Bukid ay Tuyo

I want to share a very short song that was composed by my grandfather and I, during one of those summer days (early 90's), when I was still a young boy. I cannot guarantee that you will like this song, as it is very different from the music we hear nowadays. It's in Filipino, and is based on a similar song entitled "Bukid ay Basa". Most Filipinos are not even familiar of "Bukid ay Basa", since it is only being sung in the suburbs of Pampanga by farmers, busy planting rice during rainful days.

Yes, my grandfather (we call him Ingkong) was one of them. He was a typical Filipino farmer. And although he only finished 1st Grade, he still managed to provide his family its daily bread. Just like a Philippine carabao, Ingkong was very hardworking. Besides farming, he also sold Zorbetes (dirty ice cream), drove Calesas, and became a guerrilla during the Japanese occupation in the Philippines. I never regret having a grandfather like him. He may not be privileged in life, but his passion for seizing the barest and most unimaginable opportunities we don't even intend to care is unmatched. And I thank God I came from him.

[Here is the song:]

Bukid ay Tuyo

Bukid ay tuyo
Tag-araw noon
May isang mutya
Sa aki'y nagtanong
Kung maaari daw
Siya'y tutulong
Sa pag-aani ng palay
Sa maghapon

Kahit ano pa'ng
Kanyang sabihin
Sa pagtutulong
'Di ko mapipilit
Ang sabi ko pa,
'Wag na neneng ko
At mapapawisan lamang
Ang damit mo


Ingkong died at the age of 81. He died of lung cancer. His birthday is in April 16.

4-day work week

Today, President Arroyo will be signing an executive order that will reduce government employees' work week to 4 days. This austerity measure is in response to newly inducted Energy Secretary Rafael Lotilla’s (former PSALM CEO and President) proposal to save the government’s fuel and electricity consumption (as well as transport and other incidental expenses) during the summer months of April and May.

But wait...

I noticed this measure will also provide more quality time to government employees’ families and encourage them to use the three-day break for other social and economic activities. I was thinking, how can this apply to those government employees like me who have most of their families and friends at work during Fridays/Mondays/Whatever-days (despite the summer)? I’d rather work on a Friday/Monday/Whatever-day, than doing nothing with nobody.

And I wonder, when the signing of this executive order is made, this will mean a total of 10 hours per work day. Will this effect to an extension of our lunch breaks? Joke! Although it’s quite logical and humane that it should be.

Anyway, there is no stopping now. The 4-day work week is there. Let’s just be optimistic about the outcome. At least, this won’t cause a reduction to our salaries. And besides, who doesn’t want an expected savings of 10 percent of the national government’s monthly power and fuel consumption? 10 percent is quite a lot already.

A word of advice

The next time you'll be dining in a Chinese restaurant, careful not to order too much. 2 dishes are enough, especially if one of your orders already includes a Yang Chao Fried Rice.

This realization came to mind after our family dinner earlier, at Flavours of China - Timog Ave., Quezon City

Mr. Jollibee

Tony Tan Caktiong
President and CEO of Jollibee Food Corporation
Loyola Schools Commencement Speaker 2005 ©

Tony Tan Caktiong's parents were poor migrants from the Fujian province of China. He was exposed to the restaurant business from an early age, as his father first worked as a cook in a Chinese temple. The family fortunes took a turn for the better when Tony was 11, when his father was invited by a friend to set up a Chinese restaurant in Davao and the family moved south. The third of seven siblings, he and his brothers and sisters all helped in his father's restaurant after school, cleaning tables, bussing trays and serving water to customers. Thus began their long romance with the restaurant business. Because the restaurant was doing well, he was able to come back to Manila for college, studying Chemical Engineering at the University of Santo Tomas.

In 1975, while on a field trip with his schoolmates to the Magnolia Ice Cream plant in Quezon City, he saw a poster soliciting franchise applicants for Magnolia's ice cream parlors. Later that year, with a college diploma under his belt and barely back from his honeymoon, he took the family's pooled savings of P350,000 and set up ice cream parlors in Quiapo and Cubao. To support this family effort, his siblings moved back to Manila to help run the business.

Over time, they began to notice that their customers were always looking for hot foods on the menu because they didn't want to eat ice cream on an empty stomach. The Tans drew on their restaurant experience to come up with their own recipes for chicken and hamburger sandwiches, and added these to their product line-up. They soon noticed that their customers were lining up more for their burgers than for the ice cream. In 1978, they decided to convert what was by then a chain of six ice cream parlors into burger restaurants.

While brainstorming for a name for their new restaurant chain, they decided to name it after a bee because bees worked hard and produced sweet things in life. But why did they add the word "jolly"? In the words of Tony himself, "It is not enough that one is busy- one should be both busy and happy. Otherwise, being busy would not be worth it." And thus, "Jollibee" was born. Like Filipino working folk, a bee hops around and produces sweet things for life, and is happy even though it is busy.

Today, Jollibee is one of the very few domestic fastfood chains in the world to have the distinction of beating the global fastfood giant at its own game. When the golden arches first set up shop in the Philippines in 1981, everyone assumed that the global giant would rule the Filipino market, as it has everywhere else in the world. But instead of closing shop and applying for a McDonald's franchise as many of their friends advised, Tony and his family geared up to do battle. And a strange thing happened. For the first time anywhere in the world, a local chain outsold the global giant.

By 1984, Jollibee had leaped into the ranks of the top 500 Philippine corporations. In 1987, it broke into the elite league of the country's top 100 corporations, at the same time opening its first international outlet, in Brunei. In 1991, it opened its 100th store in Davao City. In 1993, Jollibee held an initial public offering and became the first fastfood company to list its shares in the Philippine Stock Exchange.

Today, Jollibee's store network in the Philippines totals 1,065 outlets, including 500 Jollibee, 303 Chowking, 232 Greenwich, and 31 Delifrance outlets. Its worldwide restaurant network totals 1,185 stores in nine countries, including 88 Yonghe King outlets in China. It booked systemwide sales of P35.54 billion in 2004. It directly employs over 40,000 people, providing employment for tens of thousands more in allied and support businesses. It provides income opportunities to hundreds of suppliers, and business opportunities to small and medium entrepreneurs through its franchises.

Tony Tan Caktiong's singular achievement in business and entrepreneurship has been recognized again and again by some of the most prestigious publications and awards-giving bodies. The numerous awards that he and his company have received defies enumeration. Jollibee has been recognized repeatedly by such distinguished publications as the Far Eastern Economic Review, Forbes, Euromoney and Asian Business as one of the most admired, most copied, most innovative, and most professionally-run companies in the Philippines and in the region. It has received accolades from the World Economic Forum, the Philippine Franchise Association, the Asian Institute of Management, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Consumers' Union of the Philippines.

Tony Tan Caktiong has also received the Ten Outstanding Young Men award and the Philippine Marketing Association's Agora Award for Entrepreneurship. He was named the Management Association of the Philippines' Management Man of the Year in 2002, and most recently Ernst & Young's 2004 World Entrepreneur of the Year, besting 31 other entrepreneurs from all over the world at the grand finals held in Monte Carlo.

When asked for the secret to his success, he will share his homespun formula: Work hard. Deal with people honestly. Always look to improve yourself. And never be afraid to dream big.

What is especially remarkable about him is that despite his phenomenal business success, he has remained a very simple, down-to-earth and humble man. Everyone who has met him has been astounded that the business genius behind the Jollibee success story is the self-effacing, very practical and charming young man standing in front of them.

Tony Tan Caktiong's rags to riches story could be typical of many of our country's Chinoy entrepreneurs. But his contributions to the nation are anything but ordinary. His achievement is not adequately described by facts and figures on store openings and fastfood sales, or by these awards for entrepreneurship, or management or marketing excellence. Jollibee's story is not merely about business success. Tony's contributions to the country are not limited to generating employment or contributing to GDP, or providing good value for money to a people who have been economically hard hit. His most unique and most important contribution to the Philippines is his having given us hope in the Philippines and pride in being a Filipino.

By turning Jollibee into a major international brand, Tony Tan Caktiong has proven that Filipinos can be globally competitive. As Jollibee differentiates itself from foreign multinationals both in its advertising and in the day to day in-store experience it provides its customers, it is able to help us clarify what is distinctly Filipino about us. Jollibee is not just a company: it is a personality, a cultural icon. Tony Tan Caktiong is not just a business leader, but a modern day hero. He and his company have touched the lives and the psyche of the Filipino people in ways that much bigger companies have not been able to do.

In a Philippines where hope and pride are in short supply, Tony Tan Caktiong is a beacon of hope, showing that there is room for success earned honestly and by dint of hard work. In a country where there are apologists for every failure we encounter, he has shown that no apologies are necessary for being Filipino. In a world that can often look down at the Philippines and things Filipino, Mr. Tan Caktiong's successes truly give us cause to stand tall and proudly declare that we are Filipino.

Where many others keep saying that the Filipino cannot, he has shown that the Filipino can. Jollibee has. Tony Tan Caktiong has. So can I.

Work hard. Deal with people honestly. Always look to improve yourself. And never be afraid to dream big. Truly, like the proverbial bee, Tony Tan Caktiong has been very busy these last 27 years. More importantly, he has been happy. And it has all been worth it- for Tony, for his company, but especially for the Filipino people.

For espousing a leadership that is clear in its directions, firm in its goals, standing for what is right rather than what is acceptable, and with a heart, and for being an epitome of humility, practicality, frugality, diligence and hard work; for turning Jollibee into a major international brand with its heart in the Philippines and strength born of Asian pride; and for proving to the world that Filipino companies can compete with foreign big name firms successfully, the Ateneo de Manila University is proud to present to the graduating class this year's Commencement Speaker, the 2004 World Entrepreneur of the Year, Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Jollibee Foods Corporation, Mr. Tony Tan Caktiong.©

© Click here for speech

© Ateneo News (Click title for source)

The 2005 World Exposition, Aichi, Japan

It's weird,

Who's gonna sponsor me!?!

Hitting two birds with one stone… Or is it three birds?

We've heard of the axiom: Hitting two birds with one stone. Come to think of it, this phrase is very suited to today’s age, where almost everything is done instantaneously and people have to use their time wisely. In other words, “hitting two birds with one stone” is often associated to acting efficiently.

Indeed, we see efficiency everywhere:

1) When Michael Jordan plays basketball, he does not only play for offense. He likewise cooperates with his team defensively. In this example, Michael Jordan is said to be efficient…and he is hitting two birds with one stone;

2) Your mother is in the grocery. She just finished picking all the groceries in her list. Upon nearing the cashier, she suddenly stops and sees a women’s magazine. She seems to get attracted by this. Although the magazine is not part of her grocery list, she still decides to buy one. Anyway, she’s already in the grocery, and she has extra money at hand. In this example, your mother is said to be efficient… and she is hitting two birds with one stone;

3) It’s Sunday. You have all the day to prepare for your Calculus exam the next day. You decided to organize your time by planning your review activities for the day. And as the day progresses, you are already following your review schedule. That night, at quarter past 7, you’ve just finished your review. You are confident about getting a high grade in your exam tomorrow. However, you wanted not just a high grade in the Calculus test, but a perfect score. Since you still have enough time, you continue studying your notes. You know that this is beyond the review schedule you made. But no matter what, you still don’t mind reviewing further, as this would enable you to perform better (or at your best) in the exam on Monday. In this example, you are said to be efficient… and you are hitting two birds with one stone.

These examples point out how we can “hit two birds with one stone”. More often than not, hitting two birds with one stone results to efficiency, in a positive way. However, sometimes we don’t realize that the said adage can also effect to negative results, especially when we become too attached to what we ALONE are doing. We then lose focus on OTHER things that might be associated to our actions.

“Hitting two birds with one stone” can disregard and deprive others. The following situations prove this position:

1) You have a serious weight problem. You wanted to delete those body fats in a span of two months, and you do this by enrolling at the gym. You so much wanted to speed up the fat-burning process to get a perfect body figure, and you believe you can obtain this by spending 5 hours in the gym. In addition you sneak away from the program that your gym instructor provided you by lifting weights that are three times heavier than the weights you are expected to lift. You believe you can achieve your goal by doing these. However, you don’t realize that exercising 5 hours in the gym can stress and enervate your body. More so, lifting too much weight than desired by your muscles can even damage and aggravate your muscles. In this example, you may be hitting two birds with one stone… but you are not being efficient;

2) You are the president of your country. And it seems like the major problem during your presidency is that of terrorism. Being the national head, you implement programs that will solve (or abolish) this tribulation. In phasing out the problem of terrorism, you enhance your military and national defense by training them all throughout the year. More than this, you appoint competent officials that will lead your force. To guarantee the effectiveness of your mission, you put your state under a military law. This way, acts of terrorism will be controlled and prevented. However, just when you thought your country is getting better because of the programs you executed and the enhancement, i.e. martial law, you supplied with them… think again. There are other issues that also require considerable attention; matters like employment, culture, poverty, education, child welfare, and the like. In this example, you may be hitting two birds with one stone… but you are not being efficient.

In essence, it is not wrong to be efficient. Efficiency can bring success to an organization, to a group action, to a personal goal, or to any simple situation. And when we want to hit two birds with our stone to achieve efficiency, we have to realize the full extent of what we will be “hitting”. Sometimes, instead of hitting two birds with that stone… we could be hitting a third.


BABALA: Batu-bato sa langit… ang tamaan <‘wag magagalit> pikon.

Duty free

Yesterday, almost everyone in the office were expecting an announcement from the Management about the holiday (in respect of this year's Holy Wednesday), as declared by Republic of the Philippines Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye in a radio interview last 21 March.©

However, the Government also reiterated that this is an "optional" holiday. Meaning to say, it will still be the government office heads' discretion as to whether or not they will allow their respective companies to have a holiday. And so we waited.

At last, the delay is over. Today, our Corporation has finally declared that 23 March 2005 is a holiday! This proclamation was e-mailed to all PSALM Employees by one of our company's Vice Presidents (Office of the General Counsel):

Sent: Tuesday, March 22, 2005 12:04 PM
To: PSALM Employees
Subject: No work on March 23

"... Please be informed that there will be NO work tomorrow, March 23, 2005. However, the respective VPs may in their discretion require a skeleton force to manage their departments for that day. Thanks and may you all have a blessed week."

.: Say what... a skeleton force?! What the...?!!! :.

Although it was mentioned here that respective VPs will have to decide if they will allow their departments (depending on the demand/requirement of their work) to take a holiday, we have been assured that our Group's (Finance) corresponding departments can already enjoy this holiday.

Yipee! Happy weekend!

© Palace Holy Wednesday is optional holiday for government offices only (released 3/21/2005)

Time to reward myself

I seldom pamper myself with the salary I earn...

... except for today! :p

I just bought myself an Iomega® Micro Mini™ 128MB USB 2.0 Drive.

It's not too extravagant. It's kinda cute. It's small. It even comes with it's own accessories. But more importantly, the gadget is very useful and comes handy in my work.

I love it! Hoohhah!

One fruitful day

Things I did yesterday:

08:15-08:45 Kita-kits sa McDo.
09:00-11:30 At least four (4) basketball games (in Filinvest I covered courts) with my high school classmates and other friends. Nice game guys! Sumakit katawan ko dun ah!
12:00-13:00 Lunch at my friend’s house. Dude, thanks for the FREE food!
14:00-16:00 Strolled at SM Megamall. My goodness… check out the crowd in the 4th floor (long queue of people lining up for the Job fair… new graduates, etc.) ~ A realization of the importance of creating jobs here in the Philippines.
16:40-18:00 Watched HITCH (movie) starring Will Smith! Funny and edifying at the same time.
18:30-19:00 Had a dinner, again at my friend’s house. Gochisousamadeshita!
19:30-00:30 Played Defense of the Ancients (DOTA) in Blue Skies Katipunan. First time to play this type of game… ‘Kaka-addict pala!

What a day! Hope this happens again, next time!

Please, not on a Friday!

How ironic! Friday is supposed to be a very happy day for me since it’s the end of the week, plus no work the next day. But because of the gloomy weather and morose office mood (due to unstable reorganization processes… and related issues, that might affect the workforce in a negative way), today just turned out to be a misery! Hoooohh!

Congratulations!

To my friends and classmates in the Ateneo de Manila who will be graduating tomorrow (Friday) and on Saturday, CONGRATULATIONS to all of you! May you succeed in life! And happy job-hunting too! For most of you, next week will be the start of your unemployment days! Woohooh!

Take care, and have fun on this most awaited day!!!

Some questions... Why blog? And why the chicken?

I have seen various blogs before. And everytime I read their letters/messages, I just can't help but feel envious... envious not of what they write about... but more of the fact that they are already writing, and I'm not (given the big opportunity the World Wide Web and this website can bring). But hey, I didn't intend to be a writer (or a good writer for that matter). One thing's for sure though... this exercise of scribbling and writing will be a good revenue for expressing thoughts that I sometimes find difficulty conveying "openly"... although I won't hesitate posting funny/corny stories or jokes, every now and then. Besides, I hold control of my own blogspot... my spot.

As regards the motif of "chicken" in my blogspot... I don't really know why I thought of this. I think the chicken thing started because of my familiar inclusion of a Smiley "chicken" (~:>) in my Yahoo! messages. Or it can also be that 2005 is a year of the rooster (close to chicken)... and oh, as a matter of fact, I was also born in the Rooster year!!! Chicken is also one of my favorite foods? Oh well, in any case, I'm liking the chicken already. Beh!

So again, enjoy my blogspot. And please don't hesitate placing comments on my posts. I would gladly appreciate them.

Happy reading!

Just a gag!

Communications History

After digging to a depth of 100 metres last year, Russian scientists found traces of copper wire dating back 1000 years, and came to the conclusion that their ancestors already had a telephone network one thousand years ago.

So, not to be outdone, in the weeks that followed, American scientists dug 200 metres and headlines in the US papers read: "US scientists have found traces of 2000 year old optical fibres, and have concluded that their ancestors already had advanced high-tech digital telephone 1000 years earlier than the Russians".

One week later, a Filipino newspaper reported the following: "After digging as deep as 500 metres, Filipino scientists have found absolutely nothing. They have concluded that 5000 years ago, their ancestors were already using wireless technology".

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