Coach by day, Vice Gov by afternoon

By Cristine Antonette B. Catu

Although he has two careers, Guiao still manages to give 100 percent in both roles.


Red Bull Barako head coach and Pampanga Vice Governor, Joseller "Yeng" Guiao will run for re-election as a running mate of Senior Provincial Board Member Baby Pineda, under the Kampi banner.


Growing up with the late governor Bren Guiao, known sports enthusiast, it was not surprising that “Yeng” and his two other siblings also got into sports. The head coach of the Red Bull Barakos admits that it was their father’s interest that actually got them started with the nation’s favorite pastime.

Although not a Lasallian from the start, Guiao admits that the La Salle community had a huge impact on his life. Asked why he chose La Salle Green Hills, his answer was simple: For convenience, plus it was the best school in the area.”

Guiao remembers a lot of things at La Salle. Every time he gets the chance to get together with friends and reminisce about those years, memories immediately begin flooding back. “When they [his friends] mention a name, something comes into your mind; it always brings a smile to your face when you remember those things,” he says.

Among those he fondly remembers was Antonio Mendoza, the former coach of the track team, or “Tatang” as most graduates call him. Guiao also remembers Br. Victor Franco and Br. Manuel Blas, as well as the late Fr. Francisco Martinez.

Still it was the values he got throughout his stay in La Salle that had a lasting influence on him as these helped him form his personal set of principles and priorities. The La Salle Brothers had been strict in instilling the concept of a Christian Gentleman, which Guiao believes molded him into what he is today.

Warrior spirit

After graduating from high school, Guiao made a surprising move. Instead of continuing his studies at his alma mater, he decided to study at the University of the Philippines, which he said helped put balance into his life. As he was already used to the atmosphere in Green Hills, which he found slight controlling, he felt the urge to break free and UP, could give him that.

In UP, he took up Industrial Engineering and played for the UP Maroons.

It was during his stint with the Maroons where he caught the attention of Joey Concepcion, who recruited him for RFM’s team in the Philippine Amateur Basketball League (PABL), now Philippine Basketball League (PBL). But he knew his limits as a player and thus shifted to coaching.

To date, Guiao won four PBA titles since starting his head coaching job for Swift in the early-1990’s. He is a former Philippine Basketball League commissioner from 1997 to 2000. He left the commentary booth, as well as the Commissioner post to join Red Bull’s move to the pro ranks.

Red Bull had a two-season title drought, despite several respective finishes during those seasons. But in the 2005-06 PBA season, he coached the Bulls to the Fiesta Conference Championship, defeating Purefoods in 6 games and a runner-up finish in the 2006 Philippine Cup.

Proud panorama

But Guiao’s life doesn’t just revolve around basketball. Given his family background, it was not surprising that Guiao would eventually venture into politics. After his father’s death in 1996, he was asked by a lot of his constituents to take over the role his father left behind.

In 2001, Guiao became a board member in the province of Pampanga to start off his political career. He had plans to have Pampanga host several sports for the 2005 Southeast Asian Games but was later scrapped. In 2004, he won the Vice Governor position of the province in the local elections, which he currently serves.

Come this May, Guiao will run for re-election as Vice Governor as a running mate of Senior Provincial Board Member Baby Pineda under the Kampi banner, mother party of President Gloria Macapagal-Arrroyo.

Unknown to many, his original plan was to run for congress in the first district of Pampanga but when Pineda decided to run for the governorship, she invited him to stay on as her vice governor.

“Maybe it would be better if I postpone my plan for congress and see if we can see the fruits of our sacrifices in terms of having a new leadership in the province. And at the same time having done that to vindicate ourselves by making the quarry collection [problem] obvious to the Kapampangans,” he lamented.

Guiao has been critical about the leadership of current Pampanga Governor Mark Lapid. He had alleged that quarry operations had lost money when the Pampanga provincial government took over its operations from the government –run Natural Resources Development Corporation in 2002.

But Guiao said the officials must look fort solution, not problems, to the low income generated from quarrying in Pampanga.

Asked about his plans for the May election, he recognizes the need for the local government to call the provincial council meeting at least twice a year to discuss some programs, the direction of the province, the priorities and the problems that need to be resolved. The provincial development council is composed of the mayors, the NGOs, congressmen or representatives, and the members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.

“Can you imagine functioning and operating a province for 12 years without calling the mayors’ meeting? If you’re going to implement something, you should inform your mayors because they were also elected to function in the same way. So the big picture is that does not happen in our province.”

The business and investment environment is doing well in Pampanga because it is the center of development in Central Luzon. Farming and fishing are the two main industries of the province. Kapampangans are well known for their culinary expertise. As a matter of fact, Pampanga’s Best and Mekeni Food are among the better known meat brands of the Philippines-style sausages and cured meats. To add, tourism is a growing industry in the province of Pampanga--Clark Field, in Angeles City, is home to Diosdado Macapagal International Airport, Luzon’s second International Airport and designated as the Philippines future premiere gateway site. Within the Clark Special Economic Zone are well established hotels and resorts.

Other developing economies include a semiconductor industry involved in the manufacturing of electronics and computers mostly located within the Clark Special Economic Zone in Angeles City.


For Guiao, aside from the developing economies and tourist destinations, which will attract investments, he firmly believes that the measure of leadership is on how you can maximize the given resources and potentials in the province.

“Pineda recognizes all of these needs and that as her Vice Governor, I will be an active part of the plan to put together a credible program for the province,” he vindicates.
Politics can easily turn away any normal person into a corrupt official, but not Guiao. With his Lasallian upbringing, he says his integrity remains strong. “The values La Salle instilled in me kept me from being just another corrupt official. Keeping a firm belief that even in the real world, values of honesty and loyalty still w

Triple Towers

By Cristine Antonette B. Catu

Three of the tallest players in La Salle Green Hills’ PAYA Mini prove that they are not just big boys…


For this year’s Mini batch, Coach Hubert de los Santos was particularly looking for shooters in the mold of towering 5-foot-7 power forward Karl Angelo de los Santos and 5-foot-8 centers Rodel Joven and Adam Narciso. The coach of the Mini Basketball Tournament knows that his biggest challenge is to make the most of every opportunity for his young though talented bunch of dreamers. In short, he is transforming the team into a legitimate title-contender, a team that can stay in the hunt.

As feared big boys in the league, these sixth graders were not just players in the court but they were also players in the academic honor roll or various school clubs. As a matter of fact, De los Santos is a consistent top 5 achiever and holds a position in the Student Council Organization. Apart from basketball, his well-rounded athletic personality in a manner bespeaks of his enthusiasm for other sports such as golf, taekwondo, badminton, and swimming. Meanwhile, Joven is also a competitive soccer player while Narciso has musical appreciation for rock fusion, a genre close to his heart. Narciso will also be representing the country in a basketball competition that will be held in Las Vegas and Los Angeles in the US this coming summer.

Given the good height, it was natural for the three boys to get inclined in the nation’s favourite sports. However, Narciso says he owes his love and skill in playing basketball to his parents - Rudy and Chila. On the other hand, De los Santos and Joven enrolled in a basketball clinic to learn the basics.

Having the height advantage, De los Santos, Joven, and Narciso challenged other tough players in various leagues. Delos Santos played for the Coach E Basketball Team in the International School Invitational League, while Joven made it in the Private Schools Basketball League (PSBL) and PRADA. On the other hand, Narciso ruled it in the Futures Basketball League (FBL), Coach E Basketball Tournament, Small Basketeers of the Philippines (SBP), PSB, or even in the Junior PBA Basketball League. Dominance entails confidence and these players already fitted in and adjusted well to the Archer system that is why the players of the opposing teams [Xavier, Southridge, CSA, BIS, Ateneo, Claret, LSQC, and ALLS] expect to see more from them.

Apart from all these, what do these big boys have in common?

CHERIFER!

To maximize their growth potential and to strengthen their immune system, they admit that they regularly take Cherifer PGM.

De los Santos revealed to Animo that he started taking Cherifer when he was still 5 years old. “I was small and thin then, so my mother bought the product to improve my growth. She got to know Cherifer through print ads. In no time at all, I grew tall for my age,” he says.

Joven and Narciso tried and tested the product a year ago when they saw it in a TV commercial. Which is why they are hell-bent on taking a growth enhancing multivitamin like Cherifer that would result in an exaggerated height increase: for Narciso from 5’3 to 5’8 and for Joven from 5’6 to 5’8. It also further supports the improvement of their vision and coordination of visual, mental and motor skills.

But right now, nothing excites the big boys more than mapping their future basketball, and of course, winning in the PAYA Mini Basketball Tournament.

De los Santos’ favourite team is the San Antonio Spurs because he likes the way their power forward—Tim Duncan—plays. Joven, the Michael Jordan fan, admits that he has been training hard to adapt to his new role. For his part, Narciso, whose favourite player is Allen Iverson of Denver Nuggets, believes that he constantly has to improve on his game.
Surely, the Mini PAYA batch has a lot of big shoes to fill, and expectations abound as early as now… Getting the basket

Great Family with the Grand Sporting Tradition

By Cristine Antonette B. Catu

It is the legacy that the Banzon family are carrying on that competitive spirit reigns.


It was a pleasant surprise to catch a brood of the Banzons who regularly meet for lunch in what they called a family room during Sunday in a compound located in San Francisco del Monte, Quezon City along West Avenue.

This sprawling family room went through major restoration after a fire gutted it completely in 1994. It housed the first generation of the Banzon’s when they became one of the recognized families dedicated to sports in the country.

This year, the Banzons are flying to Macao to celebrate their parents’ 50th anniversary. Dr. Conrado Banzon Sr., 83, a first cousin of Doña Aurora Banzon Magsaysay, got married to Nenita Delgado. Conrado Sr. is an EENT specialist who has practised in UST hospital for many decades. Though not as competitive as an athlete as his offsprings, Dr. Banzon has won numerous tournaments as a golfer. Honoured in 2000 as one of the most outstanding physician in the country by the Professional Regulators Commission, his long list of professional achievements has cascaded down to his children in a manner that bespeaks of commitment and excellence in whatever it is they do.

The Banzons have a strange yet wonderful tradition. Would you believe that almost every one of them graduated in Assumption and Ateneo de Manila University? Plus all the Delgado sisters were married on September 12.

Aside from the fact that the Banzons are all Blue Blooded, what binds these athletes together is their passion for sports. Name it: track and field, long jump, triple jump, tennis, karate, golf, bowling, baseball, volleyball, basketball. It is this tradition that they carry on with a competitive spirit.

It was actually the late Conrado Jr., or fondly called “Radito” Banzon [HS ’75, Management Engineering ‘78], the eldest among the family of seven, who started sports in the family particularly in basketball and track and field at Ateneo. Unfortunately, Radito, the track captain died due to heart attack after crossing the finish line in the 1981 MILO Marathon, thus making him the first casualty of the said annual event.



With fine looks, comes a great heart

There’s nothing shocking with the fact that Marcel Banzon [HS ‘76], who’s next to Radito is also into track and field. Undeniably, the Banzons led the legacy in track in Ateneo. The only doctor in the family, Marcel specializes in Pediatric Opthalmology. Moved by his new passion in education, he teaches part time at St. Scholastica, UST, and Makati Medical Center.

Marcel has been married for 20 years to wife Nina Raymundo, the muse of ‘76 La Salle basketball team, whom he met during a date arranged by a common friend. At that time, Nina was already employed in Far Eastern Bank while Marcel was having his internship at UST.

The good-looking couple is blessed with four children – Luigi, 20, Carlo, 18, Gianna, 16, and Radito, 10. “When our youngest child was born, I stopped working because I wanted to focus on my kids,” the former muse says. “All of them are currently baseball players and members of the Philippine baseball youth teams.” The couple believes that engaging in sports will keep them balanced and will keep them away from any form of distractions such as joining the wrong group.

Joining the Blue Eagles Basketball Alumni since 1980, Marcel was one of the pioneers who helped the organization during its [two] shaky championships. At 48, he is still an active participant in the Ateneo Alumni Basketball League (ABL) and has been a part of the champion team in 2004.


Competition stems from the heart

An Atenean through and through, Rene Banzon’s [HS ’78, Business Management ‘82] kids, Leandro, 12 and Roque, 9 used to be a Blue Eagle until one day they found themselves in the Integrated Montessori Center [Pasay]. But they hope to go back in Ateneo for high school.

A former member and champion of the Philippine Shooting team, Chikee, Rene’s wife, had competed in several SEA Games competitions. Once again, adding to the already sports-laden bloodline of the Banzon clan.

Flashback to 1974, the Atenean spirit was quite different than now. During Rene’s times, there was more intensity.

Having started early, his co-athletes witnessed how Rene metamorphosed into a brawny, vigorous, yet sensible man. He started as a football player in high school, carrying on the belief that the football program develops agility, foot work, and patience.

A member of the Ateneo varsity basketball team, Rene capped his achievements when he won the Athlete of the Year in 1978. Some of his teammates during the NCAA season were Ogie Narvasa, Steve Watson, Padim Israel, and Jojo Gamboa.

With his accomplishments in the world of track and field and basketball, Rene stands out from the rest when he was recognized into the prestigious Hall of Fame – Fabilio No. 9.

Currently, the former hard court star is part of the Ateneo Sports Foundation. He tries to help the Blue Eagles in terms of exposing the players in a competitive level of sports development.


The accidental, but fulfilled athlete

“I chose Ateneo because my brothers are all there,” started Lizette.

An accidental athlete herself, Lizette Banzon Cojuanco [Interdisciplinary ‘83] revealed to BlueBlood that since her brothers was athletes, whether she likes it or not, she had to patiently wait for them after training. So instead of just waiting, she decided to join the track and field team. During her stint, it was the time when Ateneo was able to gather a lot of women for the varsity track and field. Winning second place in the 100 meter dash against Asia’s fastest woman, Lydia de Vega, was a major achievement for her. She trained long and hard to hone her athletic skills but mused that she did so while having an umbrella on the field.

Husband Miguel “Mickey” Cojuanco [HS ’79, Legal Management ‘83] and Lizette started as good friends in college. Unknowingly, they would end up with each other.

Perhaps, it’s the Atenean philosophy and fundamental principles that stirred their chemistry. “I think I’m blessed to have the Chinese and Western philosophy. It helped with most of the things that I have now,” Lizette candidly says.

She realized that even in business, you must have an exposure in philosophy to be able to get a wider scope and wider point of view in life because it makes you a more creative person.

Having a reputation of a true Blue Blood, Mickey thought that his Atenean education formed him to be balance in studies and to enjoy leisure life – studying smarter and studying harder at the same time.

A combination of athletic skill, good-breeding, and confidence, Mickey believes that belonging in the Banzon family is something else. The couple tries to extend that tradition to the next level. In fact, their son Anton, 16, is part of the varsity basketball while their daughter Ivy, 14, is into softball.


The Plyo-Man is SportsMan for Others

Much as sports equates to a world of record-breaking competition, Raul – the fifth of the brood – carries this reverent passion to have young athletes surpass the records he had achieved all through his athletic career.

Apart from often being remembered by his batchmates as the “Athlete of the Year” awardee, Raul became national champion in the long jump division and a multi-titled track athlete in the UAAP. He graduated from Ateneo High School in 1983. A year and a half later, he was sent to the U.S. to pursue an Olympic dream in track and field as a member of the Gintong Alay National Team and attended college at the California State University in Long Beach.

Needless to say, it was time well-spent for this was to become the very concept that inspired Raul to found the sports training company, PlyoSports, now “the” country’s training haven for all athletes who nurture the passion to excel in the sport they had chosen.

Raul is married to Ritzie Ampil Javier, who herself comes from a family of Ateneans. She is an alumna of the Assumption in San Lorenzo, belonging to High School Batch ’87 and a Cum Laude graduate of the Broadcasting Communications course in U.P. Diliman, which she stood for as a muse during the UAAP opening in 1991. Despite such an accolade with prior advertising and marketing work experience in some of the country’s most prestigious firms, Ritzie chose a career as a full-time mom, appearing in television commercials from time to time. “Of course, there’s always a trade-off.”

The beneficiaries of these parents’ devotion are nine-and-a-half-year-old Quinito and younger brother, Julio, who had just turned 7. Naturally, both kids train at PlyoSports to hone their basic athletic skills at the very least. While Raul restrains himself “with much effort” to impose his choice of sports on his own sons, he is quite content to see them enjoy dabbling into basketball, soccer, badminton and even taekwondo.

Besides being a great family man and sportsman for others, Raul is also an entertainer and a gifted sax player. He had been part of the pop rock band, Overdrive, since its beginnings in 1984, and for five years since its reunion/revival in 2001. Recently, he managed to form a new executive band which they call “Working Stiff“, playing smooth jazz fusion (a genre close to Raul’s heart), in hopes of developing jazz appreciation for both the young and the young-at-heart.


From volleyball to family star

Her effort to raise her eight kids [Nicky, 20, Mickael, 18, Chiara, 17, Mauro, 15, Sandro, 14, Bea, 13, Martin, 11, Emilio, 6] didn’t go unnoticed. She was able to run her own Personal Care Products business with her own brand Handguard and Candy. In a few months, she’ll have a cologne line for teens as the target niche.

Meet Monique Banzon Daez, 40, the widower who was married at an early age to the late UAAP basketball and track and field star, Leo Daez [HS’ 80].

Prior to her moving to Ateneo, she has already attended school affairs from grade school to secondary school. Since becoming an Atenean, she found the Blue Eagles’ haven more exciting and more alluding even when her brothers were still there. In high school, she was extraordinarily comfortable so when she got to Ateneo for college, it was nothing new at all.

A volleyball player in her senior year in Assumption, she was expected to join track in the university. “I was looking for the track Atenean spirit which I saw during the times of my sisters and brothers but it was missing. I have one solid group of friends so I felt it was boring in track team,” disclosed Monique.

She wanted a team sport to meet new faces. Among the girls, she was always athletic so there’s nothing to prove.


A woman with a distinct career trail

Due partly to scoliosis, Yvonne Climent, 39, stopped playing for the varsity team, yet still found reason to smile during Ateneo vs La Salle games. The youngest in the family, she’s one of the most die-hard Ateneo fans ever.

His husband Tonico Climent, who is a La Sallite, is not willing at all to discuss such rivalry with her. Yvonne is into real estate while Tonico is the General Manager of a pharmaceuticals company. They are blessed with three children namely Carolina 11, Rocio 9, and Antonio, 1.

The athletic bloodline does not merely stop at Yvonne’s. Tonico adds to the Banzon tradition by being one of the top Filipino tennis players of his time. He represented the country in various international tennis competitions alongside Felix Barrientos, Roland So, and Raymond Suarez. At present, he continues to be fit by doing cycling, golf, and pretty soon, triathlon.
From the late track star, doctor, Hall of Fame awardee, accidental athlete, Plyoman and musician, widow businesswoman to real estate agent… They share the same passion, which is sport. All of them give their selfless love and untiring support to their kids, serving as a role model, good example and inspiration to the next level of Banzons.

Now On Board

By Cristine Antonette B. Catu

Captain Butch is not only a member of the Presidential flight crew for the current and the past two administrations but also a pilot of his own private life.

Before the year-ends, Captain Butch will be leaving for Toulouse, France on a grant from the European Commission to be qualified as a type-rating examiner for the A340/A330 aircrafts.

Very seldom does someone without a deep passion for airplanes, become a pilot. A lot of people think it would be neat to fly, but those who made it to the cockpit are extremely dedicated in getting there. There are many hurdles, obstacles, and patience-testing situations on the road to becoming a pilot that not many people know.

But for Captain Emmanuel “Butch” C. Generoso [GS ’74, HS ’78, Business Management ‘82], “it is not a glory to become a pilot but a mission”.


Pilot-in-Command

Captain Butch, as to what he insists his pilots address him, has an Airline Transport Pilot certificate and a Flight Instructor License. He’s currently the Chief Pilot for the Airbus A340 and A330 of Philippine Airlines responsible for the airworthiness of both the pilots and the aircraft.

His aviation career started at the Philippine Airlines Aviation School 86-A where he acquired both his Commercial and Airline Transport Pilots License. From an early age, it has been his dream of becoming a pilot, and so far since 1986, he has accumulated over 11,500 hours of flight time.

At 23, he started his career as a limited first officer for HS748. He became a Captain for the Fokker 50 after training in Schippol, Amsterdam then eventually appointed chief pilot for the F-50 division. He then trained in France for the A320 aircraft, assuming the Chief Pilot of the fleet. Afterwards, he moved on to the A330/A340 aircraft as the assistant chief pilot. In 2000, Airbus Industrie selected him to be the first Asian to join their Flight Instructor pool and he taught A320 / 330 pilots from several Asian carriers in the Airbus Industrie Training Centre in Beijing. When he returned from this mission, he eventually became OIC then chief pilot for the Airbus A340 / A330.

Captain Butch is happily married to Evelyn Balcos Generoso, the daughter of an airline pilot, Captain Emilio Balcos. Capt. Butch and Evelyn now have two children, Jose Iñigo, 22 and Mikaela, 15. It was actually his father-in-law who encouraged him to go for his dream to be a pilot and avail of a scholarship that was then offered by Philippine Airlines.


Taking Flight

Overseeing twelve wide-body aircrafts that cover all destinations (domestic, regional and international) of PAL, Captain Butch doesn’t only makes sure that the engines are running but also makes sure that the pilots and manpower are in their highest level of proficiency. For the chief pilot, handling 200 pilots means recognizing 200 diverse characters.

“Flight crews are always away from their families, thus, proficiency is not our only concern but also their own domestic problems. There are cases where we become ‘emotional wastebaskets’, a term from Fr. Mac Reyes.” Fr. Mac is one of the many Jesuits that formed Capt Butch during his Ateneo days.

For pilots, time away from home is already given. Depending on his flight roster and qualifications in the airline, a pilot could be away for a day, a night, or on the other side of the world for 10 days or more at any given time! Pilots often joke that they have been gone so much that they feel they have actually been married for only half the time since their wedding date. To some, they find the world as their playground.

His values are his benchmark. As a management pilot, Captain Butch sets a good example and don’t let himself fall into any trap.

“I use for my profession the values the Jesuits taught me”, he discloses. “When you go to work, they won’t ask where you studied nor would they see what you have accomplished... Instead, they will look at who you are. This is the only way they will trust you and keep you.”


Landing

Ideally, when the Philippine President is on-board, the pilot-in-command does the take-off and landing. Everytime Captain Butch takes a flight, nothing should go wrong that’s why he has to master the system and to work with all the controllers [including the travelling, crossing, and flying over].

With anxiety in the pit of his stomach, there’s always the pressure of arriving on time, especially during State Visits.

“You have to open the door at the exact designated time given to you, plus or minus 10 seconds. You cannot be early. You cannot be late,” he reveals.” You can just imagine how long it takes to plan a visit before it actually materializes so you must deliver...”


Blue Days

Having spent his elementary, high school, and college years as an Atenean, “Blue all the way”, is how the pilot-in-command describes himself. “As far as I can recall, sa Ateneo lang kami nag-apply for school.” Captain Butch led the roster of successful Ateneans in their family. Caesar Junior, a batch lower, is already an accountant in Chicago. Ernesto is a journalist while Paul, the youngest, works at Smart Telecommunications as Trade Marketing manager.

One highlight of his illustrious Blue life was when he became a part of the ADMU football team. As a varsity player, he competed in RIFA, NCAA, UAAP, and later joined the PCSO in the professional league. It was during those years in the Blue Eagles football squad where they wound up as Champions from 1976 to 1980.

The last four decades has seen a steady drum roll of learning from his classic teachers, who even became the mentors of his son. To name a few, they were the legendary Mr. Pagsi, Ms. Chee Kee Esperanza, Ms. Gigi Katigbak dela Cruz, Fr. Hollscher, and Fr. Mac Reyes.


The inside story of flight PR-812 onboard an A330

Perhaps one of the most dramatic events of any pilots’ career is a high-jacking incident. Capt. Butch is no stranger to one. He was in fact, the key figure in one such internally covered event.

On December 2000, a commotion on board the Mabuhay class section of the aircraft seized the attention of millions around the world.

Captain Butch was the check captain evaluating the crew from the jump seat of Philippine Airlines flight from Davao City in the southern Philippines. Descending through 10,000 feet to Manila, a high jacker with a gun and a hand-grenade took control of the Airbus A330.

The first signal that something was wrong occurred the lone high jacker pulled the pin out of a hand grenade, and poked a gun in Captain Butch’s face, and said, “We’re not landing!”

Stunned for just a few seconds, Captain Butch then had the presence of mind to take control. “We’re not your enemies, these people have families. They’re not involved, and you’re making them involved. Maybe I can help you,” says Captain Butch.

It was the Atenean communication approach that worked.

During those agonising minutes, the man said he had seen his father killed. He was so emotionally disturbed, wanted revenge and draw attention to the matter. Captain Butch was able to convince the high jacker that the passengers had nothing to do with his problems. He offered to give him money so he can jump out of the plane, and start life anew.

At great risk to him, Captain Butch had the opportunity to get out of the cockpit and to talk to the passengers on the PA from the forward flight attendant position. He explained to the passengers the situation and asked from them to donate whatever cash they could give. The first time the hat was passed, only a few bills were collected.

While Captain Butch appealing to the passengers on the PA to give more, the high jacker’s gun fired accidentally in the cockpit. The ear-piercing blast knocked the 300 passengers to panic and forced them to give further. All of a sudden, the bag was full of money.

Overwhelmed with the money people had given, he just wanted to bail out. The high jacker was proud of his homemade parachute but he was worried that it didn’t have a ripcord. “I told him I could help him make a ripcord but it didn’t [work] because maybe I’m not a Boy Scout,” he relates.

Subsequently when he found a nice spot where he wanted to be, they opened the rear door on the port side of the aircraft.

“The books don’t say I could open that door, and I wasn’t sure it would open, but he still had the grenade, so I said we could do it.”

The guy jumped, but because of the speed of the aircraft he got pinned in the doorway with his hand (the one holding the grenade) and one leg still inside the aircraft.
A flight steward grabbed his arm and leg and helped him off the aircraft.

When he got home, a horde of reporters and cameramen jostled for a sound bite. There he got his 5 minutes call to fame. The next few days were crazy for the survivors and a traumatic experience for his family, as some news outlets CNN, BBC and local news media took to calling him.

At last, though, life returned to normal. “Alangan namang twice in your career, ma-hijack ka,” he ribs.

Mario's Kitchen @ Robinsons Place, Ermita

What used to be the hangout of mall goers is now a haven for businessmen and tourists. Known to its attention to detail and friendly service, Mario’s Kitchen is a place where people usually come as guests, with a promise to return for another dining experience.

Experience Mario’s Kitchen at Robinsons Place at its best – Mexican Continental style of architecture and a superb Latin influence makes for a perfect setting that is accessible to the Pedro Gil Wing hotels. The entire place was designed by Tessa-Prieto-Valdez, the sea princess herself, style chameleon, life crusader, and icon.

Some eye-catching features of the restaurant add distinct appeal to dining guests.

To complement with homey feel of the fine dining restaurant are a wide array of international Spanish Filipino and Continental Cuisine that cater to the discerning taste of every guest. Most meals are served in generous portions, which are not only pleasing but equally tasting as well.

From their Paellita and Mar Y Tierra’s sautéed beef and shrimps on a bed of garlic fried rice challenges the plate with its many flavours. Try the Dynamic Duets’ lengua with paella, spare ribs with chopsuey, paella with tortang talong, calamares with beef steak, to name a few.

When asked about their best sellers, Mario’s Kitchen offers the grilled pork chops rubbed with spices, one inch thick and served with a mustard sauce and mushed potatoes, bistecca pizzaiola, thin slices of sirloin marinated with spices and served with a flavourful tomato based sauce and a creamed base pasta, truly a perfect combination.

Oh yes and to top it all, they offer the fillet of fish oriental. Plus pan fried fish served with an oyster sauce and garnished with tofu and leeks.

Need we say more?

Discover the cheap thrills of their beer promo – Buy a bucket of 5 Pale Pilsen beers for only Php 100 or a bucket pf 4 SM Light for as low as Php 100.

Get it. Dine-in. And chill out for a bit. The ambiance and piped-in music contributes to the whole experience.

Mario’s Kitchen is located at the 2nd floor “Taste Buds”, Robinsons Place, Ermita and should be your next home in Manila.

Another branch of Mario’s is in Metrowalk, which is at the corner of Meralco Ave. and Ortigas Ave. Steady young professionals and executive crowd support this cozy and intimate outlet.

Visit their new branch in Unit 1115 Entertainment Mall North Wing SM Mall of Asia, Central Business Park, Pasay City. For inquiries, you may call at 556-0556 or email at marios_kitchen@yahoo.com.

The other branches of Mario’s Kitchen are located at La Tiendesitas, Pasig City. The interior carries the theme of modern Filipiniana. The veranda, mantled by native blinds in the second floor just in front of SM Supercenter is a must to see.

Highly Respectable Player

By Cristine Antonette B. Catu

From golf club to horses & long-handled mallet to karts, then lighting instruments, and finally to Samurai steel scissors… What’s next?

In 1983, Henry Yutuc started playing golf in Los Angeles with his friend, Baby Yupangco. Unknowingly, next to his recreational activity list would be horses and long handled-mallets.

Mounted on horseback

Residing in Sta. Ana near the polo fields with his grandmother, he was an avid spectator of the polo games at an early age. Ricky Yabut, a top polo player in their batch in La Salle Green Hills, invited him to watch their practices.

“In 1988, Enrique Zobel’s two children met an accident in an airstrip. Jake, Mr. Zobel’s only son, was rushed to the hospital. So the riders said: Henry, have you heard the bad news? You’re joining us next practice,” he shares.

At one point, Enrique of the country’s influential Ayala family gave him the opportunity to play polo. It is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Mr. Zobel provided him the helmet and mallet except for a pair of boots and a whip, which he brought. His father questioned him on what he was getting into. “This is cheaper than golf, dad,” he insists. Henry purchased the horses in a farm in Lipa, Batangas that was granted by his father so that it won’t be a humiliation on their part.

As a rookie, Henry played in the opening polo cup of the first season. He even scored the winning goal and he was able to finish the three qualifying race. From 1988 to 2000, Henry played polo but confessed to Animo that it is the second most dangerous sports next to Formula One.

Karts on an outdoor track

Richard Joson, one of his golfing buddies said: Bumili ka na lang ng go kart. Hindi mo pa pinapakain everyday. After some time, he sold his horses and bought an open-wheeler motor sport with simple, small four-wheeled vehicles called karts.
Kart racing is usually used as a low-cost and relatively safe way to introduce drivers to motor racing. Karting is considered the first step in any serious racer's career. It can prepare the driver for high-speed wheel-to-wheel racing by helping develop quick reflexes, precision car control, and decision-making skills.
He recalls the time when he was practicing kart racing. “Your ass is one inch above the ground. It doesn’t have controller. I was then wearing t-shirt [not a suite]. Syempre si Henry eh. It was after the blister when I felt it because my adrenaline rises.”
In addition, it brings an awareness of the various parameters that can be altered to try to improve the competitiveness of the kart that also exist in other forms of motor racing. Many, perhaps most Formula One racers grew up racing karts.


Art of lighting

Henry’s first attempt at the art of lighting can be tracked back when he became interested in it. A renowned director from Kapuso, who happens to be his friend, told him that if he wanted to get into cinematography, he has to hang out with him during their back pack shoots.
His first project as a Lighting Director for GMA 7’s Extra Challenge taong grasa episode was shot in Payatas. “You move from one location to another so we don’t use the same lights. Well, I already know how strong the lights are but the bottom line is when you set it up to your taste, you should check out the monitor,” he says.

Indeed, the most important thing that he learned when he trained as a Lighting Director is the discipline of making lighting and camera choices when recording images for the television shows. Light is necessary to create an image exposure on a digital target. The art of lighting for cinematography goes far beyond basic exposure, however, into the essence of visual storytelling. The control of light quality, color, direction and intensity is a major factor in the art and science of cinematography.

Secret to rock hairstyle: samurai steel scissor

From the entertainment business, Henry moved on to special cosmetology as a hair stylist because he wants to go back abroad. For 3 months, he trained for a vocational course at Franck Provost, the most modern brand in luxury styling, enhancing the elegance and beauty of women. Then after 8 months, he took up advance courses (In what? Please be specific.)

Stefan, of course is Stefan Wilczynski, the other half of Rockwell and Shangri-La’s supreme beauty hub, Basement’s German wonder duo, negotiated with Henry. “We’ll try you for 5 days. You can be our hair stylist and you can get your friends for free here in the salon.”

As an upscale hairdresser, Henry caters to the rich and famous likes of top print and TV ad model Bianca Araneta, model turned host Phoemela Baranda, Tatler Magazine fashion editor Carla, award-winning actor Joel Torre and Captain Barbell’s Richard Gutierrez.

“Little did I know that I if I cut, I’ll learn something new. A bad cut is if your client didn’t come back anymore. First, you have to establish how short they want or how daring do they want. You should ask if it will fit their job. They’re telling me about this geometry [which I flunk]. I watch this German guy every Sunday in Blow Out.” From the creators of NBC's series The Restaurant comes "Blow Out," an unscripted series that follows renowned hairstylist Jonathan Antin.


At the end, you’ll realize that Henry Yutuc doesn’t go to work but to play. He doesn’t plan things but he does things that will interests him. And when Animo asked what kind of golfer, polo player, karter, lighting director, and hairstylist he is, he’d probably respond with a wince – HIGHLY RESPECTABLE. That’s Henry!

Mr. Foreward

By Cristine Antonette B. Catu

Mayor Freddie Tiñga envisions Taguig to become the premiere city of the Philippines


From humble agrarian beginnings to a bustling city of the present day, the city of Taguig is a metropolis on the move. As the city continues to boom, the local government has ensured that the city has the room, resources, and infrastructure to grow into.

Under the direction of Mayor Sigfrido R. Tiñga [GS ’78, HS ’82, BSBE ’86), Taguig has successfully implemented a Ten-Point Program, improving health and social services, education, youth and sports development, peace and order, housing and shelter for all, clean and green environment, infrastructure and employment in the city. Included in the program is the development of government services, tourism, last but not the least, Taguig civic pride.

An accidental politician


Although politics runs in the blood of the Tiñgas in Taguig, Freddie Tiñga did not really think about it until he had to. In fact, his father, Supreme Court Justice Dante Osorio Tiñga, was a former governor in their city. Never in Freddie Tiñga’s mind that soon would he take control.

In 1994, he tied a knot with his wife, Kaye Chua Tiñga, and settled in Oregon, U.S.A.. At the time Kaye was conceiving with their eldest, but when his mother had to undergo a colon cancer surgery, they packed their bags and went back in the Philippines.

Unfortunately, his mother passed away in 1996. It was a great loss but life should go on for Tiñga.

As a Corporate Planning Manager from 1995 to 1999, he implemented “saling pusa” Projects for First Pacific Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation. For a year, he became the Group Managing Director of the company, which he formed. K2 Interactive is a full-fledged Internet marketing firm that holds the client’s complete marketing plan. It is a Philippine-based business investment yet transactions are made abroad—Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia.

Three months prior to the February 2004 election, Tiñga made a decision to run as a Mayor for the local election. He had two things in mind. First, he had to convince the Kilusang Diwa ng Taguig-People Power Coalition that he would campaign. Secondly, he had to tender his resignation in K2 Interactive. “I was then in Hong Kong explaining to our partners and investors [who even became my friends]. They invested 10 % of 4 million USD for our company.”

It was a three-way fight. Tiñga reckoned that the other party, backed up by the powerful Iglesia ni Kristo underestimated them. “That was a day and night hell of campaign for two months,” he revealed. In the end, he bested his political rivals by over 6,000 votes.

On the rise

In Tiñga’s brief stint as commander of the city of Taguig, his administration has no less than 740 infrastructure projects that had greatly benefited the people.

The Taguig mayor is committed to improving the health of his constituents. In fact, Taguig was one of the most active local government units in propagating universal insurance coverage. To date, more than 7,800 poor people have acquired health cards.

Recognizing education’s contribution to the success not only of a city but also a country as a whole, the 52 schools remain a priority of the city of Taguig. Taguig’s children are provided with good education and ample classroom space. Also, the kind of education is constantly upgraded, ensuring that the youth of Taguig gets the benefits of high-quality education.

The Tiñga’s administration seriously considers a peaceful environment not only for the whole welfare of the residents of Taguig but for its business partners as well. No wonder the city continues to attract new settlers. In fact, the new residents of the city comprise 70% of its population – a sterling proof of how conducive for quality living the city is.

In addition, Fort Bonifacio Global City now turns into Metro Manila’s leading control business district. It will soon be the site of the country’s premiere all-in-one event facility, featuring a world-class coliseum and convention center along with a hotel, office buildings, service apartments, shopping mall, and other recreational establishments.

The Lakeshore District is also an impressive tract of largely untapped prime real estate along Laguna Bay. With this, the City of Taguig is the custodian of this expanse of land.

All of the city’s efforts are geared at one thing – provide a better quality of life for the people. As Taguig continues to reap recognition for its consistency in coming up with projects that provides an image of success, the quality of life in this bustling city continues to improve.

Taguig 2020

“It is long enough that you set your foundations so that the things you try to do should be met. When you say 2010, it is not convincing so I double it to 2020.” Taguig mayor looks forward. “I like term limits. I don’t intend to be the mayor of Taguig forever,” he continues.

Tiñga confirmed that nobody from his clan will run in the upcoming [May 2007] election. If ever he will win for the third time and after his term in 2010, he is done with his mission. Furthermore, he does not want to get into politics outside of local government.

“This is my town. At least I know the people here. I have been serious and clear with my objectives and my message to my constituents,” he shares.

But more can be expected from this city as it aspires to become the premiere city of the Philippines. And indeed the best is yet to come. What we see now were only foundations for what Taguig aspires to become in 2020.

Years from now, Tiñga chooses to be remembered as FOREWARD TAGUIG rather than Mayor Freddie Tiñga.

Shade of green and maroon

Tiñga likes the fact that he went to UP after La Salle. He carries on with the belief that he needed that public school education in order not to be detached from the real world, especially in the nature of his job.

“I don’t think people will say: Yan si Mayor? Matapore yan eh. Sosyal yan eh. Actually, I am very uncomfortable with media and social affairs.”

When Animo asked Tiñga how De La Salle helped or formed him, he responded “You know what? I have never heard that question before.” Perhaps, it is the values and the well-rounded system of education in La Salle that formed him to become Mr. Forward.

Tall Tales: Manguera and Webb

By Cristine Antonette B. Catu

Two of the tall players of head Coach Boris Aldeguer served not only as skippers of Zobel Junior Archers; they also anchored the team through victory and defeat.


Jed Bryan Rosales Manguera is definitely starting to break away from Lipa Vice Mayor Boy Manguera’s shadow.

6-foot Manguera, is slowly making a name for himself as one of the most feared defenders of Zobel in the Father Martin Cup. The junior playmaker was shifted back to the two-guard spot when he moved in La Salle Zobel varsity team after spending his grade school (Grade 1 to 5) in De La Salle Lipa and Grade 6 until 2nd year high school in La Salle Green Hills.

Being the son of La Salle’s legendary 70’s player, Manguera has quite a name to live up to. In fact, it was his dad whom he really looked up to through his entire basketball life. Thus, he wants to stretch the Manguera legacy.

He started playing basketball when he was 5 years old. Seeing the obvious talent, his then-coach invited him to join the varsity when he was in De La Salle Lipa. A veteran of tournaments such as SMAA, MMBL and MNCAA leagues, Manguera was part of La Salle’s (DLSL, Green Hills & Zobel) team that won numerous championships in the past couple of years.

Meanwhile, Joshua David Spider Webb may seem like the kind of guy who insists on speaking only English and with an American twang at that. But that’s not even close to the truth that he was raised here in the Philippines. He lived in Subic for four years, and later on moved in Manila.

Standing at 6-foot-5, Webb might as well be considered a basketball hero in his hometown. Having the height advantage, he ruled over the much shorter players in small basketball leagues. Though considerably thin and scrawny, the young Webb taught himself how to play basketball at the age 7. Playing with his friends, he realized that he could use his height to his benefit and easily discovered his natural talent.

Dominance entails confidence and Webb has already fitted in and adjusted well to the Archer system. “I was recruited by Zobel in the varsity during my freshman year [in high schoo] and I played for the UAAP. At first, it was hard for me to adjust but in my sophomore year, I was able to score more through the support of my teammates and coach,” explains Webb, who counts his co famed Green Archers Martin Reyes, Simon Atkins, Migs de Asis, Dan Salavador and David Urra as his favorite players. “They’re all my idols because they all worked hard and got where they wanted to go.”

Basketball is undoubtedly their passion but height often plays a crucial role in sports. For most sports, height is useful as it affects the leverage between muscle volume and bones towards greater speed of movement. “Its feels great to be so tall because it gives you an advantage when it comes to sports, especially in basketball. Besides tall people are very noticeable in public,” Manguera says.

Manguera revealed to Animo that he started taking up the growth-enhancing multivitamin Cherifer at the age of 12. The product tagline which says that Enhance Growth Potential instigated him to buy the innovative and leading product of INTERMED Marketing, Philippines Inc. As a result, his teammates easily noticed that he got taller.

For Webb, he regularly takes Cherifer PGM, which his mom buyss for him.

Much as sports equates to a world of record-breaking competition, both Webb and Manguera carries this reverent passion to have their team surpass the records their father or grandfather achieved all through their athletic career.

The Archers have always depended on its backcourt for those well-executed plays we see during the games. This is why the presence of a sharp yet steady 6-foot shooting guard and 6-foot-2 center is always necessary for the green-and-white squad.

Worldly Taste

Ding de Villa of GlobalCuisine and his take on the food business
By Cristine Antonette B. Catu

Exuding a classy vibe and offering the perfect ambience for any event, this distinctively named and designed restaurant at the Ground Level of Greenbelt 3, Makati City has a fascination all its own with its variety of Eastern and Western influences, exhibited in the interiors, flavors, and overall experience of the place.
Gourmet GlobalFoods, Inc. Chairman
Amado “Ding” de Villa [GS 1962, HS 1966, BSC-Accounting 1970], through his restaurant GlobalCuisine, offers a palatable gateway for people raring to get a glimpse – and a taste – of the world.
GlobalCuisine, which is the new face of what was previously known as Global Café, is an innovative restaurant concept that presents eclectic and sophisticated culinary offerings from around the world.
A glance at the menu would reveal a wide array of selections from countries like Thailand, Korea, India, Indonesia, China, Japan, Singapore, Greece, England, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, the US, Mexico, and of course, the Philippines. Its extensive menu caters to a wide variety of preferences, as its gourmet cuisine would satisfy even the most discriminating food connoisseur.
If you ever find yourself in this restaurant one day, take time to feast your eyes on the descriptions on the menu, for that alone could make your mouths water: Spicy minced chicken with basil – minced chicken with garlic, ginger and chili seasoned with Thai fish sauce, oyster sauce and tamarind sauce, and served with steamed rice and cucumber vinaigrette.… The list goes on as your famished stomach grumbles on.
Animo sits down with Ding de Villa to discuss his experiences as a basketball star of La Salle, his career and growth, and the palate-friendly good ol’ comfort foods and services that GlobalCuisine offers its market.
Animo: I’m really amazed with your resume... You’ve been the head coach of the basketball team?
Ding: My love of sports and experience in the La Salle varsity led me to coach the team of Philippine Air Lines and score them a championship at FILCOMIN Basketball League in Jakarta, Indonesia in 1989, and a third place for the Coca-Cola team the following year.
Animo: And what made you think of entering the food business?
Ding: The way I look at it, I got into this kind of business because I really enjoy getting together with friends, while enjoying good food and oftentimes, music. It was just a matter of establishing a good venue for it, where we can, at the same time, make our living. When everybody gets together here, we just have fun. I believe in having fun while you are working because if you do not have fun in what you’re doing, it will not yield good results.
Animo: It’s not worth when you’re not having fun…
Ding: When you’re not having fun, it doesn’t keep you going. So for you not to get bored in whatever you do, you have to be an entrepreneur and try to get into the things that you enjoy most.
Animo: Why food?
Ding: Because it’s a basic necessity. I prefer to go into businesses that have to do with the basic items that you need in life – the food [which is the restaurant], shelter [real estate, which is another of his ventures], and even clothing. Clothing or fashion is something that we want to interrelate into our activities here at GlobalCuisine or its future franchises…as part of a whole standard of lifestyle that we would like to promote. In fact, we are coming up with our own Global Food+Lifestyle Newsletter where we will feature not only updates about our restaurant, but also the latest in fashion, music, health and wellness, etc.
Animo: What makes GlobalCuisine different from other restaurants?
Ding: I think as of now, it’s the only one that specializes in international cuisine in terms of presenting various specialties. If you want to eat Chinese food, you go to a Chinese restaurant. If you want to eat Filipino food, you go to Barrio Fiesta. In GlobalCuisine, we have specialties from the Philippines, China, Singapore, Japan, Italy, France, Spain, Australia, Korea, Germany, USA, and other parts of the world. We have it all here [for customers of different nationalities] so when they browse through our menu, they won’t think of going anywhere else. I guess that’s the difference.
Animo: So are you open for breakfast until late up night?
Ding: Yes. We are open at 7 am daily until 12 am on weekdays and 1 am on weekends.
Animo: Can we hold meetings here?
Ding: We’ve been hosting meetings, seminars, and other functions here ever since, using mostly our mezzanine area. In fact, we’ve recently renovated this mezzanine into a more equipped function room, enclosed with glass for privacy, and with a brand new sound system and LCD projector with screen to provide a more complete service to our clients. Most of the companies hold seminars in hotels which could be very expensive. So we’re trying to make that particular area our niche. With a capacity of 50 people, they can hold their functions or events here for less.
Animo: How long have you been running this business?
Ding: We actually took over this business at the start of the year. Maybe we got it at the right time, but there were also birth pains for us. We’re nearing the end of the transition period so hopefully, we could get everything leveled out soon.
Animo: What do you enjoy the most in your work?
Ding: Of course, the food. I’m very proud of our menu. We are continually improving it so as to present more global favorites to our customers. Aside from the food, I enjoy this as a place where I can meet people and socialize with my friends. Food and entertainment is in my heart.
Animo: How about your relationship with your co-workers?
Ding: If you belong to my organization, you are treated like family. Without this relationship, you’re never going to work properly.
Animo: How difficult is handling the business?
Ding: It should not be if you should have professional people working for you. It is also a matter of mixing and matching approaches—like the use of networking and outsourcing, alongside your own people’s expertise—that’s how we handle things here.
Animo: Are you on top of everything?
Ding: When I do business, I always believe in getting the best people. All the people that are in our management team had spent a lot of years in the food industry. Hopefully, things will be better as we improve to serve our market. Our objective, of course, is to make money and to eventually go into successful franchising. We also intend GlobalCuisine to become the retail distribution outlet of its related company AsianFresh Product Corporation.

AsianFresh is our import-export company that currently carries Philippine products such as St. Peter’s fish [tilapia], fresh frozen and pureed mangoes, different kinds of nuts, especially pili and cashew, for export in target markets like Australia, Japan and Germany, and other parts of Asia and Europe. We are at the same time, bringing in and promoting certain Australian products to the Philippine market through GlobalCuisine and the new joint-venture effort, Global Mocha Blends, as “showrooms,” where Australian coffee, Australian rice bran oil [Best Field brand] and Australian meat [rib-eye and Billabong steaks] are feature ingredients of the cuisine. We are also looking for other foreign products, primarily Australian, for introduction into the Philippines and its target countries.
Animo: How did you structure GlobalCuisine?
Ding: We are structuring it with the distribution objectives of AsianFresh in mind but using a full-service fine dining restaurant set-up. In that, aside from being a restaurant, it also serves as showroom-type distribution outlet of our products for import and export. We have broken it down into five essential business units, basically: the main hall for regular dining and food service; the mezzanine that mainly serves as function room for different events; our veranda where we will have our garden lounge, or the Global Mocha Blends “Sydney Lounge,” serving coffee by Mocha Blends; our ordering station, which will be like a store within the store, where customers can buy products exclusively carried by GlobalCuisine and AsianFresh; plus the kitchen, which will be developed into a “revenue center” in itself by doubling as a culinary arts institute to train students in an actual commercial kitchen set-up. In line with all this, our goal is to widen our distribution by opening GlobalCuisine and Global Mocha Blends franchises in the same countries targeted by AsianFresh. Following the same model, the international outlets will market the products for export by featuring them in the cuisine, as well as making them available at the ordering station component of the stores.
Animo: What’s your specialty for the Filipino dish?
Ding: Tilapia. When you talk of tilapia, our problem is yung lasa ng lumot, right? We get our tilapia from a fish farm not like any other fish pond wherein they just put a net. Our fish are farmed in fish cages. Also, the food that they eat are feeds. Another thing, which not too many people know about, is the quality of water. This farm is in Talim Island [in Laguna]. It’s pretty far, yet, it’s not polluted.
Anyway, with our export-quality tilapia or St. Peter’s fish, we have developed a whole line of dishes, all made using a fusion of Filipino taste with influences from other countries. For example, we have pandan-wrapped St. Peter’s fish, St. Peter’s fish maki and sashimi, St. Peter’s fish burger, salad, St. Peter’s fish wrapped in taco bread with wasabi, and even barbecue.
Animo: So where do you get all these ideas?
Ding: I don’t know. I think I’ve been given a lot of opportunities in my career because I think out of the box. I’ve never been a traditional thinker. Somebody up there must really love me. I just think out loud and pick out what I think is going to work. Unfortunately, in our country, there are lots of good ideas that cannot be implemented. We have libraries of businesses. Other Asian countries are laughing at us because they have studied in IRRI and AIM, and most of them have managed to implement their feasibility studies. Filipinos seldom do. The Philippines is a rice-producing country and yet we import rice. We can’t even produce rice bran cooking oil. But if we’ll be able to produce it, we could earn from its distribution. Rice bran oil is one of the healthiest oils out there, which is an advantage.
Animo: Simple ideas?
Ding: You have to be different. You have to have a story to tell, otherwise, it will not work. An example would be hot pandesal, halos lahat ng kanto meron; but if you offer it, you have to make it different. For every problem, there’s an opportunity so if you don’t run the risk in competing globally, you will not know how to be truly competitive. I always believe in innovation. You have to create a product that could be considered a specialty to be able to benefit.
***
GlobalCuisine is at the ground floor of Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati City. Call 757-4906 and 728-1317 for inquiries and reservations.

Figuring it Out

Philippine Honorary Consul General Raoul Donato is back with a mission. In an ironic twist of fate, now it’s his turn to help his kababayans in getting their US visa.
By Cristine Antonette B. Catu

Former senior vice-president and assistant to the president of the sixth largest trading company in Japan-- Nissho Iwai American Corporation (NIAC), Raoul “Ray” Donato [GS ’55, HS ’59, BSBA & BSLA ‘65] rose from the basement to the executive suite.

The Donatos were among the most prominent families in Vigan, Ilocos Sur. The family had a power plant and transportation business back then. Mariano Donato, Consul Ray’s father, was the first Filipino graduate of Notre Dame in 1929. That inspired Consul Ray to study and work abroad. He finished his Master in Business Administration (MBA) in Executive Management at Pace College in 1968 and the Executive Program for International Management in St. John’s University in 1971. Then, he further pursued his studies in Columbia University in 1991.

Consul Ray went into global business in Atlanta, Georgia where he met some billionaires or the richest people in the world. As a matter of fact, he had a 3 hours vis-à-vis conversation with Wal-Mart’s Sam Walton, whose assets are worth twice as Bill Gates; befriended the “most powerful man in the sports,” Nike’s Philip Knight, Hollywood action film star Arnold Schwarzenneger, politics icon Jimmy Carter, and former president of National Council of Churches Andrew Young.

Success was not served, however, to Consul Ray on a silver platter.


Wrecked air-conditioning unit

After college, Consul Ray was on the brink of discovering what he wanted to do with his life. For seven months, he floated around--partying all night. He felt a torrent of rejection and hopelessness from his family, especially from his mother Carmen and his father Mariano.

His father sheepishly told him that he ought to do something about his life. “I’m going to give you a one way ticket and 500 dollars. And you can go wherever you want,” he says. Consul Ray was swallowed up in one gigantic thought: he needed to get a visa.

Incidentally, the air-conditioning unit in his room conked out. “I couldn’t sleep at night. It’s too hot.” That madman stuff propelled him to come to the States.


An inflammatory letter

The Estradas and the Limhucos, owners of the Far Eastern Travel Agency (FETA), advised Consul Ray to place his assets [as a requirement] to get a US visa. But he declined because he didn’t want to get his father involved. Consequently, he wrote a provocative letter to the president of the United States (John F. Kennedy) agitating on democracy and communism.

In his epistle, he said that “… I went to De La Salle College and I was trained by the brothers of the Christian school. I want to go to New York and Philadelphia because they have been telling me what a beautiful country it is. And now that I just want to see the country of what I was been educated for about 16 years, they rejected my visa…”

After a month, he received a buzz from the [United States] embassy notifying him that a copy of the inflammatory letter went to the Attorney General. It was referred to the Department of State, then to the Ambassador. Consul Ray sarcastically challenged the diplomat to make the processing of his travel permit rapid since the embassy stated with great consideration that they have a special door for him. That’s how he used De La Salle University and the Christian brothers. And that’s how he got his visa.


One way ticket plus 500 bucks

Consul Ray believed that there’s a limit in life but there’s no limit in life itself. “I live by today. I don’t live by tomorrow.” At 24, that was the mentality that he set when he left for the States.

Accidentally, he met Mr. (first name) Gamboa, father of his good friend Francisco “Boy” Gamboa, who was then bound to Milwoki to visit his daughter. When asked where he is going, Consul Ray answered that he was still figuring it out. It was a perfect timing for him because Mr. Gamboa suggested that they go together on their trip and in their lodge. To save some money, they got a roll-away bed in the hotel. (How did you meet Fr. Abaya?) Father Abaya, one of the Filipino priests in the community, noticed that he was freezing so he gave him a coat from the Salvation Army. That overcoat kept him warm for 20 years.

Mr. Gamboa said that he’s going to New York. At such point, Consul Ray blurted out “I’m going there too.” Consul Ray had his gangly eyed and brace-faced season of struggle as he needed to buy a ticket to go to New York. Perhaps still, it was the same arrangement--He had to carry Mr. Gamboa’s luggage, sleep in the hotel roll-away bed, and do some household chores.

He said in his straight polish to Boy Gamboa: “I just have 300 dollars left and I need to get a job right now.”

The next day, Mr. Gamboa talked to Mr. Yamasaki of NIAC [which specializes in the metal industry] and inquired if there’s any vacant position in the company. Since Mr. Gamboa is a valued client, Mr. Yamasaki gave Consul Ray a job in the mail room.

Consul Ray felt that his condition in abroad was getting better but he had another problem--his visa. He doesn’t want to violate the immigration rules so he went to the [immigration] department to arrange his visa. He found out that he needed two letters--from his corporation--and the company that he’s doing business with. He made himself a representative of Gamboa-Rodriguez [company] and Nissho. That shifted his visa from B1B2 to an E1.


From the mail room to the executive chamber

At the mail room, Consul Ray had to read and sort all the letters and documents sent to NIAC and then deliver it to the different departments along with the smuggled cigarettes from Washington which he supplied to the Japanese and Cuban bosses.

John O’nneal, head of NIAC’s Steel Department, passed away due to heart attack. Seeing an opportunity, Consul Ray approached NIAC’s manager and volunteered to take the job.

“You try me. I will take this job at a salary that is the same with what I receive at the mail room [even less]. Just give me the job in two weeks. If I can’t deliver, take me out,” he offered. He got the post and the E1 visa.

Looking back twenty five years later, he became the first Filipino to be nominated as the senior vice-president and officer of their corporation. For 39 years, he worked in the metals, energy, soft goods division and also interacted with the automobile, aluminium, and construction industry. Over the past 10 years, he developed strategic areas of acquisition and mergers for the company in areas of chemical, general commodities, food, plastics, and machinery equipment. Recently, he also engaged in the oil and gas business in the energy field. Thus, he was able to travel extensively worldwide.

Heralding a new era, the principal operating arms of the group, Nichimen Corporation and Nissho Iwai Corporation, were merged to form a new single entity called Sojitz Corporation on April 1, 2004.


From senior vice-president to honorary consul general

After retiring three years ago, Consul Ray became active in the Filipino community. He was always impelled in [Filipino] parties in Georgia. Anghel Aranda, whom he met in New York, gave him the idea to do pro-bono work for Philippine nationals in the Southeast area of the US. He vied for the honorary consul general position and made an amendment and platforms.

Meanwhile, Br. Rafe was paying a visit to then Foreign Affairs Secretary Raul Manglapus. Manglapus said “There’s this guy, Raoul Donato from Atlanta who’s bagging everybody that he should be the honorary consul. And his paper is stuck here. Is he related to you?” When Manglapus found out that Consul Ray was Br. Rafe’s brother, he approved Consul Ray’s application as an honorary consul general.

As an honorary consul general, Consul Ray provided assistance to his kababayans in securing their US visa. Most Filipino immigrants don’t have an idea about the visa’s structure so he’s reaching out to them with empathy.


Back to De La Salle University

What Consul Ray remembered about De La Salle is the foundation that the Irish-American Christian brothers (Br. Benedict, Br. Gabriel, and Br. Fidelis) have inculcated in him. These are the things that he wanted to do--his journey in going to the United States--and to the global businesses.

“All De La Salle people were like a club because there’s a link. It’s hard to get in and it’s hard to get out,” he says.

Among his old confidants in De La Salle were Henry Cojuanco, Monchoy Garcia, Raffy Rufino, Manny Rufino, Louie Esteban, Mac Fernandez, Micky Ortigas, and Fred Garcia. His bond with his classmates and the spirit of De La Salle were kept in years.

When asked on what he wants to do within the next 5 or 10 years, Consul Ray would say with a wince: “I’m still trying to figure out what I’m going to do in the next few years.”

Consul Ray is married to (name of wife) and blessed with 2 children, Christine and Alexis.

Philamlife's Joey Cuisia

Believe it. Jose L. Cuisia, Jr., former Governor of the Central Bank of the Philippines and SSS Administrator, wanted to be a Christian Brother. At least during his grade school years.
By Cristine Antonette B. Catu

In those days, school was a mere ten minute walk from home, and he was greatly influenced by the Brothers who were not only teachers, but also witnesses for religio, mores and cultura. The Brothers, he said, not only spoke these three words continuously, but actively lived them as well. He was inspired and influenced by the passion that radiated from the Christian Brothers so he was determined to become one of them himself.

With the passing of the high school and then the college years, although still inspired and still strongly influenced by the Brothers, the aspiration to become one of them would change.

The new dream was to become an investment banker. There was a great attraction to bond issues and IPOs, to mergers and acquisitions, and everything in between. He pursued his degree in LiaCom, and in 1967 graduated magna cum laude, receiving many attractive offers from multinational companies.

His resume would boast of his excellent academic records and a listing of impressive extra-curriculars which included positions as Editor of the De La Salle Green & White Yearbook and the ROTC Corps Commander, in addition to active participation in the Student Council and the Student Catholic Action group. As if to further prove his well-roundedness, there was even an inclusion of his sports commitment which was made to the junior basketball varsity team.

Young and idealistic, he joined Proctor & Gamble as a Management Trainee, before leaving for the United States to get his MBA at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania as a University Scholar in 1968. He joined the Audit Department of Arthur Young & Co. in New York where he worked for 18 months before returning to the Philippines in 1972.

Despite the lure of commercial banks and other financial institutions, Cuisia would start as Assistant Manager in the local investment house, Ayala Investment & Development Corporation, eventually moving up to Senior Vice President within a relatively short period of six years.

It was while he was working with Insular Bank of Asia and America as Executive Vice President/ Chief Operating Officer that he was selected as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men for Domestic Banking in 1982. This would open bigger and more prestigious doors, including those of the SSS and the Bangko Sentral, for which he is very well known.

After seven and a half years in public service, he would return to the private sector, this time as President & CEO of Philamlife in 1993, bringing his discipline, financial expertise and broad macro-economic perspective to the largest life insurer in the country.

In these 13 years of his stewardship of Philamlife and its subsidiaries, Cuisia solidified the company’s industry leadership and profitability. Business World’s Top 1,000 for 2005 ranked Philamlife the 41st in terms of gross revenues and first among all Multinational Financial Intermediaries in the Philippines.

For Philamlife’s spectacular financial results and his contributions to the life insurance industry’s development, Cuisia was the recipient of the 2004 Raul Locsin Award for Chief Executive Officer of the Year and the first-ever Filipino recipient of the Asia Insurance Review’s Asia Insurance Personality Award in 2005.

It would be forgivable to think that Cuisia eats, sleeps and drinks only insurance and finance. How else can he manage to do everything he has? Well, nothing could be further from the truth. His current resume still echoes the well-roundedness his first ever resume possessed. He has directorships in business giants like SM Prime Holdings and Holcim, two listed companies in the PSE, while remaining active in non-profit groups such as the Philippine Cancer Society and Children’s Hour, all the while being Co-Chairman of the Board of Governors/Board of Trustees of the Asian Institute of Management and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Makati Business Club.

Cuisia is an advocate for good corporate governance and does so through his position as Chairman of the CV Starr Corporate Governance Chair in AIM which organized the Managing Corporate Governance in Asia Conference in Bali last year. He is also a strong proponent for corporate social responsibility and is chairman of the Philam Foundation that allocates its funds to education, healthcare, culture & arts and livelihood development projects nation-wide.

Cuisia competes in company bowling tournaments and is seen regularly at the Tower Club gym burning off calories during lunch-time and evening treadmill sessions. He manages to find time for his spiritual life and makes it a point to spend quality time with his family.

You will also catch Cuisia at many social functions - he is a popular figure at cocktail parties and business dinners, beside his wife, Vicky, or his many La Salle classmates that have been with him since the grade school days – Ramon Del Rosario,Jr., Perry Uy, Norman San Agustin, etc. If you’re lucky, you’ll also get to share an MRT ride with him and Richard Lee, both in green shirts, to support the DLSU basketball team at the Araneta coliseum. He’ll exchange some good-natured jeers with Richard Gordon, the Ateneo’s die-hard basketball cheer leader, while making sure the rest of the La Sallians on his side of the coliseum cheer the team to victory.

Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. – he may not have become a Christian Brother but he is religio, mores and cultura in living, breathing form. The Christian Brothers would be proud.

Electrifying Enigma

Edgardo Bautista nurtured Mirant Philippines, a private electric corporation, into profitability. Now, he is bringing it to its second and third bottom lines – the corporate and social responsibility (CSR), and the environmental stewardship, respectively. By Cristine Antonette B. Catu


Edgardo “Ed” Advincula Bautista [BS Mechanical Engineering, 1995] spent his preschool and elementary years attending Colegio Sagrado de Jesus in Iloilo City, his hometown. After graduating from elementary in 1948, he entered Colegio de San Agustin for his secondary education. He then graduated from high school in 1951. Bautista enrolled the following school year in the University of the Philippines in Visayas. However, he only remained for one year in the said university because in 1952, he decided to transfer to De La Salle University, still called back then as De La Salle College.

From 1952 to 1955, Bautista pursued his studies there, where his hard work paid off fruitfully -- he graduated cum laude in Mechanical Engineering. Not only did he graduate at the top of his class, but his capabilities also earned him the General Excellence Award and the Most Outstanding Graduate Award upon graduation. He even became an active member of the Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers.

So adept was Bautista at his craft that he was rightfully chosen among all Philippine engineering graduates that time to attend the General Electric’s two-year specialized management and technical program in the United States of America. He also became an alumnus of Harvard’s Advanced Management Program.


Electric Dreams

Bautista jumpstarted his career with successful employments in blue chip companies such as Philippine Refining, Jardine Davis, Westinghouse Electric International, First Philippine Holdings, GE Philippines, and Mobil Oil. Hence, he gained all the necessary experiences he would need to be truly competitive in acquiring considerable achievements in power generation.

Looking back in the year 1987, Executive Order 215 paved the way for the termination of the National Power Corporation’s (NAPOCOR) monopoly in power generation and authorized the private sectors to generate and to provide electricity to the people. This was after years of static generation capacity resulting from a limited public infrastructure budget. Coupled with substantial growth and pent-up demand, this resulted in severe power shortages and daily brownouts, which commonly lasted for ten to twelve hours. In 1994, the Build-Operate Trans law further strengthened the entry of the private sectors in the electricity generation business. (Philippine Business, 2003).

Bautista then said, “The realization of the Power Reform Act objectives is seen by Mirant as an opportunity to participate in bringing about the objectives of the Power Reform Act – to ensure that reliable, quality electricity will be made available at a reasonable price. This has indeed given Mirant an opportunity to contribute to the welfare of the people as far as power generation is concerned.”

Thus begins the story of Mirant in the Philippines.

It all started more than sixteen years ago when Bautista became the president of Mirant Philippines, the country’s largest and most cost-efficient private electricity producer. For Bautista, this was not only an opportunity to help the country, but also a potential for a good, long-term business investment. With only six personnel that time, a small capital to start with, and loads of pioneering spirit, he laid the foundations of the power station in Navotas. Amidst the presence of several larger and more efficient plants around the Philippines, Mirant gradually became the country’s fastest top income earner by the turn of the century. A recipient of the 2004 Don Emilio Abello Energy Efficiency Award, Mirant has been considered by Platts Power Magazine as one of the top power plants in the world.

As such, being the leading power development not only in the country but also worldwide posed a lot of challenges. Bautista’s most repellent task was primarily to sustain the corporation’s efficient business leadership. He is proud to have formulated Mirant’s corporate sustainability roadmap. Plus, he was able to unfold the company’s core values. Given the chance by which businesses are now being evaluated by the people, Bautista decided to address four facets of company development: (1) developing business process for an effective and responsive business structure; (2) enhancing social conscience; (3) protecting and enhancing nature’s balance; and (4) and developing a committed and empowered organization.

Bautista remains strong in his conviction that the most important resource in a particular business is the people. Collaborating with an educational institution [Asian Institute of Management for Staff Training and Development], provided him and his subordinates a healthy working environment and a competitive compensation and benefits program that is considered as one of the best in the industry. Because of his efforts in organizational development, Bautista was supercilious to have been awarded as one of the top employers in the Philippines and to have received the Best Employers Award of Asia.


Three Bottom Lines

Why does Mirant spend so much money for its corporate and social responsibility [CSR]?

President and CEO Edgardo A. Bautista explains it in terms of what he calls triple bottom line – finance, social responsibility, and protection of the environment. The company judges its success based on Bautista’s novel triple-bottom-line philosophy. Normally, financial bottom lines are sufficient to define a company’s performance. In the case of Mirant Philippines, however, success is not singularly defined by mere profits.

Developed by Bautista himself, the concept emphasizes giving equal importance to attaining financial goals, leadership in corporate social responsibility [CSR}, and environmental stewardship.

Never forgetting to give back to the community and the environment, Bautista expanded his company’s initiative to include major corporate social responsibility projects such as Project Beacon, one of the biggest programs ever undertaken that redefined the concept of rural electrification.

Another was Project Amore in partnership with two NGOs, which sought to promote peace and progress in Mindanao by electrifying the remotest baranggays and bridging societal disparities.

Mirant also established the Carbon Sink Initiative, a reforestation project meant to promote an anti-global warming campaign. The corporation’s efforts being recognized by the World Bank and various award-giving bodies, Mirant became a leading force behind the CSR movement in the Philippines.

“It is true that blood, sweat, and tears were shed. We have to enter into all kinds of arrangements,” recalls Bautista. “We contract local manpower, we provide funding, and we handle the logistics. In remote areas like Tawi-Tawi, for instance, carabaos had to be harnessed to pull the cables.”

How he convinced Mirant’s American owners is a story by itself, Bautista relates. “CSR is part of the whole business,” he explains.

Mirant is one of the largest foreign investors in the country. It was the first foreign electric corporation to respond to the Philippine’s request for private sector assistance to meet growing electricity demands in the late 1980s. (BizNews Asia, 2005).

According to Antonio Lopez’s article, “Mirant has not one but three bottom lines.” He stated this when Mirant began to earn money; Bautista then introduced the second bottom line concept -- the social concept. The corporation consequently put up its CSR arm, the Mirant Philippines Foundation. After that came the third bottom line – sustaining the environment.

Basically, he explains, “Mirant is not a power plant. It is a factory that produces a product, which is energy. We can only survive if a considerable number of people continue patronizing what we can produce. We have to be the preferred supplier.”

“What differentiates us from the rest,” he points out, “is that we have two objectives. One is to meet the basic need – the immediate need of our customer. The other is to meet a need which we consider more important than the former – the development need.”


Corporate Excellence and Leadership

As Animo reminisces that memorable, very rainy evening, we can not help but think of all the people present there at the Distinguished Lasallian Awards Night. The scrumptious Spanish food and the exceptional music and entertainment rendered by the DLSU Chorale both served to enliven the event, but the occasion would not really have been complete without the gracious presence of Edgardo Bautista and his co-awardees.

Giving due recognition to what he has received, Bautista considers himself worthy of the award not only by what he had personally done, but also by what Mirant has accomplished through the years, the company that he was privileged to lead.

On top of that, Bautista is conceded for the true meaning of corporate excellence and leadership. It goes beyond the traditional financial measures and gives emphasis on its social, environmental, and organizational responsibility. Hence, it is only when these four important segments are successfully realized can he truly say that corporate excellence and leadership has been attained.

Confident that he has become true to the ideals of “Religio, Mores, et Cultura;” Bautista’s years in La Salle has truly given him the values that became his foundation for the development of the principles the DLSAA has recognized.

Victor's Victory

In spite of Victor’s academic record, his secret is neither intelligence nor brilliance.
By Cristine Antonette B. Catu

Boundless energy. A passion to pursue a worthwhile goal. Luck of being at the right place at the right time. Recognizing and grabbing the opportunity. These are the ingredients of Victor Percival Martinez Ordoñez’s [GS 1957, HS 1961, AB 1967, BSE 1968, MA 1970] victory.
Ordoñez started preparing for his career as early as his first encounter with Lasallian education. He earned his elementary and secondary diplomas in Taft, graduating as a gold medalist.
Family indeed knows best, for it was Victor’s parents who decided that he should study at La Salle, from preparatory until college. His brother Ernesto Ordoñez [GS 61, HS 65] is a Green Archer, too.
”Even before I first set foot on this campus at age five to enter prep, they had prepared me for school, like a sponge, ready to absorb everything La Salle had to offer,” quips Ordoñez.
Aside from his academic excellence, Ordoñez was also molded through engaging in extra curricular activities. He was involved in basketball and track and field-high jump. He was also a member of the school publication and council. Then, he became the captain of the College of Education debating team that championed during his post. But above his numerous memberships in student organizations, for Victor, it was Green spirit that he was most fond of.
”I enjoy my memories of being an avid NCAA basketball fan in grade school and high school. I went to the Rizal Memorial Coliseum regularly to watch the games and cheer till I lost my voice,” he quips with a smirk.

The Educator and his Education
In 1967 and 1968, Ordoñez went on academic overdrive and earned five of his seven degrees from La Salle and UST. He was only 23.
By 1970, Ordoñez had a bachelor of arts, summa cum laude; bachelor of science, summa cum laude, and a master of arts from La Salle and a bachelor of philosophy, cum laude; licentiate in philosophy, cum laude; doctor of philosophy, magna cum laude; and a bachelor in sacred theology, summa cum laude from UST. In the following years he pursued further studies at the University of Wisconsin, AIM, and Harvard Business School.
Through the 1980s and 1990s, Ordoñez was back to where he started, as an epitome of Lasallian excellence. He taught in DLSU, Xavier University, La Salle Bacolod, UCLA, and University of Hawaii and lectured at several prominent universities abroad including Harvard and Oxford. He also became Dean of the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod and DLSU-Manila’s Graduate Schools of Business and Education.
For Ordoñez, education was important in two senses: First, it gave him a good foundation for his professional life. Second, it was imperative to him as a chosen career path because he believes that nothing can be more noble than assisting in the formation and development of young people.
Since education is his main area of competence, he had the chance to study, teach, and consult at the best universities around the world. Name it. Oxford. Tokyo University. Cambridge. Stanford. Hong Kong University. Harvard. University of Beijing. Sorbonne. UC-LA. and Berkeley.
“But at no time did I feel that the basic education I received at La Salle was in any way inferior to theirs. I have worked with the best of their graduates. And on the foundation of what my La Salle teachers gave me, I was able to stand shoulder to shoulder with them and succeed,” shares Ordoñez.
Indeed, it was Ordoñez’s education that provided him an underpinning upon which he built the rest of his education. Learning and self learning became purposeful when he went to other institutions. Also, it gave him a solid foundation for his Christian faith. For ten years, as a Brother himself, he was shaped for a better perspective of life.
He is now a senior education fellow at the East - West Center in Honolulu and an adjunct faculty member at the University of Hawaii’s School of Education.

The Public Servant and his Service
Ordoñez’s decision to move into the government service was relatively unplanned. He was living in LA, but happened to be in Manila in February 1986, when the new Cory government took over. Two newly appointed ministers [Quisumbing for Education and Villafuente for Government Reorganization] asked him to be their deputy. After some vacillation and negotiation, he eventually accepted the bid. Subsequently, he relocated from LA, and looked forward to being part of a new government with a fresh start. Little did he knew, the shift from the private sector to the government sector and vice-versa would continue.
“I left government, shortly after a cabinet reshuffle during which a new Secretary of Education was named. It coincided with an offer from UNESCO for me to be Director of Basic Education in Paris, which I accepted,” he shares.
With his background tucked under his belt, Ordoñez became the acting deputy minister of the Ministry of Trade and later the Chairman of the Presidential Commission on Government Reorganization and was the Philippine’s representative in the UNCTAD/UNIDO Panel of Experts on Trade and International Cooperation. He also contributed to the private sector and rural development with several vice-presidencies and chair positions in local, regional, and foreign organizations.

The Artist and his Craft
Ordoñez also showcased his talent and love for the arts. He was the founding chairman of the Presidential Commission for Culture and the Arts; supervising undersecretary of the National Museum and National Library; vice-chairman of CCP’s Board of Trustees; and board member of the Philippine High School for the Arts, Batibot, Metropolitan Museum, and Nayong Pilipino, among others. He has dabbled as an actor both on and offstage and as a director, producer, and project developer for Filipino and foreign films. His novel “With Hearts Aflame” is currently in negotiation for a Hollywood film.

The Achiever and his Achievements
Ordoñez’s well-rounded and colorful career is peppered with innumerable achievements. Apart from his seven degrees by the age of 25, he also propagated the professionalization of educational management in the Philippines and Asia and oversaw DLSU-Manila’s transition from a male-only college to a co-educational university. He helped draft the education chapter of our current Constitution and navigated landmark education laws through Congress. He also spearheaded Education for All, a worldwide interagency campaign against illiteracy, and served as a spokesperson for agencies sponsoring the World Education Forum. From 1995 to 2000, he had the distinction of heading UNESCO’s largest office outside of Paris, the Principal Regional Office for Asia/Pacific in Bangkok, which easily made him the highest-ranking Filipino in the entire UN system.
UST made Victor its Most Outstanding Alumnus. The Jaycees in 1977 gave him a TOYM award, and Philippine Normal University and Leyte State University added two PhDs, honors causa, to his name.
Recognition comes in many forms, and there is none more genuine and treasured than recognition by one’s own peers. Ordoñez was one of the honorees in the Distinguished Lasallian Awards this year.
Ordoñez humbly dedicated his award to the people who were behind his formation. He thanked the teachers who became pillars of his Lasallian education. To name a few, they are Miss Alburo (Grade One), Brother Paul Hebert (Graduate School), Mr. Paras, Mr. Martinez, Mr. Fabella, Mr. Lara, Brother Frederick, Brother Francis, and his favorite - his Grade Seven teacher, Brother Fidelis. His college professors also had their share in Victor’s success: the now legendary Ariston Estrada, Waldo Perfecto, Mars Foronda, Brother Andrew Gonzalez, among others.
He also recognized the contribution of his professional colleagues. Ordoñez emphasized that he was lucky to have great bosses like Brother Gabriel and Brother Andrew of La Salle, Sixto Roxas in Bancom, Lourdes Quisumbing in the Department of Education, and Federico Mayor in UNESCO and to have been surrounded with outstanding teams, all of whom had encouraged him to live up to his potential and do his best in everything he undertook.
“I remember working as Director in UNESCO Paris and Bangkok with diverse individuals from over 35 very different countries and getting them to articulate coherent strategies and focus on specific goals in our campaign on Education for All. The aim was to lessen the 900 million illiterates around the world and try to put the world’s 110 million out-of-school children into classrooms or non-formal programs. They achieved a significant reduction in those numbers, until population growth erased some of their gains,” relates the former UNESCO director. “The simple fact is that if my teams had not been successful, I would not have been successful,” Ordoñez humbly recalls. “No one succeeds without a team. That is certainly true in my case,” he continues.
In the end, it was Victor’s exceptional determination that led him into being an educator, public servant, artist and achiever.
“I have had many kinds of jobs in many fields: education, banking, trade, movie production, international organizations, etc. I find the common element is management, that is, the ability to accomplish a specific task or goal, working with people, within a time frame and a budget. That skill served me well in all the above fields,” he says in a matter of fact manner.