NEW YEAR'S WISHES

The Philippine Star
01/02/09

Here are wishes for the coming New Year gathered from colleagues in business, friends from both political and non-political circles, students, fellow parents, and readers in general.

Manny V. Pangilinan

Many are hoping that Manny V. Pangilinan, fondly called MVP, will transform the sports associations he is currently involved in – the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas (SBP) and the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) – into models of good governance.

The wish is for MVP to imbibe these sports organizations with the same management principles and performance standards that he successfully employed in the various business groups he heads.

While the provision of generous funding is most welcome, his lasting legacy should be in transforming SBP and ABAP into sustainable, professionally run organizations that would be the model of other national sports associations.

MVP has to ensure that the structure is appropriate and remains to be managed by qualified staff who not only have passion and love for the particular sports, but also possess integrity, credibility and appropriate managerial skills and attitude to develop, plan and implement efficient and cost effective programs.

Manny “Pacman” Paquiao

The wish is for our sports hero, Manny Paquiao, to be part of the national effort to search and develop local talents in boxing. With what he has achieved, many are motivated to take up the game. What is needed is for this program to be funded and this is where a small part of what Manny is doling out could be put to good use.

Many are wishing that during his off-training period, Pacman will serve as the icon who will inspire many budding young boxers to participate in the program to someday develop another Filipino world champion, perhaps initially in the amateur field, e.g. Olympics, and later, as a professional.

The other wish is for Manny Pacquiao not to succumb to the titillation of being a politician. If he truly wants to be service to his fans, he can do more without being muddled in the dirty world of politics.  

Ramon Ang of San Miguel

With the reported acquisition by San Miguel under the leadership of its president, Ramon Ang, of substantial equity in Petron and Meralco, many are wishing that some of the San Miguel organization’s consumer sensitivity and orientation would rub off on these newly acquired companies.

Petron, together with the other local oil giant, Shell, are perceived by the oil consuming public as “arrogant and insensitive” particularly at the time when local pump prices are not moving in step with the fast declining world prices.

Officials of these oil companies were even widely reported as having chided groups that had been protesting the very slow pace of price rollbacks. We hope that Ramon Ang will not tolerate any of this negative consumer attitude once San Miguel takes charge of Petron,

The same wish holds true for Meralco, although at this time, it is not clear as to the extent of control or influence Ramon Ang would have on the Lopez-installed management team.

Sulpicio Lines

Ask many sea travelers and their main wish is for this company to stop its shipping operations until the owners completely comply with the operations and safety standards being imposed by the Maritime Industry Authority or MARINA.

Of particular importance is the Protection & Indemnity (P&I) coverage which the company has not been able to obtain. This company has a string of sea disasters that has led to the loss of thousands of lives and the destruction of the environment and properties.

The wish is either for the current owners to invest in the upgrading of the shipping company’s vessels and operations or for them to get out of the business and give way to a new, more professionally-oriented investor group to take over the operations and management of the company.

Loss of more lives must be stopped.

Erap Estrada

May Erap stop talking of, or even refrain from considering, running for president in 2010. He could do more for the “masa” that he champions by spending his resources on projects that provide sustainable livelihood means.

No one can contest that it was Erap who had tamed the old San Juan’s Wild, Wild West character, and under his stewardship as mayor, brought the city to where it is now. He certainly displays a leadership quality that would benefit many of the urban poor communities in Metro Manila.

This will definitely impact on the lives of his beloved “masa” rather than the dole outs that are only good for pictorial purposes.

Others

During the past years, the column has consistently championed several consumer issues. This year, together with all our readers, the wish is for tighter governance that would put an end to pyramiding and other financial scams, for banks to bring down interest rates to allow more savings, for credit card companies to stop indiscriminately issuing credit cards that will not benefit the user, for cheaper but equally potent generic medicines to be made available to more people, for the government to find a solution to the problem of nursing graduates who are not able to find the necessary training required for an overseas job, for better teachers that would inspire our youth to pursue higher levels of education, and for the country’s population growth to finally slow down.

Finally, may we all be blessed this year with the fortitude, patience and industry to weather the passing global crisis.

Should you wish to share any insights, write me at Link Edge, 25th Floor, 139 Corporate Center, Valero Street, SalcedoVillage, 1227 MakatiCity. Or e-mail me at reydgamboa@yahoo.com. For a compilation of previous articles, visit www.BizlinksPhilippines.net.