The Starbucks Connection

"That one is more beautiful," said Elvie.  I was hugging the yellow 2014 Starbucks Planner close to my chest as I pose for a close up selfie.  The year 2013 is about to end and my staff and a bevy of MZMI employees stormed the nearest Starbucks outlet to make sure they'd get one planner as a birthday present for me.  They know I'm collecting the planners since 2007.  Elvie and Rod were able to haul them all for a coffee break immediately after lunch.

The feeling of satisfaction for having the planner was swiftly overtaken by a great sense of appreciation for their united act of filling up the Starbucks card.  In reality, all my Starbucks planner would have not been possible through my own efforts.  First, I'm not a coffee drinker.  Second, my lifestyle does not permit me to be sitting pretty much often in coffee stands.  I'd remember and appreciate Starbucks not for its coffee and its almost ubiquitous stores  but the relationships among friends and colleagues that it builds and cultivates daily... directly and indirectly.  My collection of Starbucks Planners is testament to that unseen positive force that energizes friendship.

The year has just started and I'm already looking forward to November 2014 where one can once again start filling up that Starbucks Planner card.  Another building block to strengthen the connection even more. 

Miag-ao What!?

Miag-ao Church - UNESCO World Heritage Site

The sound of the word is not even heard of in my elementary and high school days.  Miag-ao is not so common a word in Luzon and Mindanao area that pronouncing it is even a more difficult task.  But Miag-ao rings a bell to artists both here and abroad.  Why?, because it is home to a UNESCO World Heritage structure - a church constructed in 1797 in Baroque-Romanesque style courtesy of the Spanish conquistadores.  Its imposing and beautiful facade is testament to a merger of indigent and colonial influences.  It is said that the foundations of the church sink six meters to the ground and its walls are one and a half meters thick while the buttresses are twice as thick.  The church endured a number of strong earthquakes and the intermittent attacks from pirates and Moro marauders.  These features make Miag-ao Church an architectural gem of the country and a must-see tourist destination.

Facade of Miag-ao Church

Seven years ago, I would not have paid attention to this remarkable international accolade this Ilonggo town has received, had we not received a proposal to put up a beautiful memorial park in the area.  A great cloud of hesitation to embark onto this venture was initially felt by the management team as Miag-ao is definitely an "uncharted territory".  Sitting almost at the center of the archipelago, Miag-ao posed a great logistics challenge to the Head Office of Mt. Zion Memorial, Inc.  At that time, the proposal will push the company at least 400 miles farther away from Pasig City.  But the heavens had its own way of contriving circumstances that will bring about the proposal into fruition.  As the time proven chinese adage says, "a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step."  And so stepped on Mr. Johnny Fajarillo did, and took with him in his journey Ms. Delia Collado, a Senior Vice President for Sales of Mt. Zion Memorial, Inc.  Together, they talked to Mrs. Erlinda Britannico, former Town Mayor and the representative of the Familia Noble, landowner of the future site of Mt. Zion Memorial Park - Miag-ao. And the rest was history.  The beautiful park now stands proud as a monument to that pioneering spirit 

Now, Miag-ao is not just about UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It is as vibrant and as alluring as any of the fast developing municipalities in the Western Visayas Region.  It has Salakayan Festival which rivals the Dinagyang Festival of Iloilo City and the Sinulog Festival of Cebu City. Miag-aoanons from around the globe fly back to Miag-ao just to see this annual festivity. And if Malong is for Mindanao, Hablon is for Miag-ao.  This legendary hand-woven cloth is one of the most sought after materials by top fashion designers of the country and is slowly etching its mark in the international market.

Now, Miag-ao what!?

A Drop of Water Makes Ripples

The recent typhoon Gener-fueled Habagat that placed most of the National Capital Region and the neighboring provinces underwater has also ignited the start of the bayanihan spirit that runs in the veins of every Filipino both here and abroad.  The rushing floodwater that forced our kababayans to seek refuge in the rooftops of their homes is met with a tsunami of relief operations that gave much needed help for the survival of Habagat victims.

Tie the knot, serve a lot!

Bagfuls of hope and love!

Malay Resorts, Inc., a BOI sanctioned operator of Boracay Sands Hotel, is one of those companies that reached out to help the needy specially those living in Cainta, Rizal, one of the worst hit areas near Metro Manila.  Thru the initiative of Happy Famero, Malay Resorts and its officers and employees started collecting relief goods for Habagat victims.  Soon other employees from the building also shared what they have.  The repacking activity, as I write this blog is still on going.  I commend the group for sharing their time and energy for this truly worthwhile outreach activity.  Special thanks to Liza, Glenn, Thelma, Macon, Pau, Mon, Frederick and Abel for their selfless effort of repacking the basic goods of rice, noodles and canned fish.

A kilo of rice to fill a hungry stomach.

We commend the other officers, whose names although I chose to withhold, would surely be blessed by the heavens for their recommendations and approvals for shelling out a significant amount.  Rod redesigned the tarpaulin while Mon will make sure that it will be printed in due time for the scheduled relief distribution on Friday, August 17, 2012 on a selected evacuation center.

Yes, we CAN!

This may have come a little late when the floodwater has already subsided to manageable levels but surely poor souls and heavily affected brothers and sisters are still legions and are still waiting for help.  Our contributions may pale in comparison with that of the giant corporations and foundations, but a drop of water can pierce even the hardest stone.

A Rare Ginger Plant In My Garden

My curcuma sulee rainbow - a rare ginger variety.

He stood a full head taller than me but Richard O'Brien's humble demeanor makes me his equal in a field totally new to me - ginger propagation. His depth of knowledge about gingers is evident on how he explained to me the different varieties that thrive in different parts of the world.  It is quite amazing and interesting to be introduced in a world where not too many care about a plant that brings forth not just rhizomes but also maddeningly beautiful flowers that can rival even the most exotic of orchids in the wild.

Twice I read a simple ad posted inside the shuttle service of our village which read, "Rare Ginger for Sale".  Not very long and I saw myself ringing the bell at No. 26 Kasoy Street.  It was my first time to meet Richard, who  was all too happy to explain how he hauled his ginger plants from Florida, USA all the way to his Filipina wife's hometown in Pangasinan.  It was no surprise to hear from Richard that not too many Filipinos are into rare ginger propagation.  He searched the internet and visited commercial gardens in the country and found only a handful of ginger enthusiasts.  I told him that most Filipinos propagate ginger only for purposes we know best - in the kitchen.  Richard acknowledged the great medicinal value of ginger confirming it is both anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial.  Turmeric or "dilaw na luya" in the local language is widely used as coloring for curry dishes.

Our first meeting was the usual "getting-to-know-your-neighbor" stage.  The second meeting produced my first ever curcuma sulee rainbow.  I just asked him, "What can you give me for P200.00?"  He smiled, took one of the healthy banana-looking plant and said, "This sulee rainbow sells for twenty US dollars, but I will give you this on your budget."

My curcuma sulee rainbow is the newest plant in our garden.

According to davesgarden.com, curcuma sulee rainbow is a tropical and tender perennial plant belonging to the ginger family.  It is a hybrid between curcuma cordata and an unknown specie from Thailand.  This deciduous veined plant often blooms once only every year between mid-summer to early fall.  The color of its flower ranges from Magenta to Gold to Pale Yellow to Light Blue.  This variety is known to thrive in Florida and North and South Carolina.  Interestingly, Richard hails from Florida.  This gives a bit of an assurance that my ginger plant is genuinely rare.

Five days ago, I transplanted my sulee rainbow from the pot to the ground in our garden near the water fountain.  Today, it stands firm and healthy and brings hope of a beautiful bloom just like a rainbow which is said to be the Lord's promise of love and salvation to all mankind.  Our family waits in great anticipation.

Bring Back the Melody of Pasig River

"Where are you now? I'm already here at Ospital ng Maynila. Our group will start from here. You should be here by 5AM!" It was 3:30AM and the voice reverberated in my room in the quiet of the early dawn. The call came from Ms. Bebian Lo, our company's Senior Vice President for Sales and Marketing.

Two days earlier, Ms. Bebian made a last ditch effort to have our group join the Run for Pasig River 2011 organized by the Gina Lopez-led ABS-CBN Foundation, Inc. (AFI). She gave us eleven registration forms complete with race shirts and race numbers, free of charge. I think each set should have cost the participant at least P450.00. Thanks to Boardwalk, her younger sister's fashion and apparel company which co-sponsored this major environmental concern activity alongside Air 21, Midas Hotel, DOTC, Lopez Group of Companies, Metro Rail Transit Corporation, Prudential Guarantee, ExTribe and other cause oriented groups, we will be saving our weekend allowances.

Online registration was already closed but Ms. Bebian has managed to ask Boardwalk to include our group in the last batch of participants which will be encoded manually by the monitoring group.

The event was listed on a global scale, having broken the Guinness World Record in the most number of participants in a marathon registering a total of 116,086 runners last October 10, 2010 or intentionally 10.10.10. This year's run hopes to break last year's record breaker. But the greater task is to generate funds to help sustain the rehabilitation of Pasig River. This is what AFI has set out to do and arduously strives to achieve since 2009 when the campaign started to gain momentum after the establishment of the Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig (KBPIP).

Our group, composed of last minute recruits from Mt. Zion Memorial, Inc. (Rod, Jocelyn, Abel, Mon and myself), Fil-Estate Manangement, Inc. (Jackie), Global Estate Resorts, Inc. (Tet), Malay Resort Holdings, Inc. (my wife Hapi) and Universal Robina Corporation (Ina) all agreed to convene first at the Renaissance Tower at 4:00AM, Sunday on 11.20.11. Rod's group decided to go ahead via EDSA going straight to Roxas Boulevard as Hapi and I almost missed our cellphones alarm rings. The call from Ms. Bebian made it all the more urgent and exciting. As expected, traffic was incredibly heavy starting from the approach to EDSA MRT Station. I followed Mon's advice to go left immediately upon reaching Roxas Blvd. and make a right going to the DFA and breeze through the SMX parking area. We almost did it but not quite, as we got caught up in the middle when all vehicles grinded to a halt. The race has begun! And we're going to miss the big event.

A call from Rod, Abel and Mon added to our frustration hearing that they were already on the race and have already joined the group category of 10K run while we were stuck in the middle of the road. They were at the opposite direction coming from the Uniwide Coastal Road area. We were nearer going towards Petron Gas Station along Macapagal Avenue where the 3K and the 5K race categories were happening. Assessing the situation, we left the car in the middle of the traffic jam, suited up for the race and joined the fray halfway along the race - a classic shortcut to the finish line. There were very many runners, and walkers with different groups coming in throngs of varied colors - a festive atmosphere, indeed.

I've heard that the biggest contingent came from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines with at least 15,000 entries. ABS-CBN posted a remarkable 5,000 plus runners. It is quite notable to see happy faces doing the marathon or should I say, walkathon. The volume of participants occupying the road made it impossible for the runners to run as there is no more space ahead to cover for more energetic stride. All one needs to do was to keep up with the pace of the race and that was to walk . . . albeit leisurely. In my poor estimation, the participants that came that day far exceeded what was needed to break the previous year's record breaker. I think around 150,000 runners attended.

Reaching the finish line was our greatest achievement that day. And our prize was nothing less than exhilirating - a bottle of Smart C and a pack of Champion Powder soap. I would say that the real winners of this Run for Pasig River 2011 were those who came to shed a few extra pounds and sweat; those who came for bonding with family members and friends and those who came to give an insignificant portion of their fortune to bring back to life the once majestic and poetic Ilog Pasig.

Our hand salute to AFI and the organizers.

East Meets West, the Gibbs-Pontevedra Wedding

You will know that you're getting old once someone asks you to stand as a principal sponsor on her wedding. In the customary Philippine setting, acquaintances are candidates for a slot in a wedding entourage. But of course, friendship or blood relationship is of key consideration.

On June 18, 2011 at Crossroads at Quezon City, I was standing in front of the invited guests holding the microphone as I address the newly wed couple, Liza and Aaron Gibbs,

serving them sermons of married life talisman to help them face their new life as spouses. I was feeling as if I was a sage who has already matured beyond my years, Well, everyone agrees, experience is the best teacher.

Actually I didn't know what to say but logic has carried me to just share a funny anecdote to drive home my point for the new couple. I would've told Aaron this other anecdote. I'll tell him that in the early years of their marriage, when he gets home and if it happens that they have a dog, it surely will bark and his wife Liza will be rushing to get him his slippers. A few years later on, when he gets home, Liza will be barking while the dog gets the slippers. And then I expounded on the significance of the art of communication, where someone has to send the message while the other must receive the message. The end result must be understanding each other.

Liza to me is an acquaintance brought about by our job connections, where we met somewhere at a common point. One of her bosses is my business partner. Liza is a diligent employee who has shown hardwork and integrity in his workplace. And by the wonders of technology, he first met Aaron Gibbs in a computer screen - so near yet so far away halfway across the globe. Born in Texas, USA, Aaron first got a glimpse of Liza when he was still assigned in Iraq as a Power Generator Supervisor. The rest was history as Liza and Aaron hauled their families to Quezon City to tie the knot on the blessed day of June 18, 2011.

I thought Aaron would not notice but I think he was well apprised about the wedding ceremony in the Philippines. I was actually waiting for Aaron to just come by my table and ask me the question, "How come we have more number of people in the entourage than those at the tables?" Well, I guess everybody just wants to have a nice role in this very momentous occasion of Liza's life.

What more can I say? Go ye and multiply. But most of all, love one another for the rest of your lives. God Bless.

Visit Singapore

I won't hesitate recommending Singapore as a tourist destination to my friends. Why? Because I felt safe and comfortable. I think their place is a well-thought master-planned tourist destination. Singapore is not that big and I think it could be just as big as the old Quezon City. But in terms of land use, without the necessity of digging actual city engineering's office data, I can safely say that each square meter has its highest and best use. One can only marvel how all those amazing infrastructure were made to fit in this tiny island nation.

Here are some of the reasons why you should include Singapore in your must-visit list of countries:

1. Safe - Not just safe, I think it is very safe. Singapore's airport was once considered the safest, most beautiful, and most advanced airport in the world. It was recently dethroned by South Korea. Roaming the city by walking, my eight-year old daughter asked why there are no police officers on the sidewalks or on the streets. The laws in Singapore (from traffic to capital offenses) are well enforced. This makes everyone (not just Singaporeans but foreigners as well) law abiding. This has lead to the creation of a famous tag line for for the island, "Singapore is a FINE city." You get fined for every violation you make, or worse end up in jail.
2. Accessible - Singapore's land transit system is one of the finest. 90% of the trains are underground while buses have designated loading and unloading stations, all monitored through GPS. Locations and arrivals can be accessed instantly via handheld phones. One card is used for all public transport facilities which doubles as a debit card for shopping and dining purposes.
3. Tourist-friendly - While Singapore was designed to be Asia's foremost trading hub, the current administration has put equal emphasis on tourism. A big advantage is an almost perfect mix of peace-loving people. Singapore is mainly composed of three large groups: the Chinese who are mostly Buddhists, the Indians who are mostly Hindus and the Malays. Through a national directive, all Singaporeans are asked to welcome and extend a hospitable hand to every tourist that visits their country. Good hotels are aplenty and man-made tourist spots are being developed every year. The most recent addition was the completion of the Sentosa and Universal Studio by the Resorts World. Formula1 Racing facility is underway and an olympic stadium is under construction.
4. No calamity - Singapore is not the usual path of typhoon and storm. Harbor and airport facilities are definitely one of the world's best.
5. Efficient public service - Singapore charges one of the highest tax rates in the world but everything is given back to the people and visitors by way of efficient infrastructure, health services, pension payments (Singaporeans retire at age 40), etc. Taxes go where they should be.
6. Environment-friendly - the rivers are clean, the trees keep growing alongside new "green" buildings and the air is cleaner than you would expect in a highly-urbanized surroundings.

These are but few of the things that are high on my list. There are other items worth mentioning but I think that the above would suffice the needs of even the most discriminating tourist. One warning though, cost of living is higher so make sure that you have more cash (or credit card) for your travel, hotel and food expenses.

Overall, Singapore is a fine city.