The Man who had a Passion for Land Cruisers

Today, July 3, 2013 I still could not forget how I met this man some 2 years ago on the road while traveling from Manila to Sorsogon in Bicol. I had intended to write a blog about him but this desire had been overtaken by numerous other activities time and again. Even so, I could not forget my encounter with Homer, the guy who pursued his hobby for Land Cruisers with singular passion.

It was a bright sunny afternoon and I was travelling somewhere in Camarines Sur with 3 of my staff when I saw this matte black 4x4 Toyota Land Cruiser CJ-7 by the roadside. It stood tall with its mighty off-road tires and a drop-side pick-up body and front right side snorkels. I immediately asked my driver to stop. When I went towards it, I saw straightaway that, like an art, it was a work in progress and undergoing construction.

As I walked to the house nearest the Land Cruiser, I was met by a mild-mannered man with a strong handshake. I asked him if the CJ-7 was for sale. That opened an animated conversation between the two of us that lasted an hour. He said it was not for sale because it was a passion he pursued after he retired as a police officer. He showed me around his garage which he has turned into a workshop for restoring the Cruisers.

He had 3 of them, as he pointed to a second CJ-7 parked at the far end of the sprawling lawn where the garage was located. As I approached this second 4x4 Off-roader, I recognized that it was the same model as the Land Cruiser I owned, enjoyed and had kept for more than 20 years in the hope that I would find time to fully restore it someday. Mine was red with white top. His was sky blue with white top. These were signature 4x4 CJ-7 colors of the standard Land Cruiser 3-doors, with the rear door swinging from left to right, not top to bottom. Again I marveled at how Homer managed to keep this 4x4 in tip-top shape. I was in awe of its front bumper winch because mine had none.

Our conversation turned to many other things. He knew my friend and neighbor, the former vice-governor of Sorsogon and told me what class he belonged as a cadet in the Philippine National Police Academy. I told him I invited this guy to be the 15th Commencement Speaker of a tertiary school I owned. Homer belonged to a family of doctors. Starting with their parents, many among his 7 siblings had pursued the same profession. The big building on the right of his garage used to be a hospital which their family operated before most of the members migrated to other parts of the world. Even his wife is still working abroad.

It seems Homer is left to attend to some other family concerns like real properties and agricultural lands which were entrusted to his care when many of the family members left the country. As soon as he retired, he found time to pursue his passion with 4x4 Land Cruisers. He admitted he never drove off-road but enjoyed watching the guys who did in Naga City. Thereafter he developed a lot of friendships with guys having the same interest, as he asked a lot of questions, and they kindly showed him the intricacies of the sport.

Now, as I stood in front of Homer asking the questions, he was proactively passing on to me a lot of wealth from the knowledge he had gained from his mentors. The past hour flew in a heartbeat. Now it was time to say goodbye. The meeting ended as it had started - with a firm handshake.

I had done so much research with the Toyota Land Cruiser CJ-7 that I had owned, used, enjoyed and kept for more than 20 years. But like a good mentor, Homer had injected more enthusiasm with the trove of ideas he had passed on to me. This soft-spoken gentleman who pursued his passion with exuberance proved that life is still and all, about continuously learning. Cheers to you Homer!

Riding with a Cowboy Pilot

I was travelling to Taiwan, so I had to take a Cebu Pacific plane from Legazpi City in Bicol, to Manila on the morning of March 5, 2013. From Manila, I would be taking a PAL flight to Taipei.

I came a bit early for my 7:30 AM flight so I had a relaxed time at the pre-departure lounge of the Legazpi airport. We were boarded as soon as the inbound Cebu Pacific plane had unloaded, since this plane was also my outbound ride to Manila.

Up in the air, it was mostly uneventful until the Cebu Pacific pilot announced we were 30 minutes ahead of schedule! I was in awe. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I’ve been on this route countless times, on several different airlines, and I could barely remember the last time a flight was on time, let alone early.

I was attentive from then on, looking at my devices to track the time. Several uneventful minutes passed. Then as the plane made a turn to the right, I could feel a fast descent. It was not however, as sudden as could churn out butterflies in the stomach. It did not make me queasy or uncomfortable.

A few more moments and we were approaching the Manila runway. There was one strong jerk as the wheels touched down then gradually slowed down. We were 30 minutes ahead of time. The plane then taxied to the disembarkation area and when the doors were opened we were still about 20 minutes ahead of time.

That was it. Fast, no-nonsense reliable service. I could not remember when a local Philippine flight in any airline was not late. This one is for the books.

To me the pilot seemed confident, gung-ho but safe. A cowboy who knows what he is doing. And good at it too. To all who pursue excellence by polishing their craft, Cheers!

The Pursuit of Happiness

“You have a duty to protect you dream.
People will say you cannot achieve your dream simply because they cannot achieve theirs.
Believe in yourself.”

(I am paraphrasing Will Smith’s character in the film "The Pursuit of Hapiness" as he talks to his 5-yr old kid)

It was a wet November 8, and on that day, the graduation of 22 instructors from 6 schools in the province of Sorsogon was scheduled at 2PM. My institution was the venue, as it had been for the past 3 weeks of training, for the Ph Tesda’s TMC (Trainer’s Methodology Course), a requirement for keeping one’s capacity to teach in tertiary level.

I had made a deliberate effort to take it slow that rainy morning, owing to the fact that the day seems to mark the end of a very demanding month of academic activities for six of my school’s staff.

Two days earlier a panel of 3 TMC Assessors had arrived from Manila to pass judgement on those who took the course. I have seen the participants work morning till night to pass assessment. This is already the 4th week, a continuum of the 3-week TMC training proper during the previous month.

The past month of October was downright grueling. My staff also spent 2 of the last 4 days of the month taking the Comprehensive Exams (Compre) for their graduate course in MSIT. On 10.28.12 two examiners from Bulacan State University arrived in the evening from the airport to administer the tests for 10 subjects over 2 days.

That evening, even as dinner was cordial, what followed was unbelievable. Although they reviewed on and off for the past 2 months, my staff still reviewed through the night, finishing at 5AM. Exams are set for 8AM. They came late, as expected.

Tests for 6 subjects started at 9AM. It ran straight for 6 hours until 3PM, and lunch was served inside while taking the tests. The second day was worse, we lost all concept of time, and the examiners had to be rushed to the airport in the afternoon. Thank God the plane was late and they were the last 2 passengers to be boarded.

But now it is November 8 and I am in front of the TV watching cable of “The Pursuit of Happiness” starring Will Smith. The character of the story was in ‘desperation mode’. His wife left him because he could not make both ends meet. He is a salesman for a high-end scanner that he sells to doctors. After struggling with this job, he decides to change careers to be a finance management broker. But this entails being an intern for 6 months without pay. Only 20 interns are to be taken in and only one among them will be chosen. He and his kid ends lining up in welfare homes just to spend nights.

How Will Smith’s character hustled his way over the numerous challenges amid misfortune is awesome. It made me think of the backbreaking 1 month that I had just experienced and it all seemed frivolous. The end of the movie came in one word - “Come!” as he was ushered in to the board room. The boss tells him: “This is your last day.”

In the next scene the boss also tells him: “Tomorrow is your first day as a broker.”

There was no funfare or rolling of drums when success came. It came quietly as Will Smith stepped out of the boardroom, tears in his eyes. A breath of fresh air dispels so much pain. To what extent will you pursue a dream?

In my head I kept hearing success’s deafening voice: “You have a duty to protect you dream.” And boy did he! I wish all of us will, too. Cheers!

“Breakout Nations: In Pursuit of the Next Economic Miracles”. The Philippines soon to join 'Tiger Economies'

In his book “Breakout Nations: In Pursuit of the Next Economic Miracles” Ruchir Sharma said that the Philippines is positioned for huge growth.

Considering that he is chief of the Emerging Markets Equity team at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, he must know what he is talking about. His book has since become best-seller.

The book said that in the 1960s, Philippines was Asia's second-highest per capital income earner and only behind Japan.

The Philippines "fortunes have shifted dramatically since then" while many of our neighbors made it big.

Malaysia and Thailand followed in the 1980s.

China boomed in the 1990s.

“Then in 2009, in a moment the Manila elite thought it would never see, Indonesia's boom made Indonesians richer than Filipinos for the first time modern history," Sharma wrote.

And so it was, that up until 2010, the Philippines still wallowed in the quagmire of economic decay, as "still the undisputed laggard of Asia, a nation mired in chronic incompetence."

However, Ruchir Sharma believes the Philippines may soon join the ranks of the world's "tiger economies."

Right now Asia's tiger economies include Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Hong Kong. (It is interesting to note that although Hong Kong is a SAR (Special Administrative Region) of China, China itself was not mentioned as one of Asia’s Tigers.)

Sharma points out that an economic surge may happen for the Philippines if it attains a "modicum of political stability and some basic economic sense." He said it should manage its vast resources - having the world's fifth-richest in natural resources such as oil, copper, nickel, gold, and silver.

Sharma contends that the Philippines' booming population is not a disadvantage. In fact, he claims that the high population is a "big economic plus" because "the concentration of people and business drives growth."

Additionally, the Pinoys' ability to speak English, led the country to becoming the best choice of business process outsourcing-a $9 billion industry employing 350,000 people.

So enough of this "talangka-mentality" (crab-mentality) of pushing each other down. If others believe in us, we should honor them by believing in ourselves. Let's Move!

I am reading Thea Alberto-Masakayan’ s article published by Yahoo! Southeast Asia Newsroom

How's the Economy?: The Philippines' 15 Richest

     Despite European woes and the general economic slow-down, the Philippine economy outperformed most of its neighbors. It grew 6.4% in the 1st quarter of 2012 improving on the 4.9% in the first quarter of 2011. It registered an 8.4% growth in 2010.

     The stock ­market index gained 17% from the previous year. The stock exchange composite index was also up 27% in 2011.

     The 40 richest in the Philippines saw their collective wealth grew over $13 billion to $47.4 billion, up from last year’s total of $34 billion, (where a minimum of $85 million was needed to make the list) and $22.8 billion in 2010 (where a minimum of $50 million is the cut-off). This year’s List of 40 richest in the Philippines has a cutoff of $140 million

     There are now 15 billionaires (their net worth is in USD), up from 11 billionaires in 2011.

     The top 15 of the 40 richest in the Philippines are billionaires whose individual net worth is in USD. 

They are:

(1) Henry Sy; 

(2) Lucio Tan; 

(3) Enrique Razon Jr. (International Container Terminal Services); 

(4) John Gokongwei, Jr.; 

(5) David Consunji (construction firm DMCI, Semirara Mining); 

(6) Andrew Tan (Emperador Distillers); 

(7) Jaime Zobel de Ayala; 

(8) George Ty (Metrobank); 

(9) Roberto Ongpin (Atok-Big Wedge, plans to shift from mining to oil and gas exploration);
(10) Eduardo Cojuangco; 

(11) Robert Coyiuto, Jr. (power transmission firm National Grid); 

(12) Tony Tan Caktiong (Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich Pizza); 

(13) Lucio and Susan Co (Puregold, country's second-largest retailer); 

(14) Inigo & Mercedes Zobel (Shares of Ayala Corp. Other assets include 25% stake in San Miguel. Inigo was appointed to board of PAL in April after San Miguel took controlling stake in the carrier); 

(15) Emilio Yap (Manila Bulletin. Philtrust Bank);

(Perry's note: My source is Suzy Nam, who writes for Forbes. She is a former corporate lawyer who now follows the richest of the rich in Southeast Asia. She covers tycoons in Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines and produces rich lists for each of these countries. As part of the Global Wealth team at Forbes, she also works on their World Billionaires List.)