians
and other allied medical personnel, as well as support staff for
research, quality, marketing,
finance and HR. Dr. Juan Ma.
Pablo Nañagas, former administrator of Asian Eye, now serves
as medical director. Benjamin
Liboro is president.
The Rockwell clinic has 20
examination rooms, diagnostic
centers, a laser center, an optical
dispensary, four surgical suites,
and a laser refractive surgery
suite. Business has been brisk,
necessitating the clinic’s recent
expansion.
“We wanted to improve the
patient experience, so we sepa-
rated some subspecialty services
and designed the area for better
patient flow,” Peña-Gerochi
said, referring to the eighthfloor facility where the interview
with LopezLink was conducted.
The satellites at the Mall of
Asia and Trinoma, which are relatively newer at two to three years
old, include examination rooms
and diagnostic machines. In the
past nine years, some 60,000
patients young and old have been
treated for various eye problems
such as cataract, retinal disease,
or glaucoma, or have availed of
the various other services on offer at Asian Eye, such as LASIK,
oculoplastic surgery, visual rehabilitation, pediatric ophthalmology and and optometry.
Asian Eye’s advantage over
its competitors, according to
Peña-Gerochi, is its sustained
commitment to high quality for
the benefit of patients, which
permeates the whole organization and receives the full support of its stakeholders.
“From the selection and
structure of the medical team,
to the design of facilities and
systems, and the training and
management of staff, we are
serious and relentless about
innovation and continuous im-
provement, to do what is right
and good for our patients,” the
VP stressed.
“We’re also very proud of
how our ophthalmologists and
optometrists are leaders in their
fields, and are able to not just
bring the latest technology here
to Asian Eye, but also share
the same with their colleagues
in the industry so that more
people can benefit from them.”
Just last month, three of
Asian Eye’s specialists—Dr.
Harvey Uy, Dr. Marimel Veloso
and Dr. Bobby Ang—were invited speakers at the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology
conference in Beijing, with close
to 10,000 ophthalmologists
from all over the world in attendance. For Asian Eye, intense
competition locally and regionally, plus a market that still
needs to be educated in terms of
the standards of eye care remain
its biggest challenges.
“There’s a large part of the
market that is not aware of the
kind of eye care they can and
should get. First of all, they wait
until there is already a problem,
and then for any kind of problem they still go to an optical
shop, that’s the general Filipino
mindset,” Peña-Gerochi said.
es selective laser trabeculoplasty for glaucoma
• Introduces the Oscar
M. Lopez fellowship in
glaucoma and the Asian
Eye medical travel program
surgeries, the Zeiss intraocular lens (IOL) Master
for cataract screening, and
the Zeiss Humphrey visual
field analyzer for glaucoma
screening
• Partners with Pfizer and
Alcon on clinical trial
research for glaucoma
• Introduces the Felipe I. Tolentino fellowship in retina
and the Asian Eye Institute
fellowship in cornea
lowship in glaucoma from
the Philippine Glaucoma
Society
• Recognized for its research
work by the American
Society for Cataract and
Refractive Surgery, Bausch
and Lomb, Philippine
Academy of Ophthalmology, and Philippine College
of Surgeons
• Recognized for the second
time as an IiP
• Achieves recertification
to the ISO 9001:2000,
14001:2004, and OHSAS
18001:2007
Asian Eye management team
The Asian Eye management
team (seated, l-r): Bunny Gerochi; Bheng Relatado-Rubia,
Market Research and Communications; K Manalili, Patient
Services; Kat Raquel-Santos,
Human Resource; Ferdie dela
Cruz, Finance and Administration; Dr. Gua Dato,
Pediatric Optometry; Dr.
Mary Ann Catacutan,
Clinical Research; Dr.
Johnny Nañagas, Medical
Director; Jiji Recto, Marketing; Isel Panganiban,
Quality; and Raul
Rodriguez, Information
and Communications
Technology.
TIMELINE
2001
• Launch
of the
flagship
Rockwell
Center
clinic
2002
• Certified as clinical
research site by the Western
Institutional Review Board
of California
• Establishes the Asian Eye
Independent Review Board
for monitoring safety in
clinical research
• Partners with Ophthalmological Foundation of
the Philippines to provide
cataract surgeries for
indigent patients
• Introduces Customized
LASIK
2003
• Establishes its Low Vision
and Visual Rehabilitation Service and Optical
Dispensary
• Establishes International
Customer Service for the
Japanese and Korean
market
2004
• Achieves Philhealth
accreditation
• Offers fellowship training
in Low Vision and Visual
Rehabilitation
• Partners with Bausch &
Lomb for LASIK research,
one of only four centers in
Asia
2005
• Acquires optical coherence
tomography for diagnosis
and monitoring of glaucoma and retinal diseases
• Awarded as Outstanding
Eye Care Center by the
Consumers Union of the
Philippines
2006
• Achieves certification
to ISO 9001:2000, ISO
14001:2004 and OHSAS
18001:1999 standards
• Recognized as an Investor
in People (IiP) by the International Quality Centre,
UK
• Expanded customer service
for the Indian, European
and US markets
2007
• Launches
Asian
Eye’s first
satellite
clinic at
Trinoma
• Introduc-
2008
• Opened the second satellite clinic at Mall of Asia
2009
• Introduces Crystalens,
• Acquires the
Alcon Infiniti
phacoemulsification
machine for
cataract
an IOL that can restore
near, intermediate and
distance vision of cataract
patients; and Phakic IOL
for patients with high
nearsightedness but are not
qualified for LASIK
• Achieves accreditation for
its Oscar M. Lopez fel-
2010
• Its Quality, Environment,
Safety and Health System
is again certified to the ISO
9001:2008, 14001:2004
and OHSAS 18001:2007
standards
Lopezlink October 2010
executiveFEATURE
Nationalism, business excellence
and the courage to make it all work
By Carla Paras-Sison
To help address this, Asian
Eye’s chief optometrist and low
vision and contact lens specialist
and the president of the Philippine College of Optometrists,
Dr. Jesse Caguioa, regularly invites Asian Eye doctors to speak
about different eye diseases at
the organization’s conferences.
This is part of their advocacy
to train optometrists to detect
these diseases so that they can
properly refer to ophthalmologists for the benefit of the patient.
As it starts its tenth year of
providing world-class eye care to
Filipinos, Asian Eye is looking
to boost its medical team with
new members within the year as
its doctors are “working practically at capacity already.” Also on
the horizon are plans to secure
international accreditation, enter
the profitable medical tourism
industry, and put up more satellites or an additional big facility
within Metro Manila.
Peña-Gerochi also hopes
to expand the center’s research
capability even as Asian Eye,
through its medical team, has
already made a name for itself
as the foremost research facility
for ophthalmology in the Philippines.
• Adopts Accreditation
Canada standards
ASIAN Eye Institute president Benjamin K. Liboro is concurrent director
of the Lopez Group-wide Business
Excellence program.
It is no wonder then that Asian Eye
vice president and general manager
Bunny Peña-Gerochi counts business
excellence as the Lopez value that
most permeates Asian Eye’s operations.
“Asian Eye’s beginnings were rooted
in nationalism. It was the vision of then
chairman Oscar M. Lopez (OML) to
deliver to Filipinos the same quality of
eye care they could get abroad. Asian
Eye also exemplifies the pioneering
entrepreneurial spirit because of its
commitment to make available in the
country the best technology at the
same time that it becomes available in
Asia and in other parts of the world.
But it all comes together under business excellence because of Asian Eye’s
commitment to be at the forefront
of eye care and practice,” says PeñaGerochi.
Cornell University math graduate
Peña-Gerochi and former petroleum
banker Liboro are part of the Manufacturing and Portfolio Investments
Group (MPIG) of First Philippine
Holdings Corporation (FPHC), parent company of Asian Eye. They were
seconded to the eye center in 2007 and
have meanwhile successfully zeroed out
its capital deficit of P120 million, “the
cost of starting up and establishing a
presence in the market.”
Profitable
“Asian Eye has been profitable for
the last four years. If we can maintain
our earnings trajectory, then we may
be able to declare our first dividend
after our audited financial statements
for 2010 come out next year,” Liboro
says.
The biggest challenge for PeñaGerochi moving has been managing
people both in the organization and
outside it, meaning patients. “There
was a lot of adjustment on my part,
being self-aware, recognizing my behavior and how it affects others. In
(FPHC), we were all peers. We managed our bosses and looked to them
for direction. (In Asian Eye,) people
look to me for direction. They look at
me as a leader and so I had to watch
myself especially in making decisions
and striving to be a role model.”
Peña-Gerochi credits her mentors
for her evolution as a leader, among
them Liboro, MPIG head Arthur
de Guia, corporate human resources
director Fil Alfonso, Lopez Holdings
Corporation vice president-HR Pinky
Diokno, and chairman emeritus OML
himself.
“I believe I’ve been lucky in the
types of leaders I’ve been exposed
to. I feel they are sincere in wanting
to see me grow, and they’ve been so
generous with their time and wisdom. They have by and large tried
to find the best fit for employees
and provided the necessary support. Because of this, I’ve learned
to take intelligent risks, and it is
helping me now in Asian Eye,”
she says.
Like a father
Liboro, who has been with
FPHC since 1979, says OML
acts very much like a father to his
corporate family.
“And so as an employee, you
would want to do well because
you don’t want to displease him or
disappoint him, just as a child to his
father.”
Outside of FPHC, Liboro’s mother
is his model for living what he calls a
useful life. A cardiologist, Liboro’s
mom still practices in her clinic at the
age of 91. “She says the day she can’t
practice medicine anymore is the day
she is ready to pass on.”
He says he admires the Lopez family most for their courage.
Holding on to values
“I love working with and for this
family because they have the courage
to live up to the standards and traditions of the founder, and to continue
standing up to
abusive people in government.
Frankly, it
is a gift to
be able to
work in our
organization where we can hold on to
the values of our formative years, to
retain that idealism and not sell out to
expediency,” Liboro says.
The Asian Eye team invites Lopez
Group members to check out the
modern eye facility for a full checkup,
“especially if you’re diabetic or hypertensive” which means higher risk of
eye problems.
“Tell us what you need, we may
just be able to bring it in. If you know
people who need help but can’t afford
it, bring them, too, especially if you are
part of civic organizations like Lions
or Rotary. We’ll see what we can do,”
says Liboro.
“Come to Asian Eye. We have the
best the country has to offer in terms
of eye care,” says Peña-Gerochi.
Asian Eye president Ben Liboro and
VP Bunny Peña Gerochi
SPOTLIGHT
Education, eye care, research top Asian Eye’s CSR priorities
• Introduces new logo and
the Eye Contact newsletter
• Expands its Rockwell clinic
by opening the eighth floor
of Phinma Plaza to complement existing ninth- and
tenth-floor clinical space
• Introduces the pediatric
optometry, vision training
and orthoptics service to
screen and treat children’s
vision disability problems,
complementing the existing
pediatric ophthalmology
service
ASIAN Eye’s three main advocacies are in education through fellowship programs, leadership in
medical research, and eye care for indigents.
The company has made world-class fellowships
available to graduates of accredited ophthalmology
residency training programs. Nine ophthalmologists have completed their fellowship training at
Asian Eye, and four are in training in 2010. Programs available today are the glaucoma, cornea and
refractive surgery, and medical retina and ileitis fellowships.
In addition, Filipinos can share the benefits of
continuing improvements in the field of eye care
through the Asian Eye research program, which
aims to discover technologies and practices that improve eye care and quality of life and to disseminate
Dr. Edgar Leuenberger (standing)
with a fellow examining an indigent
patient in one of the missions participated in by Asian Eye
new knowledge to serve patients in the Philippines
and worldwide.
The company also spearheads an annual cataract
mission that has provided free cataract surgeries to
indigent patients at its surgical facility. In partnership with the Ophthalmological Foundation of the
Philippines (OFPHIL), pharmaceutical companies,
nongovernment organizations and local government units, Asian Eye has operated on close to 600
eyes in Manila, Pasig, Quezon City and Marikina
since 2002.
Asian Eye also provides diagnostic services, surgeries and treatments to indigent patients referred
by OFPHIL, for difficult cases or those that require
specialized equipment. Since 2004, Asian Eye has
handled over 800 OFPHIL-referred cases.
CSR ACTIVITIES
Lopezlink October 2010
‘Esteros’ prioritized
by Aquino admin
‘P-Noy’ impressive in NY President Noynoy Aquino III faced key international civil society leaders
in New York and answered questions on a variety of issues such as human rights, environment, social entrepreneurship and education during his US trip in September. The meeting was hosted by the Synergos Institute and
co-facilitated by institute chair and founder Dr. Peggy Dulany and Knowledge Channel Foundation Inc. president Rina Lopez-Bautista. Photo shows (l-r) Lopez-Bautista, Pres. Aquino, Dulany, Lopez Group chairman
emeritus Oscar M. Lopez and Connie Lopez. Lopez-Bautista said the President addressed all issues “ directly,
substantially and sincerely.” ABS-CBN chairman Eugenio Lopez III (not in photo) also joined the dialogue.
Run for Knowledge 2010
KCFI launches KaRUNungan
2010, which aims to help generate awareness and support
for the continued resource and
learning gaps in the Philippine
education system. The funds it
will raise through this campaign
will be used to produce instructional shows in English, science
and math, using virtual teachers
on air. KCFI wishes to help
the majority of elementary and
high school students, who are
still unable to attain adequate
mastery of their lessons.
Through KaRUNungan 2010
and various running events, KCFI
enjoins the growing Filipino community of runners to champion
the cause of Philippine education,
and give Filipino students their
second wind that will help them
reach the finish line. As KaRUNungan 2010’s theme says, “Every Learner, A Finisher.”
“Every child is in search of
knowledge; every child deserves
a good education. We believe
that every runner can inspire a
child to keep on going, and every runner can lead the child to
win,” said KCFI president Rina
Lopez-Bautista.
KaRUNungan 2010 Manila will be held on November
28 at the Meralco Compound
in Ortigas. A total of 5,000
runners are expected to join
the event. Visit www.knowledgechannel.org/karunungan
or contact Nicole Garingan at
910-2131.
NY Marathon 2010
Runners taking part in the ING New York City Marathon 2010
can go extra mile by dedicating their run to helping marginalized public school students. They can do this by asking friends
and supporters to donate $1 for every kilometer they run on
November 7. KCFI president Lopez-Bautista walks the talk as
she joins a group of runners from the Philippines that includes
her son Daniel and other family members.
More than just CSR
THE management of First Philippine Realty
Corporation (FPRC) recently donated goods to
Tahanan ng Pagmamahal Children’s Home Inc.
in Oranbo, Pasig City as part of the company’s
corporate social responsibility program.
FPRC president Oscar R. Lopez Jr. handed
out bedsheets, towels, pillowcases, toiletries and
sacks of rice. He was accompanied by vice presi-
dent and general manager Heriberto Comsti and
managers Ola Magno and Lolit de Castro.
Myrna Ortega, in charge of Tahanan, said
about FPRC’s act of generosity: “The kids at
Tahanan really appreciated having soft towels for
their personal use.”
Aside from 14 children in Tahanan, Ortega,
along with her husband Rey, also takes care of
15 newborns, 12 pregnant women and 52 elderly
people in the wards of Grace to be Born, the
Anawim shelter and He Cares Foundation.
To donate to Tahanan, call 910-1895 or visit http://
tahananpagmamahal.multiply.com/. (Lin Catolos)
CALENDAR
Oscar R. Lopez Jr. (right) turns over FPRC’s donations to Rey Ortega of Tahanan ng Pagmamahal
Children’s Home Inc.
BAYAN Academy offers the following
certificate training programs this month:
October 14-15 — Community-Based
Social Enterprise Development
October 28-29—Marketing Management
For rates, call Carol Arcaya at 426-3140 or
928-5576. Bayan Academy reserves the right to
change course dates.
Lopez and other government officials
begin their inspection of Estero de San
Miguel as the residents look on. Photo by
Jericho Von Miranda (KBPIP)
THE cleanup of the esteros
(estuaries) of Metro Manila recently got fresh support from
the Aquino administration as
Department of Environment
and Natural Resources Sec. Ramon Paje, Department of Public Works and Highways Sec.
Rogelio Singson, Metropolitan
Manila Development Authority chairman Francis Tolentino
and Manila Mayor Alfredo
Lim inspected Estero de Paco
and Estero de San Miguel.
Guided by ABS-CBN
Foundation Inc. (AFI) managing director Gina Lopez, Pasig
River Rehabilitation Commis-
sion deputy director Alan Gatpolintan and representatives
from the Armed Forces of the
Philippines and Philippine National Police, the three secretaries and mayor navigated Estero
de San Miguel by boat.
Estero de San Miguel is a
two-kilometer tributary of the
Pasig River located just behind
Malacañang.
“I feel it’s very good for
the government if we clear
President [Noynoy] Aquino’s
backyard, which is a network of
five esteros,” Lopez said.
Lopez is ecstatic that the
key players came together to
clean the esteros.
“There is no way it can’t
happen if we don’t work together. I take my hat off to
them. They came on board and
they said they’re going to work
together… So I’m very, very
optimistic,” she added.
Earlier, Lopez met with
Pres. Aquino to show the
progress of the AFI project,
Kapit Bisig Para Sa Ilog Pasig,
on these esteros. The President
immediately visited Estero de
San Miguel and enjoined the
different departments to deal
with the rehabilitation of the
esteros. (Faizza Tanggol)
MMLDC leads advocacy
on disaster risk reduction
MERALCO
Management the public education sector in en Arnobit, MMLDC director
and Leadership Develop- Ondoy’s hardest-hit areas, with for academic services.
ment Center Foundation Inc. the CCA-DRR program.
San Mateo and Cainta in Rizal
(MMLDCFI) is spearheading “What makes the program became the pilot recipients of the
endeavors to teach people not unique is the inclusion of a program. The participants underonly about disaster prepara- DRR plan in the development went training, assessment, DRR
tion, but also how to be more plans of the local government planning and project presentation.
proactive toward environment unit partners. Secondly, the The rest, including implementaconservation. One of the DRR plan had to be based on tion, will be done by members of
initial mission programs is an honest-to-goodness hazard the core team who have taken the
the Climate Change Adap- and risk assessment,” said Vivi- program. (Peng Young)
tation and Disaster Risk
Reduction (CCA-DRR)
program.
MMLDC and a panel
of experts led by former
Environment Secretary Dr.
Elisea Gozun, MMLDC’s
Cora de la Paz, Albay
APSEMO’s Cedric Daep,
hazard and risk mapping
expert Oliver Coroza and
Rowena Boquiren of Conservation
International
Representatives from San Mateo and Cainta, Rizal who attended the CCAPhilippines helped the parDRR planning session
ticipants, who came from
Lopezlink October 2010
ONGOINGS
Book Matters: Fully booked!
brary and The Children’s Library
held its second Book Matters on
that month. The program used
radio, events, talks and book sales
to encourage more people to read
Filipino authors and publications.
To make people aware of some
of the new books in the market,
graphic designer and artist Serj
Bumatay talked about his design
for Lopez Museum’s 50th anniversary book, “Unfolding”; a CANVAS
representative discussed the books
for children that were inspired by
artworks; and Ortigas Foundation’s
The artwork designed by Ilustrador ng Kabataan members and worked
upcoming book on Philippine
on by the young participants in the Book Matters event at Robinson’s
churches by Fr. Rene Javellana was
Galleria
promoted on Jam 88.3.
WITH September geared as a month for books Events included a meet-and-greet and workwith the Manila International Book Fair, Lopez shop for kids with komiks artists and members
Memorial Museum, the Ortigas Foundation Li- of the Ilustrador ng Kabataan at the Robinson’s
LOPEZ VALUESIN ACTION
FPHC:
Galleria activity center on September 11. Talks
on developing lifelong readers by Pam Yu and
book design by Daniel Tayona were held at Lopez Memorial Museum on September 18 and
25 respectively, the former attended by public
school teachers and the latter by enthusiasts. The
Inquirer’s Read-Along program at the Ortigas
Foundation Library was well attended as was the
opening of the works of artists of CANVAS on
September 28.
Book Matters is a joint project of Lopez Memorial Museum and Library, the Ortigas Foundation Library and the Robinsons Children’s
Library. (Mary Ann Pernia)
The Lopez Memorial Museum and Library is at
the ground floor, Benpres Building, Exchange Road
corner Meralco Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig
City. Museum days and hours are Mondays-Saturdays, 8 am-5 pm, except holidays. For more info,
call Fanny at 631-2417 or email pezseum@skyinet.
net or [email protected].
Daring to go where many fear to tread
SLAIN US Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, brother of beloved US President John F.
Kennedy, said it best: “Those who dare to fail
miserably can achieve greatly.”
And if there is one thing that describes the
Lopez Group of companies, it is that it dares to
bet the house in the name of doing something
new that presents tremendous growth opportunities that will benefit not just the company, but
the nation as well.
That singular trait, which has been handed
down through generations of Lopezes, is one of
the many reasons Elpidio L. Ibañez has devoted
most of his career to First Philippine Holdings
Corporation (FPHC), where he sits as president,
MAP awardee OML, Ces Drilon, Ibañez and
former VP-HRD Rey Sarmenta in 2000
chief operating officer and FPHC board member.
“One thing about the Lopezes is that they are
not afraid to take calculated risks. They are always
ready to bet the house,” the 60-year-old Ibañez says.
“That’s part of being pioneering.”
Ibañez says that since he joined the company
as an assistant manager in 1979, FPHC has had
its share of ventures that turned sour, among
them investments in agriculture and diskette
manufacturing.
Longer list of successes
But it has a longer list of spectacular successes,
mainly in the field of power generation and toll
road infrastructure, with the former accounting for as much as 70% of its annual earnings,
and this the economics graduate of the Ateneo
de Manila University attributes to the Group’s
never-ending quest to blaze new trails.
It was not too long ago, however, when FPHC
was on the verge of collapse.
Oscar M. Lopez (OML) retook control of the
company in 1986 following the fall of the painful Marcos dictatorship that practically ran the
company to the ground, and what the managers,
including Ibañez, told him was that the company
was not in good shape.
The company was saddled with debts and
it would take an orchestrated, determined and
massive effort to get it back on its feet. It would
have been easier to just write off the company,
but OML would have none of it.
He and his new board that included Steve
Psinakis, Christian Monsod, Jake Almeda Lopez,
Ernesto Rufino Jr. and Camilo Quiason, with the
help of the management, proceeded to resurrect
the company one step at a time.
Primary challenge
Ibañez was vice president in 1986 and he was
tasked to manage the company’s debt, which was
the primary challenge that had to be overcome if
FPHC were to get back in the black.
“We settled our debt and other obligations in
various ways. We sold our investment in Pilipinas Shell and issued common shares in exchange
for debt. We did everything that we had to do,
and we were eventually able to get the sequestration on the shares of Meralco lifted. “That was
when we really got restarted,” says Ibañez, who
holds a master of business administration from
the University of the Philippines.
What also got FPHC going was the decision
of the Ramos government to allow the private
sector to again take part in the power generation
business, where the Lopez Group was before
martial law.
FPHC president Nonoy Ibañez, wife Irene and son
Diego at the summit of Mt. Pulag in 2007
Power generation
“At that point, we went out of our agriculture
ventures and concentrated on power generation,
starting with the Bauang power plant in La
Union,” Ibañez says.
That was the first of many investments in
power generation and the healthy revenues that
came in allowed the company to eventually venture into other infrastructure projects, such as toll
road development, semiconductor manufacturing
and industrial estate development.
The road to profit has been long and fraught
with seemingly insurmountable challenges, but
Ibañez says the journey has been made easier by
the fact that he and the rest of the management
team and FPHC employees always had the support of the board and the top officials.
Generous
Unlike other bosses who would berate executives
for daring to do something new and consequently
making mistakes along the way, OML has always
been generous with his support and encouragement.
“He would just tell us that he does not want any
surprises. If there are problems, you have to tell him
right away so that the issues can be tackled as early
as possible. Don’t try to hide them,” says Ibañez,
and that attitude encouraged the people to always
think outside the box and dare tread new paths.
NOSTALGIA
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to
repeat it. —George Santayana
October 15, 1962
Eugenio Lopez Sr. decides that Meralco will
meet the expected rise in power demand with
plenty of capacity to spare, and without any
assistance from the government.
October 1, 1964
Meralco sells $8 million worth of Meralco
bonds, the first time a privately-owned
Filipino corporation successfully sells bonds
to the US market. Eight US insurance companies
buy the
bonds.
The sale is
handled
by White,
Weld &
Co.
October
30, 1969
Presidential Assistant on National Minorities
(PANAMIN) Secretary Manda Elizalde
pays a visit to thank Eugenio Lopez Sr. for his
efforts in raising P250,000 for the PANAMIN.
October 15, 1970
Meralco Securities Corporation (MSC)
pays the final installment for the purchase of
Meralco three months ahead of schedule.
October 19, 1970
Philec president Oscar M. Lopez inaugurates
the company’s plant in Taytay, Rizal.
October 17, 1977
Meralco Foundation Inc. (MFI) and MSC
arrive at a stock purchase agreement in which
all of MSC’s Meralco shares are turned over
to MFI for a total sale price of P872M and a
down payment of P204M.
Source: Mercy Servida, head librarian, Lopez
Memorial Museum Library
He is confident that the willingness to invest
in something new and promising will ensure that
FPHC will be a name to reckon with in power
generation and infrastructure.
“That is why I will not hesitate to recommend
for others to work for the company, even my own
children,” adds Ibañez.
His fellow Lopez Group executives catch Ibañez in a
trust exercise during a team building activity
10
Lopezlink
LIFELONG WELLNESS
October 2010
LGFI, LLW conduct flu, dengue and typhoid forum
A recent announcement from
the Department of Health
(DOH) stated that the number
of dengue cases from January
to August has already reached
69,594. This figure is 99% higher than last year’s 34,997 for the
same period. There were already
501 deaths recorded compared
to 369 last year and DOH fears
that at this rate, cases could
reach a record 80,000 this year.
In response to the growing
threat of infectious diseases such
as dengue, Lopez Group Foundation Inc. (LGFI) and Lopez Lifelong Wellness (LLW)
conducted a forum entitled
Protecting Yourself from Infectious Diseases (Flu, Dengue,
Typhoid) at the Meralco Mini
Theater on September 29, 2010.
Miguel Lopez, VP for corporate affairs of Lopez Holdings
Corporation, who gave the inspirational message, stressed the
significance of a corporate wellness program in the Group.
“We are fortunate to have a
corporate wellness program—
the Lopez Lifelong Wellness
system—that consistently reminds us to always be well and
stay well. Sustaining the well-
ness advocacy is not an easy
task but by now, I hope the
rationale for wellness is enshrined in the Lopez Credo.”
He also commended chairman
emeritus Oscar M. Lopez and
LLW head Rafael M. Alunan
III for sustaining the program.
Experts from the Philippine Society of Microbiology
and Infectious Diseases were
the speakers for the forum: Dr.
Mario Panaligan, Dr. Rontgene
Solante and Dr. Minette Claire
Rosario.
Dr. Panaligan shared that
while flu is seen as a simple
disease, people should be worry
about the complications that it
can bring such as pneumonia,
dehydration, asthma, diabetes
or even heart disease. He also
suggested two ways to treat it:
through antiviral drug intake or
the “home sweet home” method,
which includes getting enough
rest, drinking lots of water, taking medications, maintaining
health access, covering mouth
when coughing and sneezing,
and washing one’s hands regularly.
Meanwhile, Dr. Solante
shared that it’s not the platelet
count that should be monitored
when one has dengue but hematocrit levels. Hematocrit is
the proportion of blood volume
that is occupied by red blood
cells. Also, there is still no vaccine for dengue but hydration
helps a lot in treating it.
Dr. Rosario, on the other
hand, stressed that proper
sanitation is the best way to
avoid getting typhoid since
it is usually acquired through
consumption of food or water
that have been contaminated
by feces of an acutely infected
carrier. (Benjo Sandoval)
Walk the Talk celebrates 4th year
By Benjo Sandoval
THERE’S no stopping Lopez
Lifelong Wellness from propagating the wellness philosophy
as it celebrated Walk the Talk’s
4th anniversary on September
18, 2010 at the La Mesa Nature Reserve in Quezon City.
Over 400 hundred Lopez
Group employees and their
family members and friends
attended the wellness event
sponsored by Energy Development Corporation.
The eight-kilometer walk
commenced at about 8 a.m. led by
Lopez Group chairman emeritus
Oscar M. Lopez, his son Benjamin R. Lopez, and Lifelong head
Rafael M. Alunan III.
After the walk, a short program was held which high-
lighted the people who made
Walk the Talk 2009 series successful.
In his opening message,
Alunan reiterated the importance of holistic wellness to an
individual and how it is being
practiced in the Group.
“Unless we are well in body,
mind and spirit, we will not be
able to meet fully our responsibilities and full potentials to
self, family, company and community. You can say that this is
part of the Lopez Way—caring
for its executives and employees to build their companies to
last,” he stressed.
Cited for having the most
number of participants in Walk
the Talk’s 2009 series were
Rockwell Land Corporation
(1st), Energy Development
Corporation (2nd), and Bayan
Telecommunications
(3rd).
Certificates were also given to
the 2009 venue hosts and food
sponsors.
Twelve individuals were
perfect attendance awardees:
Asian Eye’s Noemi Luz Palomata; First Philippine Realty
Corporation’s Josie Frondoso,
Larry Jabeguero, Baltazar
Gaña, Nerissa Barcela and Jocel Palaña; Bhong Yumul of
SKYCable; Roger Agaton of
FWV Biofields Corporation;
and Lopez Group Foundation
Inc.’s Jimmy Hernandez, Julie
Cuevas, Benjo Sandoval and
Darlene Lamis.
LGFI president Rafael M. Alunan
III, chairman Oscar M. Lopez, and
First Philippine Holdings corporate
communications head Jay Lopez lead
family members and friends during
the walk at the La Mesa Nature
Reserve
IT guy loses 78 pounds
By Kane Choa
Lonel Labit tries on his old 42-inch
pants.
LONEL Labit, a business analyst for corporate and subsidiaries solutions with ABS-CBN’s
IT division, used to weigh 233
lbs. By the time he walked his
bride down the aisle in September 2010, he weighed 162 lbs.
(he had hit 155 lbs. but felt he
looked too thin) and could fit
in 32-inch pants. Overweight
since college, Labit won the
battle against his weight problem by changing his lifestyle
and food intake habits. Here’s
his story.
How did you do it?
I started with brisk walking
and jogging in the morning.
I also enrolled in a gym and
availed of the free training
program. When the free program ended, ... I just gathered
all the ideas and training routines and did everything by
myself. I religiously went to
the gym three to five times a
week. I was able to lose two
pounds a week.
How about your diet?
I still eat anything I want but
I’m computing my calorie intake. I should not exceed 2,000
calories a day or 3,500 calories a
week so I will not gain weight.
What was your lifestyle
before?
I ate a lot of rice, ulam, junk
foods, chocolates, ice cream,
drank a lot of soft drinks, and
anything that came my way. I
also didn’t exercise.
What drove you to lose
weight?
Health and self esteem. I
felt bad when I was buying
my clothes before. I had to
buy XXXL sizes and a lot of
stores do not have stocks of big
clothes.
After losing weight, what
difference did it make in
your life?
I had more confidence in
facing people. I’m healthier and
I really feel that it has improved
my work performance. When I
was overweight, I sometimes
felt lazy and sleepy. I can now
buy smaller size shirts and
pants.
How do you maintain it
nowadays?
I stopped going to the gym
last May and I went back in
August. When I’m not going
to the gym, I still do my brisk
walking and jogging anytime
during the day when I have an
opportunity. I also keep track of
my calorie intake.
What would you advise other
people who’ve been wanting
to lose weight?
Set your goal and take charge.
Stick to your goal even if there
are obstacles that come along
your way to losing weight. Don’t
skip meals!
sports & wellness
calendar
OCTOBER
3: TAKBO! Breast Friends,
3k/5k/10k fun run (Ultra
Track & Field Oval, Pasig),
5 am. Fee: P450. Call 09178138149, 502-4260.
10: Walk the
Talk @ 10.10.10
Run for the Pasig
River (SM Mall of Asia,
Pasay), 6:30 am. Participants
must register with their HR
departments. Contact: Benjo
Sandoval, 631-6394 or
Darlene Lamis, 449-6170.
13: Lifelong Wellness
Forum @ Meralco Mini
Theater. Forum on disaster
risk, crisis management and
emergency preparedness.
17: The Pink Run—D’
Feeting Breast Cancer,
3k/5k/10k/15k (McKinley).
Fee: P500. Visit www.
thepinkrun.com.
24: Adidas King of the
Road, 5k/10k/21k (The
Fort). Fee: 850. Visit takbo.
ph.
18-20: Silent retreat @
Makiling. Fee: P4,500.
Contact Dina , 09175235504.
25-27: Silent retreat @
Tagaytay. Fee: P4,500.
Contact Vina Pineda,
0920-908031
3rd LLW bowling
tourney launched
By Faith Bacon
WITH 10 participating teams, the Lopez
Lifelong Wellness (LLW) Bowling Tournament was launched in an opening ceremony on September 10 at the Green Valley Bowling Lanes. The participating teams
are ABS-CBN, First Gen, First Philippine
Holdings Corp., Energy Development Corp., First Philippine
Industrial Corp., Philec, First Philec Manufacturing Technologies Corp., Rockwell, Lopez Inc. and the combined team of LLW
and Lopez Holdings Corp.
The tournament aims to enhance employees’ wellness as well
as provide a venue for interaction among kapamilyas to get to
know each other and bond within the spirit of friendly competition and sportsmanship.
The tournament will be held for 12 Fridays until November 26, except November 19. Aside from the team award, the
players are also competing for the individual Highest Average
award.
Louie Martin of the LLW team welcomed the participating
teams in behalf of LLW head Rafael Alunan III while Cary
Lopez Jr. gave the inspirational message.
After the ceremonial rolling of the balls, the teams took the
oath of sportsmanship led by Rudy Icoy of Lopez Inc. The
first-game competitors were determined by the drawing of
lots. The night may have ended with some winners and losers
but each team definitely went home with a collective resolve to
fight better and play harder next time.
Don’t keep the good news to yourself. Pass on your copy of LopezLink! Be a Facebook fan, sign up in http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lopezlink/86834229052.
Lopezlink October 2010 11
Sudoku
Maglaro tayo ng Sudoku, ang bagong libangan ng bayan!
Ayusin lamang ang mga numero simula 1 hanggang 9 para
ang bawat numero ay minsan lang magagamit sa bawat row,
column at kahon.
 Very
Easy
Easy
 Medium
 Hard

Answer to September puzzle
Solution, tips and computer
program available at www.
sudoku.com
travel
GRIFFIN SIERRA
RECOMMENDS
The Sphinx near Cairo, Egypt is one of the
oldest statues in the world
IT has
been another
busy and productive
and rewarding month for the Lopez Group
as trips, workshops, conferences, awarding
ceremonies, sporting events and the like
crowded our calendar.
Most notable among these is President
Aquino’s first foreign trip as head of state on
September 20-27, where Lopez Group chairman emeritus Oscar M. Lopez and ABS-CBN
chairman Eugenio Lopez III were among the
top business leaders who made up the business
delegation (government officials made up the
55-person official delegation). Lopez Group chairman Manuel M. Lopez, meanwhile, welcomed the President during the townhall meeting
arranged by TFC at its studio in California.
Meanwhile, First Philec Solar Corporation (FPSC) scored a first
for the Group when it was inducted into the Palladium Balanced
Scorecard Hall of Fame for Executing Strategy late last month.
Making the achievement even more remarkable for FPSC, one of
the first Philippine adopters of the BSC, is the fact that it is the first
private company in the Philippines to receive the recognition.
In the Lopez Group Five-Year Strategic and Annual Budget Planning process in early September, speakers Ricky Carandang of Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office and
Enoch Fung of the Goldman Sachs Economic Research Team pointed to
overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and tourism as the Philippines’ “bright
hope amid the threat of a double dip recession in the global economy.”
Carandang noted that OFW are at record levels at $9.06 billion
in the first six months of 2010. On the other hand, Fung described
tourism as “an area of opportunity because employment spreads
across the entire labor market.”
By the time this issue comes out, you’ll only have a couple of
days left to sign up for 10.10.10 Run for the Pasig River through
ABS-CBN Foundation Inc.’s partner retail outlets (online registration is now closed). To get to the venues easily, from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m.
registered runners may present their race bibs on the MRT 3 and
on buses plying EDSA with the 10.10.10 Run for the Pasig River
poster. The organizers are also implementing a no-littering rule, so
make sure to find the nearest garbage bin for your trash.
Post-10.10.10, don’t put your running shoes away yet as Knowledge Channel Foundation Inc. also has running events in the offing
Dear Rosie
to celebrate its anniversary in November and to raise funds for its
KaRUNungan 2010. We’ll provide more details soon!
Take a closer look at Asian Eye Institute in this issue as the
country’s premiere eye care center marks its ninth year with its new
logo and by adding a whole new floor to its flagship Rockwell Center clinic. Find out what new services are on offer—they just might
offer the specific services you or your family and friends need.
ooOoo
When is the airing of “Imortal”? Thanks!—Annirose
“Imortal,” the exciting pairing of Angel Locsin and John Lloyd
Cruz will start thrilling fans in the last week of October. This is a
project their millions of fans have been waiting for, and we made
sure it’s worth the wait. Watch for it!
ooOoo
One Lopez Group executive that I’ve always been curious about is
Atty. Augusto Almeda Lopez. Having read the “Kapitan” book, I
know he has been with ABS-CBN for a very long time. Is he related to the Lopezes? I hope you can feature him in the Lopez Values
section too, like Ms Catahan and Mr. Liboro recently.—Madz
You’ll be glad to know that Atty. Jake, as he is known, is the subject
of one of our upcoming Lopez Values features. Yes, he has been working with the Group for almost 60 years and, at 80-something, still
sits on the board of several Lopez Group companies. And, if you’re
familiar with the Ermita area, here’s a bit of trivia: Natividad Almeda
Lopez St. is named for his mother, the country’s first female judge.
ooOoo
Thanks for the beginners’ training program for runners that you
published. I have not actually started running yet but I clipped the
article for inspiration. Will surely get around to hitting the Acad
Oval one of these days!—Dianne
If you have questions, comments, opinions, suggestions and reactions
about anything and everything about the Lopez Group, please send
them to Dear Rosie through email [email protected]
or [email protected] or be a friend or fan on Facebook.
Travel to the Holy Land:
Egypt, Israel and Jordan
By Carla Ricafort Atienza
PEOPLE flock to the Holy Land to see the places
where the stories of the Bible were set. Commonly,
tours like these will take you to Egypt, Israel and Jordan.
A trip to Egypt will not be complete without a visit
to the Great Pyramids and the iconic Sphinx of Giza;
in the evening, watch a belly dancing show on board a
Nile dinner cruise. The following day, spend some time
in the Egyptian Museum where you will find artifacts,
relics, statues and jewelry from the pharaohs. Also visit
Old Cairo, Church of Abu Serga, St. Sergius Church
and Khan El Khalili bazaar.
You will need half a day to visit Memphis and
Sakkara then drive to the Suez Canal to cross the tunnel into Sinai, where you will find Moses Springs. A
trek up Moses Mountain will take you to the place
where God spoke to Moses.
From Egypt, cross the Taba border to Israel, and
proceed to Qumran for a tour of the site where the
Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Visit the Old City of
Jerusalem, where you will find Via Dolorosa, the path
that Jesus walked while carrying the cross, and the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the place of His burial
and resurrection. Other sites in this area are St. Anne’s
Church, regarded as the birthplace of the Virgin Mary,
the Pool of Bethesda, and Ein Karem, the birthplace
of St. John Baptist.
Visit the Mount of Olives for a panoramic view of
the Holy City of Jerusalem, the Ascension Chapel, the
site where Jesus is said to have ascended into heaven,
and the Pater Noster Church, said to be where Jesus
taught the disciples to pray “Our Father.”
In the Garden of Gethsemane, you will find the
Maria Magdalena Church and the Church of All
Nations. Then, visit Mount Zion, the Last Supper’s
Room and the Tomb of King David.
Also visit Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, the
Church of the Nativity, where we find the Grotto of Nativity and Altar of Christ’s Birth and Manger’s Square.
As you explore this region more, going through so
many other significant sites to visit such as Mt. Carmel, Bahai Shrine, Nazareth, Cana, Mt. Tabor, Galilee
and Capernaum, you will find yourself crossing into
Amman, Jordan.
In Jordan, a must-see is the hidden rock city of Petra. Explore the rooms, tombs and places carved out
of the cliffs. From Petra, visit the Christian village of
Madaba and see the ancient mosaic of the Holy Land,
then go to Mount Nebo where Moses viewed the
Promised Land. In the city of Amman, take a city tour
that includes the Citadel and the Amphitheater.
The weather here can get harsh, so bring a hat,
sunscreen and sunglasses. Dress modestly especially
when visiting religious sites. For your electronic gadgets, keep in mind that Egypt uses 220-volt, twoprong round plugs.
As this region is full of historical sights, plan a longer holiday for these destinations. Call Griffin Sierra
at 898-2451 to 57 or email [email protected].
ph and ask Mitzi, Alan or Sheina about trips to the
Holy Land leaving toward the end of October.
The Holy City of Jerusalem
Events
around Asia
57th Macau Grand Prix.
From November 18-21.
Tickets start at HK$50
(about P300). It coincides
with the Macau Fringe 2010
on November 12-28, an arts
and culture festival.
Kumeu Art in the Garden
2010. In New Zealand on
November 6-7. It will feature
over 1,000 works of art
available for purchase direct
from over 100 artists. Kumeu
is a short drive away from
Auckland.
2010 Formula 1 Etihad
Airways Abu Dhabi Grand
Prix. On November 12-14.
Two-day ticket prices start at
US$392 (about P17,000).
EXPO 2010. Closes on
October 31. It’s your last
chance to catch this once-ina-lifetime event!
Also ask about our specials on domestic weekend
getaways to Boracay, Bohol,
Cebu, Legazpi City, Laoag
and Palawan! (C. Atienza)
12
Lopezlink October 2010
What’s new
By Cherry Pineda
from ABS-CBN Publishing this October
‘UFC Magazine’
now has Philippine edition!
Robin and
Mariel’s
India trip
in ‘SSM’
UFC Magazine Philippine Edition is the official
print media release of the
Ultimate Fighting Championship. UFC Magazine
Philippine Edition features
artic les
f r o m
the US edition as well as articles from the
Philippine side. UFC fans can now enjoy
reading about their favorite MMA stars and
get the lowdown on what’s happening in the
UFC.
Power up with ‘Metro’ Power Issue
Metro’s Power Issue features Mariel Rodriguez as she shares
her love story with “Bad Boy” Robin Padilla. The fashion pages
feature 49 strong and sexy looks for this season and why wideleg pants are making a comeback. In addition, we have a special “Power Up” feature on influential people in fashion, such as
Amina Aranaz-Alunan and Ginggay Joven-dela Merced, and
the Power Changemakers that include Julia Abad, Gang Badoy
and Daphne Osena-Paez.
The Power Issue is available on the iPad. Download it for free!
Just log on to iTunes and go to the App Store.
StarStudio carries
the story of how
action
superstar
Robin Padilla and
TV host Mariel
Rodriguez found
each other, and
exclusive, neverbefore-seen photos
of their India trip.
Other important
features are the
full coverage of
the Star Magic Ball and the Retoke Report, an inside look at how celebrities
stay young and beautiful, and how much
they’re willing to reveal.
Hit the town with ‘Chalk’!
Chalk lists down the top 10 cocktails—and
where to get them!—with a guide to the best
gimmick hotspots from Manila to Cebu! DJ
and party boy extraordinaire Jon Herrera reveals the secrets to throwing a bash everyone will be talking about. Felix Roco, Bret
Jackson, Julz Savard and Coleen Garcia talk
about their road to stardom. Plus, how to
wear monochromatic colors, what makes a
good kiss, makeup ideas for Halloween, and
more!
Get the newest issues of your favorite magazines at leading bookstores and magazine
stands nationwide. Get a free 1 issue for every 12-month subscription (for a total of 13
issues). For inquiries, call ABS-CBN Publishing Inc. at (02) 455-9434 or visit us at
http://abscbnmags.multiply.com.
ROCKWELL POWER PLANT FINDS
Christmas shopping run-up
By Lisa Gomez
Editorial Advisory Board
Executive Editor
Contributing Editors
Carla Paras-Sison (Lopez Holdings)
Maite Bueno (Meralco)
Estela de la Paz (First Gen)
Kane Choa (ABS-CBN)
Hazel Velasco (FPHC)
Benjo Sandoval (Wellness)
Circulation
Editorial and Layout
Boo Chanco / Danny Gozo
Rosan Cruz
John Rojo (Bayan)
Susan Ortiz (SkyCable)
Sheila Quieta (ABS-CBN Publishing)
Vienn Tionglico (Rockwell)
Dulce Baybay (LGFI)
Lucy Torres (Tel. 449-2468)
Mousetrap Publishing
LopezLink is published by Lopez Holdings
Corp. PR Group
4/F Benpres Bldg., Ortigas, Pasig City
Telefax: 633-3520
For feedback, please email [email protected].
Available online at www.Lopezlink.ph
OCTOBER is the second “ber” month and
that means only one thing—Christmas is
just around the corner! Start your Christmas
shopping early (either for yourself or for your
loved ones) in Power Plant Mall!
Mango
Most women have at least one or two Mango
pieces in their wardrobe, whether it is a casual tank top or an elegant dress. Visit Mango’s
newly renovated store at the R1 Level for
unique and fashionable offerings. The store
has a modern, upbeat vibe which will surely
get you in the mood for lots and lots of shopping!
Cosmopolitan
For fab accessories that are one of a kind,
check out Cosmopolitan’s kiosk at the Archaeology wing. Find bib accessories, rings,
bangles, earrings and a whole lot more! These
beautiful accessories will liven up your basic
outfits, corporate suits and gowns!
My Watch
Show your nationalistic side with watches
from My Watch Philippines, which offers
watches featuring the
Philippine map. The
kiosk at the Archaeology wing features a
wide range of watches in all colors and sizes.
Sebago
In the ‘40s, boat
shoes were the
most fashionable item to
have in one’s
closet. And now
they’re making a
comeback! Sebago,
a well-known international brand selling boat
shoes in unique designs and colors, is at the
R2 Level. You can even personalize your shoes
by picking your own color combinations!
Simmons/Dwell
For those who love shopping for their homes,
Simmons/Dwell is now open at the R2 Level. Find the perfect
mattress that will
surely give a relaxing end to your busy
day.
The Spa
After the
shopping
workout
and hours
of walking,
treat yourself to a body massage, facial treatment or nail
spa services at The Spa at the R2 Level!
October events
On October 6 and
7, enjoy “A Grand
Night for Singing” by
Rodgers and Hammerstein at the P1
Concourse Level at
7 p.m. For inquiries,
call 898-1702. Happening at the Rockwell Tent on October
15-17 is Rockwell’s Moonlit Bazaar. Visit
Baker’s Dozen on weekends at the Concourse
Level while kids and kids at heart may head to
the Rockwell Tent on October 30 for Halloween treats! Power Plant Mall’s pre-Christmas
sale will also be happening this October. Also,
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Visit the ICanServe Foundation booth
at P1 of Power Plant Mall on October
15-17; 22-24; 29-31. Check out www.
powerplantmall.com or www.facebook.
com/PowerPlantMall for updates!