November 2006

Lifelong: A legacyof wellnessTHE faint-hearted and the sedentary, as well as those whotake their health for granted, will surely find themselvessinging a different tune when they have spent a certainamount of time as part of the Lopez Group family. For, as any“old-timer” will attest, wellness is big in the Group, withmountain treks and brisk walks, sports showdowns and funraces, aerobics and health checkups organized regularly.

Lest anyone think this emphasis on health and wellness isa phase, or merely a collection of activities instituted on apiecemeal basis, consider that there is a formal program

called Lopez Lifelong Wellness (LLW)- or “Lifelong"-actu-ally in place, and a Wellness Team to implement the same inall of the companies in the Group.

Believing that wellness is a “critical component of a com-pany’s pursuit of and journey to excellence,” chairman OscarM. Lopez (OML) laid down a wellness policy in the FirstHoldings Group in 1997; this was spurred, in part, by the un-timely demise of Lopez Group executives Tato Diaz andLuis Mirasol.

Turn to page 6

The motto of ABS-CBN isand always will be ‘in theservice of the Filipino.’

— Geny Lopez

Abangan sa Nobyembre 7...

2 LOPEZLINK November 2006

First Holdings declares P1 dividendAT the regular meeting of the board of di-rectors of First Philippine Holdings Corp.on October 5,2006, the board of directorsdeclared a P1 per share cash dividend toall stockholders of record as of November6,2006.

In a disclosure to the Securities andExchange Commission (SEC), chief in-formation officer Ernesto Rufino Jr. said

that the dividend will be payable on or be-fore Nov. 15,2006.

Meanwhile, Manila North TollwaysCorp. (MNTC) is set to issue P3 billion inseven-year Fixed Rate Corporate Notes(FXCNs), with an option to increase toP5B. The amount will be used to refinancea portion of its existing dollar obliga-tions.

The FXCNs are rated PRS Aaa, thehighest possible rating on the PhilRatingsscale and is given to securities with the“smallest degree of investment risk. Inter-est payments are protected by a large or anexceptionally stable margin and principalis secured.”

In giving the highest rating to theMNTC FXCNs, PhilRatings considered

the position of the North Luzon Express-way (NLEX) built by the MNTC as a ma-jor thoroughfare and the infrastructurebackbone for the Central Luzon and NorthLuzon regions; and the supportive conces-sion agreements with an affirmed obliga-tion from the Philippine government toimplement adjustments in the AuthorizedToll Rate (ATR) as embodied in the Sup-

plemental Toll Operation Agreement(Stoa).

PhilRatings also considered MNTC’sstrong operating and financial perfor-mance as well as its cash-generating abil-ities demonstrated in its first year of op-erations in 2005 and which are expected tobe sustained or enhanced in the comingyears.

Official statement of ABS-CBNon the filing of criminalcharges on the Ultra incidentABS-CBN disagrees with the decisionof the Department of Justice to filecharges against its officers and produc-tion staff for reckless imprudence re-sulting in multiple homicides and phys-ical injuries as a result of the Ultrastampede last February.

It is ABS-CBN’s position that thereis no evidence to support the DOJ’s de-cision. Nevertheless, the DOJ’s deci-sion is not the final ruling on this legalissue. It will be up to the courts of lawto finally decide if the DOJ is correct

and whether or not there is any criminalliability on the part of the ABS-CBNofficers and production staff.

ABS-CBNhas full confidence in the le-gal system and has no doubt that justicewillbe ultimately served for all concerned.

Regardless of the pending legal issues,ABS-CBNwishes to assure the public thatit will continue to provide support and as-sistance to the victims of the stampedethrough the 71 Dreams Foundation (seerelated story on page 8), which was cre-ated specifically for this purpose.

Lopez Group political and economic briefing

The good, the bad and thefearless predictions for 2007By Carla Paras-Sison

Businessman and newspaper columnistJohn Mangun is optimistic about nextyear and believes there is not enough timeto pursue constitutional amendments be-fore the May 2007 elections.

At the annual political and economicbriefing for Lopez Group senior execu-tives and staff, Mangun predicted that thecurrent stability enjoyed by the govern-ment will improve further next year.

He believes a military-led coup d’etatagainst the Arroyo government is highlyunlikely because the present Philippinemilitary leadership has shown a strong re-luctance to take up arms against fellowFilipinos.

“The Philippine military, despite somerestiveness, is not interested in taking overgovernment. They are more connectedwith the people. They are unlike the Thaimilitary, which is a political party and isallowed to have seats in parliament. TheThai military has less respect for the willof the population,” Mangun said.Not an issue for business

While acknowledging that a majorscandal or a “major provable smokinggun” can topple the Arroyo regime, Man-gun still expects the President to remain in

office until 2010, but is not certain of whatmay happen after 2010. “She may or maynot remain in office after 2010,” he said.

Calling the legitimacy of governmentan issue of principle, Mangun says it neednot be an issue for business. “Why is le-gitimacy not a concern for business? First,there is no opposition standard bearer.They’re dead [referring to Fernando Poe,Jr. and Raul Roco who challenged Arroyofor the presidency in 2004]. Second, thevice president is not acceptable to the peo-ple as a replacement for her.”

Mangun added that the military willnot take an aggressive, proactive stancepolitically because the President has afirm hold on the people critical to her ad-ministration.Holistic and sustainable growth

Meanwhile, former NEDA (NationalEconomic Development Administration)Secretary Cielito Habito, now head of theAteneo Center for Economic Researchand Development, said the critical chal-lenge facing the Arroyo government go-ing into 2007 is how to achieve “holistic,sustainable growth and development.”

Development is sustainable if it isbroad-based, that is, all regions, sectorsand generations are able to participate.“Sustainable development is holistic de-

velopment that embraces social, econom-ic, environmental, political, cultural andspiritual factors. It is not narrow, shallowand hollow,” Habito said.

According to him, tapering inflationand surging remittances from overseaswill continue to power the economy nextyear, while rising interest rates will tem-per consumption spending.Invest in educational system

He believes global trends, such as theaging world population and outsourcing,provide rich opportunities for the Philip-pines to serve developed markets at homeand abroad. “History has shown that weare a resilient people strategically spreadall over the globe. We are capable of ex-ploiting the opportunities we find.”

For this reason, Habito said it is impor-tant to increase investments in the educa-tional system to ensure that the Filipinoworkforce can match the skills requiredby business trends such as call centers. Henoted that the Arroyo government has infact reduced the percentage of budget al-located to education in favor of defense.

He added that employment creation re-mains a major challenge as agriculture,which topped sectoral growth in the sec-ond quarter, actually suffered a net loss ofjobs in the first six months of 2006.

ABS-CBN Global seen tolist in S’pore bourse in ’08ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. plans tolist its wholly owned international busi-ness subsidiary ABS-CBN Global in theSingapore stock exchange in 2008.

ABS-CBN president and CEO Euge-nio Lopez III and chief financial officerMiguel Navarrete explained that Singa-pore is a more attractive market to be inAsia compared to Hong Kong.

“Aside from it being a more maturemarket, right now there are no broadcaststocks in Singapore,” Navarrete said.

Lopez said the possible listing in Sin-gapore does not prevent ABS-CBN Glob-al from doing a dual listing in the Philip-

pines or in Hong Kong. The ABS-CBNchief also debunked reports that about20% to 30% of ABS-CBN Global will belisted when it goes public, adding that thefigures are still under review.

Proceeds from the listing will be usedfor the subsidiary’s expansion, even as thenetwork plans to spend an initial P500million for a partial migration of analog todigital TV technology by mid-2007.

ABS-CBN Global, which takes care ofthe international business for the group (pri-marily selling ABS-CBN programs to othercountries) accounts for about 20% to 25%of the company’s consolidated revenues.

First Gen Hydro purchaseof Pantabangan-Masiwaypower plants OK'dFirst Gen Hydro Power Corp.'s purchase ofthe 112-megawatt (MW) Pantabangan-Masi-way hydroelectric power plant complex hasreceived the go-ahead signal from the credi-tors of the National Power Corp. (Napocor).

The World Bank, Asian DevelopmentBank (ADB), and the Japan Bank for Inter-national Cooperation (JBIC) sent separateletters to the Power Sector Assets and Lia-bilities Management Corp. (Psalm) indicat-ing their consent to the sale of the assets.

The ADB sent its letter of consent onSept. 20, the World Bank on Sept. 22 andthe JBIC on Oct. 4. Psalm needs to securethe consent of the three major creditors be-fore any of Napocor's power generationassets can be sold.

On Oct. 13, First Gen Hydro posted aperformance bond of $2.5 million to guar-

antee its full, prompt, faithful and com-plete performance of the buyer's obliga-tions under the Asset Purchase Agreementcovering the Pantabangan-Masiway powerplants. The bond is equivalent to 2% of the$129 million bid submitted by the compa-ny on Sept. 8.

With its acquisition of the two hydro-electric power plants, First Gen will have1,839 MW of installed generating capaci-ty, almost 12% of the country's total in-stalled capacity.

First Gen currently owns and operatesthe 1,000-MW Santa Rita and 500-MWSan Lorenzo natural gas-fired powerplants in Batangas City, the 225-MWBauang diesel power plant in La Union,and the 1.6-MW Agusan hydroelectricplant in Bukidnon.

‘Lopez Group companies are built to last’Top regional CEOs, including LopezGroup chairman Oscar M. Lopez (OML),presented their proposals to improve thecountry’s competitiveness ranking in agathering of CEOs held in Makati on Oc-tober 11,2006.

Themed “Reversing the Trend, Turn-ing the Bend,” the 5th Management Asso-ciation of the Philippines’ InternationalCEO Conference aimed to tackle ways ofmaking the Philippines a player in theworldwide market. According to theWorld Economic Forum’s competitive-ness ranking, the Philippines dropped fur-ther from No. 48 in 2001 to No. 71 in2006.

OML, the recipient of MAP’s Man-agement Man of the Year award in 2000and who made his fourth appearance be-fore the fora, shared the peaks and valleysin the Lopez family business in the last 70years and how he and his brothers workedto grow the Group in size and scope.

“The entire local business sectorshould in fact learn from our experienceand be just as adept in rising from the ash-

es each time fate and circumstances burnyou down. Philippine businesses must beready at all times to undergo this severetest,” OML said.

He noted that only companies that arebuilt to last are expected to emergestronger from such a test.

“…The secret of our Group’s ability toweather crisis and like the Phoenix risefrom the ashes is largely because my fa-ther made sure that our companies are

built to last, by havingtimeless values, our reasonfor existence beyond prof-its.”

The Lopez Group chairattributed the Group’s re-siliency and longevity to itsvalues of commitment topublic service; importanceof family and corporateunity; a commitment toemployees; and human de-velopment through educa-tion and the concept ofcontinuous learning and

improvement.OML joined a panel of experts that in-

cluded Dr. Jamshed Irani of Tata SonsLtd. of India; Mary Kissel of The WallStreet Journal of Asia; Monico Jacob ofSTI Education Services Group; Prof. Vic-tor Limlingan of the Asian Institute ofManagement; Manuel Pangilinan ofSmart/PLDT; and Virgilio Peña, formerchair of the Commission on Informationand Communication Technology.

3LOPEZLINK November 2006

BayanTel gears up forIP-based servicesBAYANTEL has signed up IBM Corp. to beits partner as it builds up its backroom infras-tructure to prepare for a foray into hostedmanagement services.

Classified as a data business, hosted man-agement services include conducting remotebackups and technical and data center supportfor third-party customers. As a natural expan-sion route for telcos, the business rides on pre-installed infrastructure and technical expertise.

BayanTel chief information officer BrigsMerin said the accordwith IBM involves the con-solidation of its storage and server infrastructure.

“We see a lot of opportunities for IP (InternetProtocol)-based services which we can offer to

our customers. It has always been there but wedid not want to do it in the past due to the highcost of access and connectivity,” Merin said,adding that the company sees IP-based servicesas one of its big opportunities for next year.

He said BayanTel already has customers,which he described as a “combination of local andforeign companies” engaged in industries such asgaming, for hosted management services.

BayanTel recently revised its net profitoutlook for this year to P5.8 billion fromP5.4B due to stronger second half earningsfrom its data business. The revised outlookrepresents a 14% growth from the P5.09B thefirm earned last year. (John Rojo)

Rockwell, Sta. Elena todevelop Sta. Rosa communityROCKWELL Land Corp.heads south for its first pro-ject after the pioneeringRockwell Center develop-ment in Makati.

The company signed inSeptember a memorandumof agreement (MOA) withSta. Elena Properties Inc. todevelop the prime land with-in the 260-hectare Sta. Elenagolf course community inSanta Rosa, Laguna, whichis about 40 minutes fromMakati.

“The proponents of Sta.Elena have successfully po-sitioned the development asthe country’s premier golfand residential community,and continue to retain its brand fran-chise. The Rockwell brand, on the otherhand, is known for creating prime res-idential spaces situated in a private, se-cure and complete inner-city communi-ty,” Rockwell president Nestor Padillasaid in a statement.

The development will be carriedout in two major phases, and willembrace the golf landscape of theproperty. The development will con-sist of villages offering residentiallots and housing options that in-clude detached houses, villa clusters

and walk-up apartments supportedby a country club and retail towncenter.

Rockwell said the development ofthe project will take up to six years, withthe first phase completed on the thirdyear. (Vienn Tionglico)

L-R: Rockwell Land Inc. president Nestor Padilla, chairman Manuel M. Lopez, Sta. ElenaProperties Inc. president Eduardo Lopez and EVP Bienvenido Tantoco

SkyCable offers rebatefor Milenyo downtimeSkyCable will be giving its MetroManila subscribers a five-day rebate forcable TV or Internet services that weredisrupted due to the devastation causedby typhoon Milenyo.

The rebate will be applied to all res-idential, commercial and corporate Sky-Cable and ZPDee subscribers in goodstanding.

SkyCable head of operations RafaelAguado said the company took approx-

imately five days from September 28,the day Milenyo struck Metro Manila,to restore the majority of its networkbased on online distribution hubs.

“By the end of Monday, October 2,or five days since September 28, we hadrestored 95% of our network. Nonethe-less, we are giving the rebate across theboard because everybody sufferedsomehow. We hope this will alleviatethe inconvenience our subscribers suf-

fered,” Aguado said.The five-day rebate will be reflected

as a deduction in the subscriber’s nextstatement of account. Advance payers,such as those paying on quarterly, semi-annual or annual bases, will have the re-bate reflected in their next bill.

For inquiries, please contact SkyCa-ble Customer Service by calling 631-0000 or texting 0918-9270153 or 0920-9137089. (Arlene Torres)

‘Kapitan’ and ‘Kapamilya’:A tale of two pillarsTHE dual tale of Eugenio“Geny” Lopez Jr. and thecompany closest to hisheart, ABS-CBN Broad-casting Corporation, is toldfor the first time in “Kap-itan,” a splendid two-partbook that will be launchedat the main lobby of theEugenio Lopez Jr. Com-munications Center onNovember 7, 2006.

Author Raul Rodrigojuxtaposes the rise of ABS-CBN in the context of the tumultuousevents of the past 50 years—coup attempts,natural calamities, military rule and the im-prisonment and eventual triumphant come-back of Geny Lopez, the driving force be-hind the enterprise.

More than being a history of the Philip-pine television industry, “Kapitan” tells thestory of the man whose drive and vision in-spired those who worked with him to trans-form ABS-CBN into the media powerhousethat it is today, the network that blazed trailsand set standards for others to follow.

Through it all, GenyLopez was driven, notb y p r o f i t s , b u t t h echance to put his valuesinto action: the passionfor excellence, the driveto be number one, acommitment to publicservice, caring for hisemployees, and aboveall, never giving up.

In his foreword, Geny’sson, ABS-CBN presidentand CEO Eugenio “Gab-

by” Lopez III, writes: “The values and the sto-ries in this bookwill help pass on the lore of thisnetwork from one generation to the next. And itcan help let the world know why Geny Lopezis the man we will always call our Kapitan.”“Kapitan” is author Rodrigo’s fifth book.

The others are “A Matter of Honor: The1990-91 RP-US Bases Talks”; “Phoenix:The Saga of the Lopez Family, 1800-2000”;“Firebringer: 40 Years of First PhilippineHoldings”; and “Meralco: A Century of Ser-vice 1903-2003.” He is now working on ahistory of the Manila Chronicle.

SkyCable advisorySkyCable’s Pasig Branch office hasmoved to its new home at the 33/F,Tektite East Tower, Exchange Road,Ortigas Center, Pasig City. Sub-scribers may still call us at the sametelephone numbers, 636-9292 andCustomer Hotline 631-0000, orsend an SMS to Text Hotlines 0918-9270153 and 0920-9137089.

Cable TV industry hobbledby rampant piracyOnly 8% of the 12.09 million TV householdsin the Philippines are paying cable TV sub-scribers, way below the regional average rateof 30% to 35%, the Cable and SatelliteBroadcasting Association (Casbaa) said.

Rampant piracy and restrictive regulatoryguidelines inhibit domestic and foreign in-vestment in the Philippine pay-TV industry,added Casbaa.

Allan Dungao, president of Philippine CableTV Association Inc. (PCTA), said that losses de-rived from signal theft amount to P5 billion to P6billion, assuming that losses come from unpaidfees that averaged P300 every month.

Though there are no official figures, Dun-gao noted that the number of illegal sub-

scribers also continue to outnumber the legit-imate ones. Annual pay-TV programming in-vestment in the country from 2002 to 2005 re-mains low at $28.44 mil l ion becauseprogrammers are discouraged by flagrant copy-right infringement.

The PCTA, the Intellectual Property Officeand Casbaa are organizing a training programfor law enforcers, investigators, prosecutors andhearing officers on how to combat piracy in theindustry. Casbaa and PCTA said if the piracychallenge were met, operators will be able to in-vest more to improve their services and givecustomers choice of wider programming for arange of prices; and the industry will be able tocontribute more to the national income.

AEI, ELC receive ISO certificationThe Asian Eye Institute (AEI) was re-cently certified for three quality stan-dards, ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14001:2004and OHSAS 18001:1999, making it thefirst ambulatory health care facility toreceive the distinction.

“I am very proud that the Asian EyeInstitute is the first health care clinic inthe country to get triple certifications.And I congratulate all who have con-tributed their time, energy, talent andhard work to achieve this great honor,”AEI president and medical director Dr.Felipe Tolentino said.

The triple certification recognizesAEI’s seamless and exceptional servicedelivery through processes that are inte-grated in its operations. With the recog-nition, AEI, which celebrated its fifthanniversary earlier this year, establishes

itself as a center of eye care excellenceas well as a vital national and interna-tional resource in the diagnosis andtreatment of eye diseases.

“This milestone means that everyonewill get triple assurance that the qualityservice they have been getting at AEI willonly get better,” Dr. Tolentino added.

To complement its triple certification,the facility launched new initiatives, theSix Sigma and Investing in People (IiP).It is one of the first 11 Philippine corpo-rations to be certified by IiP, a Britishgroup that recognizes companies withgood human resource practices.

Meanwhile, the Eugenio Lopez Cen-t e r (ELC) ha s r e c e i v ed i t s I SO9001:2000 certification from Certifica-tion International Phils. Inc. The certifi-cation, valid until August 2009, covers

the design, development and provisionof training center services.

Lopez Group chairman and INAEC De-velopment Corp.-ELC president Oscar M.Lopez received the certificate from RenatoNavarrete of Certification International Phils.Inc. (Frances Bumanlag/Cora Ortega-Auste)

4 LOPEZLINK November 2006

PR CHALLENGE

HR COUNCIL

Mission accomplished: Fedcor’s IIP journeyIN October 2005, First Electro Dy-namics Corporation (Fedcor) was se-lected to be one of five companies inthe First Philippine Holdings Corp.(FPHC) group to join the journey to-wards meeting the standards of In-vestors in People (IiP).

The results of a diagnostic assess-ment conducted by the PersonnelManagement Association of thePhilippines (PMAP) and some inter-nal Lopez Group HR advisers weredismal and indicated that the journeywould be difficult. But the Fedcorcompetitive spirit and desire to proveitself overwhelmed all doubts andfears. Thus, a commitment to IiP wasmade and the journey began.

Plans and targets were set and cas-caded. Trainings, orientation programs,coaching and other activities were con-ducted for employees to achieve aware-ness and grassroots acceptance for IiP.Mock audits were done by various ad-visors from the HR Council of the

Lopez Group to help the company im-prove and be IiP standard-compliant.

After the assessment on August 8and 9, 2006, Janet Webster and GilBangalan said they would recommendFedcor as Investors in People-certi-fied. Mission accomplished!

What has IiP done for us so far?Our people are now cohesive and co-ordinated. Teamwork is evident as ev-eryone is more aware and conscious ofhow they can contribute to the attain-ment of the company objectives andgoals.

IiP helped us to reassess our orga-nizational core values. Before, ourcore values were limited to customersatisfaction, teamwork and familyspirit. Now, integrity, care and respectand passion for excellence are includ-ed.

IiP helped us define and set our lead-ership brand—the brand that people ex-pect from their leaders, the brand thatthe organization leaders should them-selves model, the brand that will enableus to get everyone to work toward thecompany’s mission and vision. Ourpeople are now more committed, goaloriented and purpose driven.

Production and sales results werethe highest ever recorded in Fedcor’s15 years of existence. In fact, sales andproduction were more than doublethan the previous seven-month aver-age. With IiP and other corporate ini-tiatives towards excellence, we areconfident that Fedcor’s future will bebetter and brighter.

Since the IiP’s “plan, do, review”cycle highlights the involvement ofand consultation with the workforce asindividuals, Fedcor will continue thejourney as we seek ways to betterserve the needs of our markets and ourpeople.

Blogs: If it bleeds, it leadsBy Carla Paras-Sison

KEYNOTE speaker Steve Lubetkin,APR (Accredited in Public Relations)told delegates during the 13th Nation-al Public Relations Congress that withover 30 million blogs or online diarieson the Internet, the medium has a lotless readers than expected.

“Blogs need extreme positions to getread, hence, like TV programs, blogshave the tendency to be shrill and hys-terical. For this reason, political blogsare quite popular,” said Lubetkin.

He warned that the influence ofblogs is tremendous and often “out ofproportion” with respect to reader-ship. Corporate blogs are all the morevulnerable, with a tenth of US com-panies conducting internal investiga-tions for confidential informationpublished in either the company’s of-ficial blog or an employee’s personalblog.Two-way communication

Corporate blogging is popularamong companies that value real-time, two-way customer communica-tion as a means to improve or main-tain their market positions. Chief ex-ecutive officers Robert Lutz of Gen-

eral Motors and Jonathan Schwartzof Sun Microsystems lead their re-spective corporate blogs and directlyreply to customer feedback.

An emerging trend for communi-cation practitioners is podcasting inwhich audio material are made avail-able online for pod listening or fordownloading. “There are more thanseven million subscribers to iTuneswhich includes podcasts amongMP3s. And people download credi-ble content from such providers asFinancial Times, CNN and NationalPublic Radio,” Lubetkin said.Same job

Philippine Star publisher Max So-l iven, also speaking at the PRCongress, told PR practitioners tostick to the basics when dealing withmedia practitioners, even with the pro-liferation of new technology and cybermedia such as blogs and podcasts.

“Even in what we call the cyberage, journalists have the same job,and that is, to report the 5Ws (who,what, why, where, why) and 1H(how). Help us to get this informa-tion. Help us to do our job right. Andyou will earn our respect, and maybeeven our trust,” Soliven said.

He described the relationship be-tween PR andmedia as close and sym-biotic, requiring each party to treat theother “fairly and with respect.”New APRs

The PR Congress was organizedby the Public Relations Society of theP h i l i p p i n e s w i t h t h e t h eme ,“Mindmap: Charting the Course ofPR in the New Media.” The eventwas chaired by Maloli Espinosa ofABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp.

Guest speakers included MatthewLussenhop of the US Embassy, formerSenator Francisco Tatad, SecretaryCerge Remonde, Mel Tiangco of GMANetwork, ChitoMacapagal of Unilever,crisis PR expert Gina Virtusio and CrisJ. Nelson of Philip Morris.

Six PRSP members received ac-creditation, including Lopez GroupPR professionals Marlene Ochoa ofManila North Tollways Corp. andRitzi Ronquillo of Meralco. Ochoaand Ronquillo passed rigorous writ-ten and oral examinations to obtainAPR status from the PRSP, in addi-tion to completing the required min-imum three years of membership andpresenting a comprehensive portfolioof their work in PR.

Basic Management Program (Nov. 6-24, 2006)AIM Campus, Makati CityContact Raul/Yola at 892-4011 loc. 166/526

IABC CEO Excel Awards Ceremony (Nov. 8, 2006)Philippine International Convention Center, Pasay City

Creative Presentation and Facilitation Techniques (Nov. 13-14, 2006)MMLDC Foundation Inc., Km. 27, Sumulong Highway, Antipolo CityFees: P8,800 (Individual); P7,400 (Group of three)Contact 632-8111

Deadline for nomination—Lopez Achievement Awards(12 noon, Nov. 15, 2006)Contact the LAA Program Management at 449-6005 or emailLopezAchieveSec@fphc.com; msrelatado@fphc.com

People@Work Forum: Lessons From the CEO Who CreatedMillionaires (Nov. 15-17, 2006)Equitable PCI Bank Tower 1,H. V. de la Costa St. cor. Makati Ave., Makati CityFees: P1,500 (Balcony)/P1,750 (Orchestra)/P2,000 (Patron)Contact 937-0376/938-2092

Human Capital Management (Nov. 15-24, 2006)AIM Campus, Makati CityContact Raul/Yola at 892-4011 loc. 166/526

Business Planning Series (Nov. 20-29, 2006)AIM Campus, Makati CityContact Raul/Yola at 892-4011 loc. 166/526

Marketing Strategy Course (Nov. 20-December 1,2006)AIM Campus, Makati CityFees: P75,000 (Phil. resident)/$2,200 (Foreign participant)Contact Raul/Yola at 892-4011 loc. 166/526

Focap Forum (Nov. 27, 2006)With guest of honor Lopez Group chairman Oscar M. LopezRockwell CenterMakati City

Lopez Group Budget Meeting (Nov. 28-29, 2006)Eugenio Lopez CenterAntipolo City

Biz Calendar

5LOPEZLINK November 2006

Couch PotatoTreats

Mega, Best Presenter Nominee!Pagkatapos niyang manalo bilang Best Actress sa 31st

International Festival of Independent Film sa Brussels,Belgium para sa kanyang natatanging pagganap sa “Cry-ing Ladies,” isang karangalan na naman ang natanggap niMegastar Sharon Cuneta nang ma-nominate siya bilangBest Entertainment Presenter sa 2006 Asian TV Awardsna gaganapin sa Singapore sa November 30.

Wala pang isang taon mula ng bumalik siya sa telebisy-on sa pamamagitan ng kanyang musical-talk show na“Sharon,” kinilala na naman ang galing ni Mega sa buongAsya. Napansin ang husay ni Shawie sa episode na “Hap-py To Be Gay” na tumalakay sa mga relasyon ng mgamiyembro ng “third sex.”

Mapapanood ang “Sharon” tuwing Linggo ng gabipagkatapos ng “Rated K” sa ABS-CBN.

‘PBB’ Teens sign contract fornew ABS-CBN ‘serye’

Fresh from the Star Cinema blockbuster “First DayHigh,” Gerald An-d e r s o n a n d K imChiu signed a con-t r a c t f o r A B S -C B N ’ s n e w e s ts e r y e , “My Des-t iny,” which wil lpremiere on Kapam-ilya primetime tele-vision soon. Chiuand Anderson areproducts of the hitreality show “PinoyBig Brother TeenEdition” and are seen regularly in the sitcom “Aalog-alog.” Photo above shows Anderson with ABS-CBN se-nior vice president for TV production Cory Vidanes andVP and TV production business unit head Deo Endrinal.(Karen LaRosa)

One-hit big time on KapamilyaPrimetime Bida

Anothershowdownhi t Phi l ip-pine prime-time view-i ng a s t h em o s tw a t c h e dt e l e s e r y ethat touchedthe hearts ofe v e r y Ka-p a m i l y a

closed its curtains on October 6. In a majestic concertdubbed “Clash of the Divas,” Dorina (Sarah Geronimo)and Lavinia (Angelika dela Cruz) finally faced off centerstage in the grand finale of “Bituing Walang Ningning.”

The same night marked the pilot of the newest ABS-CBN teleserye, “Maging Sino Ka Man,” which boasts of apowerhouse cast—John Lloyd Cruz (Eli), Bea Alonzo(Jackie), Anne Curtis (Celine), Sam Milby (JB) in his firstteleserye role, Christopher de Leon, who makes his ka-pamilya debut as Fidel, and Chin-chin Gutierrez as Cora-zon.

“Maging Sino Ka Man” is helmed by directors EricReyes and Mae Czarina Cruz in a story by head writerShaira Salvador, writers Generiza Reyes and Ricardo Fer-nando III, and Ricky Lee as creative manager. “MagingSino Ka Man” airs nightly on Kapamilya Primetime Bidaafter superserye “Super Inggo.” (Amy Mosura)

3 ABS-CBN programsnominated in Asian TV AwardsOUT of 1,400 entries from 15countries in Asia, three pro-grams of ABS-CBN’s News andCurrent Affairs Group (NCAG)have made it to the list of nom-inees in the prestigious AsianTelevision Awards (ATA) 2006.They are “TV Patrol World,”“The Cor r e sponden t s ” and“XXX: eXplosibong, eXklusi-bong eXposé.”

The entry from “TV PatrolWorld,” The Wowowee Tragedy,was undoubtedly a “conflict of in-terest” coverage for ABS-CBNNews. It tested the journalists’character but they conquered it bygoing out and reporting the newswithout fear or favor, treating it asthey would any big news story.“TV Patrol World” is nominatedunder the Best News Program cat-egory.

“The Correspondents’” Juve-nile Injustice showed the darktruth about how child offendersare treated in two of Manila’s city

jails in Malabon and Navotas, thesmallest and dirtiest in the coun-try. Host Karen Davila tackled theextreme injustice done to juvenile

delinquents and provided alterna-tives to better rehabilitation. “TheCorrespondents” is nominated un-der the Best Current Affairs Pro-gram category.

“XXX: eXplosibong, eXklusi-bong eXposé” is also nominatedunder the Best Current Affairs Pro-gram category. Reported by Davila,Julius Babao and Henry Omaga-Diaz, their entry for the ATA 2006were three exposés about a govern-ment hospital, two generations ofincest, and a big-time swindler vic-timizing jewelers in Batangas.

The winners will be announcedat the ATA gala dinner event to beheld in Singapore on November30. The best of the best in AsianTV, regional celebrities and topexecutives from Asia’s broadcast-ing and production industries willattend the event. (Leah Salterio)

Of comeback kids and ‘four-timers’ONLY 14 students are left in theAcademy following the departure ofFil-Ammodel Geoff, class presidentOona, RJ, Kristoff and Jun, whovoluntarily left for health reasons.

‘Four-timer’ Michelle. Onthe last probation night, Michellewas joined by first-timer Irish,Yvan and Iya in the danger zone.A rule has been imposed statingthat five-time nominees for expul-sion are automatically out, andKristoff became the first “victim.”Michelle is poised to suffer thesame fate on the next expulsionnight unless she shapes up—fast!

Giant-beater Chad. Ironical-ly, Kristoff was beaten for the firsttime in the text voting by his bud-dy Chad, who took over Oona’sclass president duties. The dream-er from Australia also became thelatest Star Scholar of the Week,thanks to his rocking rendition ofthe OPM classic “Anak.”

Comeback kid. Rosita hasproven herself as the comebackkid of the Academy, gatheringstrength from whatever setbackshe encounters as she follows herdream of becoming a full-fledgedartist. She routinely earns the ire

of her teachers and classmates be-cause of her gloomy attitude, butwows them during expulsionnights. After getting the lowestgrade ever for a performance, theOFW from Dubai sang with avengeance and left judge EugeneVillaluz gushing, “Ang ganda ngnuances mo sa kanta, alam mokung saan ka bibigay, at ang lakasng mass appeal mo.”

Fab Five. So far, only five stu-dents have not had a taste of life inthe hot seat, having escaped beingplaced under probation all thistime—Eman, Jay-R, Panky, Ron-

nie and Joan. Eman and Panky al-so have the distinction of beingthe only students to earn a perfectscore of 10, when they teamed upfor their version of “YugyuganNa.”

Midterm exams. The remain-ing students start to sit for theirweeklong midterm exams. Thestudent who ends up with the low-est grade will automatically beplaced under probation. Will thisbe the end of the Fab Five’s luckystreak? Will this be an opportuni-ty for Rosita to stage another ofher amazing comebacks? (JGJ)

UPDATE

Chad, 21; Australia Chai, 20; CDO Davey, 19; Baguio Eman, 22; Iloilo Irish, 23; California Iya, 21; Pangasinan Jay-R, 19; Cebu

Yvan, 23; Baguio Joan, 20; Italy Mich, 24; Amsterdam Panky, 20; Cebu Ronnie, 21; Angeles Rosita, 25; Dubai Yeng, 18; Rizal

6 LOPEZLINK November 2006

Wellness datesto rememberNOVEMBER is a busy month in the LopezGroup as far as wellness activities areconcerned. Not only are the semifinals ofthe 2006 Basketball Tournament comingup, but the day of reckoning for theeight participating teams is also fast ap-proaching. Here is a listing of what to ex-pect in the wellness department in thenext few weeks:

in the Lopez Group areinvited to join the climb to

Mt. Daguldol (Batangas)and Mt. Pulag (Benguet).

Contact Rico de Manzana at449-6122 or email

fldemanzana@fphc.comnow!

Mountaineersand trekkers

Meet the

WellnessTeam

Eric Comsti spent several years of hisprofessional life in the mining industrybefore joining First Philippine HoldingsCorp. (FPHC) and the Lopez Group in1993. A Business Management gradu-ate of the Ateneo de Manila University,Comsti was previously involved inMaxidata, Kinberg Leather and FirstPhilippine Industrial Park. In additionto being AVP for administration ofFPHC under Carey Lopez, Comsti is

Group Excom/Mancom; the HR, PR and ESHcouncils; ESH sports coordinators; the Knowl-edge Channel; ABS-CBN Foundation; Meral-co Wellness Center; and Medical City. As alegacy project of the Lopez Group chairman,the third-generation Lopezes play an impor-tant role in the wellness initiative by providinga symbol of continuity and sense of purpose.“For wellness to take root and become a

way of life, unity, solidarity and teamwork-touse a familiar cliché-is essential. And since itis a legacy project, the third generation’s influ-ence is equally essential. Together we willmap out the universal programs that will suitour various target audiences, such as theyoung, the ’seniors,’ males, females, thehealthy ones, those at risk, those already in-doctrinated by Lifelong, and the neophytes,”Alunan says.The general well-being of employees is a

fundamental requisite for companies to enjoylongevity. The human component is one of themost valuable resources in any organization.To keep them well and healthy is a top Lopezpriority. Not for the fleeting time, but it wouldbe handed down to generations as an ongoingevent.The Lifelong system recognizes that there

are no hard rules in wellness, no one is invul-nerable. One’s individual choices, attitude,and behavior will dictate one’s health, andwell-being. This is the reason why this pro-gram is not aimed to replace any current well-ness program undertaken by an individual.

New road...from page 1

each company through a wellness scorecardthat is being developed; informing the targetaudience of what they have to know aboutwellness and, in the process, persuading themto be well and stay well through a holistic ap-proach that addresses the need of the body,mind and spirit,” Alunan elaborates.The program will also serve up universal

wellness activities to complement or supple-ment what each company already has, theWellness Team chief adds.The most high profile of these undertakings

is arguably the “Walk the Talk” series and themountain treks, eliciting as they do the partic-ipation of wellness’ most outspoken advocatehimself, OML. Three walks have so far beenheld in different locations in Metro Manila,with the fourth installment slated for Novem-ber 11 at La Mesa Ecopark in Quezon City.For the men, the 2006 Lopez Group Basket-ball Tournament is ongoing, with eight teamscontesting the championship trophy.Soon, dance, music and yoga classes will be

added to the list of Wellness offerings.Alunan stresses that Lifelong “does not in-

tend to replace existing wellness programs oractivities at the sub-level.” However, the op-erating subs will be consulted through theirCEOs and HR departments “to see how well-ness could be instituted throughout the groupand how it could in the future cover the basicwellness needs of all employees, i.e., thehealthy and those at risk.”The Wellness Team consults with the Lopez

The components of the prototype ExecutiveRecharging and Training program, which wasexclusively for Lopez Group executives, in-cluded wellness seminars, regular monitoringof vital statistics, and individual fitness plans.The program subsequently morphed into theCorporate Wellness Program, and expanded toencompass the whole Lopez Group. A Well-ness Team led by First Philippine Infrastruc-ture Development Corp. (FPIDC) presidentRafael M. Alunan III was formed to overseethe expansion.In its present incarnation as Lopez Lifelong

Wellness, the program is considerably morecomprehensive, with information technology,education and awareness, and a holistic strat-egy as the major elements.Alunan, whose core team includes FPIDC’s

Isagani Velasquez and Eric Comsti and FirstPhilippine Holdings Corp.’s Rico deManzana,stresses that Lifelong will continue to evolve“as it learns from other systems and initiativesof companies within the Group and from ex-ternal influences.” The expanded team in-cludes its links with the third-generationLopezes, CEOs/COOs and the HR and PRcouncils.But through all of these changes, the pro-

gram’s goal has remained the same: to ensurethe all-around health of all Lopez Group em-ployees through a year-round, robust, imple-mentable Wellness System.In a nutshell, Lifelong will focus on “mon-

itoring the health status of employees and of

Nov. 6,8 and 10Lopez Group Basketball TournamentSemifinals

Nov. 9 and 10Wellness 101First Philippine Industrial Park Microtel

Nov. 116:30 a.m.-9 a.m.Walk the Talk SeriesLa Mesa Ecotrail, Quezon City

Nov. 14 and 16Lopez Group Basketball TournamentChampionships

Nov. 152 p.m.-4 p.m.Diet and Nutrition SeminarExecutive Lounge5/F Benpres Building

Nov. 18 and 19Mt. Daguldul Mountain TrekSan Juan, Batangas

Clockwise from top: The Wellness Team at work; During the Lopez LifelongWellness kickoff ceremony at the Meralco Gym, September 2006; Walk the Talk inUP Diliman; Lopez Group basketball tournament tip-off; and in Sto. Tomas,Benguet for a trek to celebrate Lopez Group chairman Oscar M. Lopez’s 76thbirthday.

7LOPEZLINK November 2006

histryngsindu-ity,inrstonofis

concurrently VP-GM of Inaec Develop-ment Corp. He and his wife, the formerCynthia Fuentes, have three sons and adaughter.

Isagani Velasquez, 47, is a registeredcivil engineer who has been with theLopez Group, specifically First Philip-pine Infrastructure Development Corp.(FPIDC), since 1995. He headed theSubic Freeport Expressway Toll Opera-

tions after overseeing the constructionof the Subic-Tipo road. Velasquez iscurrently a senior manager of FPIDC.He is married to a fellow engineer, Ma.Lourdes, with whom he has three chil-dren-Ma. Louisa, Diane Maurise and Is-agani Ivan.

Rico de Manzana, also 47, is a LopezGroup stalwart, having come onboardin 1978. A BS Marine Transportation

graduate, De Manzana shelved hisdream of life on the seas and joinedMeralco as a probationary employee.His transfer to First Philippine HoldingsCorp. (then known as Meralco Securi-ties Corp.) was the first of a series ofmoves and promotions within the com-pany. He assumed his present post as se-nior manager in 2003. (JGJ)

nd ESHKnowl-Meral-y. As aairman,impor-ovidingrpose.come awork-tosince its influ-we willwill suitas thees, theady in-hytes,”

es is ao enjoye of thezation.Lopezwouldngoing

at thereinvul-titude,h, andis pro-nt well-vidual.

This program will enhance the ones that arebeing made in every department.A healthy individual is apt to become more

productive. He would have a good sense ofwell-being; he would not have a need to skipwork and will be able to complete daily as-signed tasks with more vigor and vitality.Being well is not only a responsibility to

oneself but to the other individuals that comein contact with him. This sense of well-beingwould also benefit the individual’s colleagues.Furthermore, a good sense of well-beingwould endow an individual with a better self-esteem, higher morale, zestier enthusiasm,more upbeat interaction, and it would instill asterling sense of loyalty to the company. Inessence, one of the program’s ends is to im-prove, to better an individual’s sense of worth.If he is confident enough, he can serve the or-ganization well enough, and decrease the in-stance of malaise, lethargy, stress, or fatigueby breaking the idea of routine though the pro-gram of Activities.when we were younger, we were told that

an apple a day keeps the doctor away. The so-lutions that we need to apply are not as simpleas eating an apple. It will need us to set asidetime and effort to be able to put into effect thehard work and effort to live longer. Livinglonger does not serve a single purpose. Wecannot only give more quality work, but wecan also have enough energy and time tospend with our family! (Joel Jorge Gaviola)

Rafael M. Alunan III:Wellness advocate

EXECUTIVE FEATURE

faces tough challengesBy Carla Paras-Sison

RAFAEL M. Alunan III joined theLopez Group in 1999 and was tasked tohead First Philippine Infrastructure De-velopment Corporation (FPIDC). Hewas simultaneously elected director ofMaynilad Water Services Inc. andManila North Tollways Corp.Prior to this, he was known publicly

for his stints in government as TourismSecretary of President Cory Aquino un-til 1992, and then Interior and LocalGovernments Secretary of President Fi-del V. Ramos until 1996.When Oscar M. Lopez (OML) took

over as Lopez Group chairman follow-ing the demise of elder brother EugenioLopez Jr., Alunan was appointed tohead Maynilad and lead its tariff adjust-ment application approved by the gov-ernment through Amendment No. 1.Maynilad eventually returned the con-

cession to government and was in arbi-tration for over a year. In February 2004,after the group decided to exit Maynilad,Alunan was reappointed to FPIDC aspresident. This year, he was concurrentlyappointed to lead the Group's wellnessprogram, a corporate initiative intendedto be an OML legacy project.‘Candidate for wellness improvement’Why OML decided to assign the pro-

ject to him has not really been explained.“Perhaps it is to keep me busy and earnmy keep while FPIDC finds new nichesin infrastructure development. Or per-haps they sawme as a candidate for well-ness improvement and thought I neededto ‘walk the talk.’ Darn right on bothcounts,” says Alunan good-naturedly.He sees the wellness initiative's ma-

jor challenges as “attitudinal, technicaland organizational.”According to Alunan, it will take

much effort to “persuade the 16,000-strong employee force of the LopezGroup not to take their health for grant-

ed and to get them to begin caring for itbefore things go haywire.”Hence, the corporate wellness team

he heads has to communicate and in-form effectively to catch the attentionof employees, “earn their concurrencethat their health is real wealth, and forthem to act on their own with little or noprompting from anyone.”Continuous assessmentAlunan says wellness must be recog-

nized as a responsibility—to self, fam-ily, company and community. “Well-ness education is a top priority, hence,delivering the right content through themost effective media will be a majorpreoccupation of the Wellness Team.”The team has begun developing var-

ious databases such as the Group's cur-rent health profile and the wellness activ-ities of the Group at the sublevel. Thisrequires continuous inputs from humanresources on the one hand, and continu-ous assessment on the other to determinewhether the holistic needs of healthy em-ployees and those at risk are being met.“Monitoring the employees’ health

through a standard set of health param-eters is a related challenge. Some com-panies may not have the financial capa-bility to carry out the basic tests, andother companies may have differingwellness programs that they may con-sider adequate even if these may fallshort of the norm,” Alunan explains.Wellness circlesAnother challenge is organizational.

The success of what is now called theLopez Lifelong Wellness program de-pends on execution. “Execution de-pends on the organization designed tocarry it out and its capabilities. TheWellness Team envisions the creationof wellness circles in every companythat it can link up with to draw up in-tegrated holistic wellness plans that will

address the diverse requirements of theLopez Group.”With medium-term goals of having all

employees below the acceptable BMI(body mass index) limit of 24.9 for now,and blood chemistry without red flag, es-pecially for Syndrome X, Alunan saysthe long-term goal is for harmony andcamaraderie to become the hallmarks ofemployer-employee relations.“These will serve as the foundations

for solidarity, cooperation and team-work. Healthy employees make forhealthy companies. Wellness is a busi-ness excellence indicator in companiesbeing built to last, companies aiming toleap from good to great,” says Alunan.He encourages all employees to get well

and stay well. “You owe it to yourself, yourloved ones and your employer. The best helpyou can give theWellness team is for you tohelp yourselves get on the road to wellnessand to stay there on your own merit.”

8 LOPEZLINK November 2006

CSR

‘RP has obligation to preservespecial marine heritage’MARINE biologist KentCarpenter reminded Fil-ipinos of their responsi-bility to preserve the“marine counterpart oft h e Am a z o n R i v e rbasin” in central Philip-pines, saying doing sowould also benefit therest of the world.

Carpenter, who in2004 discovered that thePhilippines was the cen-

Batangas, Oriental Mindoro, Oc-cidental Mindoro, Romblon andMarinduque, said to be home tothe world’s largest concentrationof marine life with1,736 overlap-

ping marine species.“You have a very, very special marine

natural heritage,” Carpenter, the globalmarine species assessment coordinator oftheWorld Conservation Union, said duringthe forum in Makati. However, he ob-served that the Philippines needed to strict-ly enforce the laws and heed the sugges-

tions and recommendations of environ-mental experts to protect its marine life.

President GloriaMacapagal-Arroyo re-sponded by calling for a summit/confer-ence on biodiversity with special focus onVerde Island sometime November.

The marine expert’s visit was cappedby a dive in Verde Island with members ofthe media and Lopez Group executives ledby First Gen Corporation president Federi-co Lopez; SVP Ricky Tantoco; managerfor corporate relations Rey Laguda; AVPfor HR Shirley Hombrebueno; PR Esteladela Paz; First Gas VP Mon Araneta andcommunity relations staff Tep Javier; FirstPhilippine Conservation Inc. (FPCI) exec-utive director Atty. Jun Quicho and theFPCI team; and Conservation Internation-al’s (CI) Romy Trono.

Meanwhile, neophytes were initiated in-to diving by guest dive masters Atty. BongErese of BayanTel and Maximilian Cawed.

The group also visited Barangay SanAndres, a project site of FPCI where thefishermen previously used cyanide to col-lect aquarium fishes. With the interventionof the foundation, the people are now fish-ing responsibly with nets or engaged in al-ternative sources of livelihood.

The tripartite partnership of First Gen,FPCI and CI have been working togethersinceDecember 2004 to institute a sustain-able and participatory management mech-anism that seeks to balance conservationand development goals.

ter of the center of marine shore fish di-versity in the world, was in the countryfor a forum with environmentalists andgovernment officials on October 13.

Carpenter and Victor Springer of theSmithsonian Institution cited in particu-lar the 10-sq. km area of the Verde Is-land passage that covers the shores of

BayanFoundationmakes 71dreams arealityABS-CBN Bayan Foundation Inc.(Bayan) and 71 Dreams Founda-tion have conducted micro-enter-prise development training for fam-ilies of the Ultra tragedy victims atthe ELJ Building in Quezon City.

Father Tito Caluag, managingdirector of 71 Dreams Foundation,said the goal is to educate the fam-ilies and get them to engage in a mi-croenterprise.

Prof. Oyie Averilla of the AsianInstitute of Management and theEnabling Network for the Uplift-ment of Filipino Families (ENUFF)team discussed personal mastery,wealth management and opportuni-ty seeking at the seminar. Partici-pants who had already consideredventuring into a micro-enterprisewere also given coaching and men-toring sessions.

The 71 Dreams Foundation notedthat although dole-outs would helpalleviate the victims’ plight in theshort run, it would be better for themto be provided with training thatwould ensure the development of theskills they need to maintain goodeconomic standing. (Diane Año)

Lopez Picnic Grounds@La Mesa EcoparkTHE Lopez Picnic Grounds at the La MesaEco-park will be formally inaugurated onNovember 10, 2006.

Stretch out on the picnic mat and laze theday away, or stuff yourself with a hearty lunch

in the cool afternoon breeze among the colossaltrees that populate the picnic grounds. At theLopez Picnic grounds are purposefully spreadmetal picnic tables enormous enough to seatyour entire family (even your extended kin),making it the perfect setting for class reunions,parties or school field trip lunches. Tote the totsand tykes along to the children’s playground,where they can play in the warm sunshine.

Manila North Tollways Corp. (MNTC)and First Philippine Holdings Corp. (FPHC)backed the rehabilitation of the area nowknown as the Lopez Picnic Grounds. The twocompanies’ sponsorship will significantlyhelp Bantay Kalikasan and Save La MesaWatershed in the achievement of its goal-up-lifting the state of the environment.

RP renews commitmentto MDG vowThe United Nations Millennium Cam-paign made it to the Guinness World ofRecords after more than 23 million peo-ple from 87 countries took part in itsglobal “Stand Up Against Poverty”drive on October 15-16,2006.

ernments rose as one at Marikina Free-dom Park, while municipalities inVisayas and Mindanao staged theirown Stand Up events as well. TheUn i t e d Na t i o n s Co u n t r y Te am(UNCT), through the Information and

Advocacy Work-i n g G r o u p( I&AWG), andmembers of dif-ferent UN agen-cies organized theevent , with theassistance of thecity of Marikinaand RockEd.

A B S - C B NB r o a d c a s t i n gCorp., through thef a c i l i t a t i o n o fL o p e z G r o u pFoundation Inc.,wa s t h e med i ap a r t n e r o f t h e

campaign. Channel 2, ANC, Studio 23and DZMM 630 covered the highlightsof the events.

The Philippines was one of 189countries that declared it would meetthe Millennium Development Goals(MDGs) six years ago. One of thesegoals is to cut poverty in half by the year2015. The United Nations launched the“Stand Up” campaign to remind thecountries to keep their MDG promise.(Vanessa Suquila)

LGFI to undertake moreprojects with GK AngelaLopez-Guingona, representing the LopezGroup Foundation Inc. (LGFI) and theLopez family in the Masskara Festival Ballfor Gawad Kalinga (GK) in Bacolod City,spoke about the Lopezes’ partnership withGK and how they aim to strengthen it by do-ing more projects in the future. Lopez-Guingona and her cousin Mike Lopez arethe Lopez family representatives in GawadKalinga. Among the ongoing GK projects ofthe Lopez Group are Meralco’s Sibol Schoolprojects, MNTC-Lopez Village, the EugenioLopez-GK Jaro Village and Sagip Kapam-ilya-GK Villages.

In the Philippines, the local “Tu-mayo Tayo, Pilipinas” event attracted2,411,121 participants, more than dou-ble the one million target. The Philip-pines ranked third among the Asia Pa-cific countries with the most number ofparticipants, trailing India (9,731,983)and Nepal (3,131,584).

Government agencies and publicschools stood up during their morningflag ceremony; nongovernment associ-ations, the private sector and local gov-

First Gen president Federico R.Lopez gets acquainted with anunderwater denizen (above); Dr.Carpenter with CI’s Romy Tronoand a Brgy. San Andres resident

Rina Lopez-Bautista’sCSR travel diaryFROM mainland North America, Knowl-edge Channel Foundation Inc. (KCFI) pres-ident Rina Lopez-Bautista crossed the At-lantic to spread the word about technology-assisted education in three continents.

Lopez-Bautista spoke about the Knowl-edge Channel and ABS-CBN FoundationInc.’s eMedia before the National Federationof FilipinoAmericanAssociations (NaFFAA)Conference on September 29-30, 2006.

From October 11 to 13, she was in NewYork with AFI managing director GinaLopez to attend the Global PhilanthropistCircle’s (GPC) annual meeting.

GPC is a network of leading internationalphilanthropists dedicated to eliminating pover-ty and increasing equity worldwide. Through-out the year, GPC holds annual meetings andlearning visits to various places to give themembers the opportunity to meet with otherglobal philanthropists, business leaders andfoundation heads to learn, share ideas and ex-plore innovative solutions to key challenges.

Lopez-Bautista joined the LearningVisit toEurope fromOct. 23 to 27. In London, Lopez-Bautista was chosen as one of the speakersduring the working discussion on Oct. 24 withthe Prince of Wales and his senior staff inClarence House, St. James Palace. She dis-cussed the experience of Knowledge Channelin promoting education through the use ofmass media television in the Philippines.

The GPC Visit to Europe includedmeetings with prominent philanthropists

such as the King Baudoin Foundation inBrussels and Evens Foundation in Paris.

From Oct. 31 to November 2, Lopez-Bautista was guest speaker at the FamilyBusiness Forum in Hong Kong. She willthen proceed to Seoul, South Korea to ad-dress 300 delegates from the Asia Pacificregion on the role of media in financial ed-ucation at the INSEAD-Citigroup Finan-cial Education Summit on Nov. 9 and 10.

On Nov. 11, Lopez-Bautista will fly backto the US to be inducted into the FilipinoAmerican (Fil-Am) Hall of Fame in Chicago,Illinois. This is an annual fundraising eventorganized by VIA Times’ Veronica Leightonthat honors outstanding Filipinos all over theworld and attended by 800 Fil-Ams. GinaLopez and Raffy Lopez of ABS-CBNGlobalwere past recipients of the award.

LGFI’s Vanessa Suquila, Julie and Dulce Festin-Baybaywith Agnes Aliman of UNDP during the MDG Fair

GK’s Tony Meloto and AngelaLopez-Guingona

Rina Lopez Bautista with UN secretary generalKofi Annan and philanthropist Rockefeller

9LOPEZLINK November 2006

To clean your toilet bowl, drop in twoAlka-Seltzer tablets, then brush andflush after 20 minutes. The citric acidand effervescent action do the trick!Fill a stained vase with water anddrop in two Alka-Seltzer tablets.Two Alka-Seltzer tablets in a glass ofwarm water will restore the shine toyour jewelry in two minutes flat.Say goodbye to hard-to-clean Ther-mos bottles. Fill the bottle with water,drop in four Alka Seltzer tablets, andlet soak for at least an hour.Clear the sink drain by dropping threeAlka-Seltzer tablets down the drain,followed by a cup of white vinegar.After a few minutes, pour hot waterinto the drain. Voila!

BET you didn’t know that those littletablets that have been delivering fast re-lief from acid indigestion, heartburn andpain for 75 years are good for so muchmore—they are a lot of help in thekitchen (and elsewhere), too!

In Conversation: AninoEntertainment and Dr. Raul Pertierra

November 18, 2006 (Saturday), 2 p.m.-4 p.m.

THE challenge in creating games, virtual reality and3D graphics is to come up with one which is tech-nologically sophisticated or at the very least, updat-ed, and at the same time visually appealing. Mostpeople live in a highly visual and increasingly tech-nology savvy world and it takes a lot to attract them.In terms of technology and visuals, what involvesthe eye, the mind, the heart? How? Why?

The Lopez Memorial Museum and First GasPower Corporation have invited Elson Niel Dagon-don and Dr. Raul Pertierra to engage each other and

the audience in the discussion of these challengesand solutions as well as their implications on Philip-pine culture on November 18, Saturday.

Dagondon is president and lead software archi-tect of Anino Entertainment Inc., an independentgame development company producing games,virtual reality and 3D graphics across multipleplatforms. Dr. Pertierra, an anthropologist interest-ed in contemporary Filipino culture and its mate-rial expression, wrote the book “Txt-ing Selves:Cellphones and Philippine Modernity.”

The lecture complements the exhibition FuzzyLogic, the museum’s contribution to Zero-In 5, acollaborative project among Ateneo Art Gallery,Ayala Museum, Bahay Tsinoy, Lopez MemorialMuseum and Museo Pambata.

The Lopez Memorial Museum is located at theground floor of the Benpres Building, ExchangeRoad cor. Meralco Avenue, Ortigas Center, PasigCity. Museum days and hours are Mondays-Satur-days, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., except Sundays and holidays.Call 631-2417 for details.

Art Lecture@Lopez Museumschedule

Bahay Tsinoy, “Herbs, Harmony,and Health,” until January 31,2007

Ateneo Art Gallery, “Flora: Beauty,Desire and Death,” until March31,2007

Lopez Memorial Museum,” FuzzyLogic,” until April 5,2007

Museo Pambata, “The HealingGarden,” opens November 11, 2006-January 31,2007

Ayala Museum, “Black Bouquet:Juvenal Sanso Prints,” opensNovember 15, 2006-March 1,2007

13th month bonus,13th month blues

By Norman Sison

Masaya sana ang lahat kung ma-budget ng maayos ang paggasta ng13th month. Anong porsiyento angilalaan na pambayad utang? Pam-bili ng regalo para sa darating nakapa skuhan? Ang i su sub i s abangko para sa bagong taon?

Kaso, merong mga gastusing dimaiiwasan, tulad ng enrollment saikalawang semester para sa mganagpapa-aral sa kolehiyo. Nariyandin ang mga nagkukumpuni ngbubong na inilipad o haligi ng bahayna itinumba ni Milenyo.

Dramang sawi ang paglalaanannila ng 13th month blues—ay, bonuspala. Sa mga hindi sawi at meronpang extra na matitira, merong ma-paglalagyan ang gustong mag-investpara sa kinabukasan.Pension plan

Pwede kang mag-pension fund oibang pre-need plan, or kaya’y bumiling mutual fund. Ang Sun Classic Pen-sion Plan mula sa Sun Life FinancialPlans ay may kakaibang promo hang-gang December 31. Lahat ng bibili ngSun Classic Pension Plan na payable forfive years at magma-mature in 10 yearsay makatatanggap ng gift certificates ogift vouchers na magagamit sa Robin-sons Department Store, Robinsons Su-permarket, Handyman, Robinsons Ap-pliances, Topshop at Toys ’R’ Us saloob ng isang taon.

Hindi base sa edad ang pension planna ito. Basta makapaghulog ka ng fiveyears, makukuha mo ang guaranteedmaturity value ng plano mo pagkataposng 10 years. Halimbawa, ang unangbayad ay P17,706 na annual premium,plus P400 na plan fee. Magandang mag-bayad ng annual dahil ibig sabihin, angsusunod na payment due date ay swakang timing sa susunod na 13th month.Total na five years ang bayad ngP17,706 at pagkatapos ng 10 years,ibibigay sa iyo ang lump sum naP130,000.Gift vouchers

Kung tutuusin, halos 5% per yearlang ang ganansiya ng pera mo, masmataas lang ng kaunti sa interest rate ngmga bangko. Pero ito ay forced savingsplan. Kung sa bangko, madaling i-with-draw at hindi ka rin talaga makakaipon.Ang kagandahan pa ng pension plan naito, makakatanggap ka ng gift voucherworth P900. At kung makakaimbita kapa ng mga ibang kasamahan mo nabibili ng kapareho ng plano mo, meronkayong karagdagan na P4,800 na giftvouchers bawa’t isa. O di ba, sumatotalna P5,700 worth of universal gift certifi-cates kaagad ang ganansiya mo, hindipa nabawasan ang value ng maturityvalue ng plan mo.

Kung mabigat ang P17,706 na annu-al premium, pwedeng pumili ng masmababang p l ano . Ha l imbawa ’yP12,258 na may maturity value naP90,000 after 10 years. Ang gift checkay P600 kung mag-isa ka at additionalna P3,200 bawa’t isa kung tatlo kayongkukuha ng parehong plano.Mutual funds

Para sa karagdagang impormasyon,tumawag sa Sun Life sa 886-6188 loc.8682 (Malaya del Rosario) o loc. 8401(Mylene Daez). Pwede ring magpa-pre-sent sa HR para mapagsama-sama angmay gusto sa tatlo.

Kung gusto mo ng mas malaking

ganansiya kesa 5% per year,subukang mag-mutual funds. Angmutual funds ay tumatanggap nginvestment mula sa maliliit na in-vestor tulad nating mga ordinary-ong empleyado, pinagsasama-sama iyon at ini-invest sa stockmarket or kaya’y sa government atprivate corporate bonds.Hindi guaranteed

Ang minimum investment aynasa P10,000 at maraming mutualfunds na mapagpipilian, tulad ngPhilam Fund, Sun Life at AyalaLife. Makakapili ka ng stock, bondor balanced funds, depende sa riskprofile mo: ikaw ba ay risk averse(bond fund ka, halos walang talo),risk tolerant (balanced fund) o risk

taker (stock fund ka, pwedeng malugi).Ang ganansiya sa mga mutual funds

sa taong ito lamang ay mula 0.22%hanggang 45.94%. Kung doon ka sa0.22%, sana nag-time deposit ka na langsa bangko. Pero kung napunta ka sa45.94%, siguro by next year, doble naang pera mo. Tatandaan lamang namerong pagkakataon na malugi sa mu-tual funds. Hindi guaranteed ang pagba-lik ng puhunan mo. Walang tinatawagna guaranteed maturity value.

Gayunpaman, sa mahabang pana-hon (higit pitong taon), ang taunangganansiya sa mutual funds ang pinaka-malaki na available sa small investorsdahil umaabot ito ng 22%. Pwera nalamang kung meron kang negosyong“5-6"—hindi ka small investor kungganoon.Malaking biyaya

Saan man natin ilaan ang ating 13thmonth, hindi tayo dapat makalimot namalaking biyaya sa ating mga empleya-do ang makatanggap nito. Sa totoo lang,kahit ito ay batas, maraming kumpanyaang hindi kayang magbigay nito dahil sapatuloy na paghina ng kanilang partiku-lar na negosyo.

Salamat sa Diyos at meron pa tayongtrabaho, sweldo at higit sa lahat, mgamahal sa buhay na paglalaanan ng atingpinagpaguran.

Did you know?New uses for antacid

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A bazillion bazaarsYou know it’s almost Christmas when bazaars start sprouting in every nook and cran-ny of the metro, enticing shoppers with unique, value-for-money wares. We suggestyou start making your Christmas list and drop in on these bargain havens ASAP!

November 4, 5, 11, 12,17-19, 25-26, and 30Karl Edwards International BazaarKEI Tent, Bonifacio Global CityContact: Joan, 372-8453

Nov. 10-12Clothes for a Cause BazaarGloriettaContact: Violy, 843-2869

Nov. 16-19Streetshop Bazaar@The Fort3 p.m. onwardsFort Plaza (between Fort Strip and Pier 1)Contact: Rhea, 705-1751

Nov. 18Greenmeadows Bazaar9 a.m. to 7 p.m.Christ the King, GreenmeadowsContact: Camille Abello, 0917-9243513

Nov. 18-19Tiangge sa Valle Verde10 a.m. to 9 p.m.Valle Verde One Park ClubhouseContact: Will, 0917-5386303

Nov. 22-24A Bazaar@The Enterprise Center9 a.m. to 7 p.m.3rd Level, Function RoomAyala Ave. cor. Paseo de Roxas, MakatiCityContact: Great Links, 824-4337

Nov. 24-26Noel BazaarHalls B and C, World Trade CenterPasay CityContact: CUT Unlimited, 687-0654

Nov. 25-26Bazaar, Bazaar ’0610 a.m. to 9 p.m.Christ the King Church Parking GroundsGreenmeadows Ave., Quezon CityContact: Rhea, 705-1751

Nov. 25-26Wack-Wack Yuletide Blessings Bazaar IIWack Wack Golf & Country Club Multi-purpose HallWilliam J. Shaw PavilionContact: Karen, 724-9980

10 LOPEZLINK November 2006

The Asian Eye Institute (AEI) now offers AsphericLasik, a breakthrough German technology that canhelp patients attain perfect vision without the atten-dant problems of conventional Lasik.

Aspheric Lasik costs 10%more in other countries,but AEI will not pass on to its clients the cost of ac-quiring the technology. In fact, it will be as affordableas the popular customized Zyoptix Lasik, said Dr.Robert Ang, AEI’s refractive surgery expert.

Aspheric Lasik significantly reduces the side ef-fects sometimes experienced by people with largepupils after undergoing Lasik surgery using stan-dard software. A recently concluded internationalclinical trial conducted in the clinics of leading eyecare centers in Asia, including AEI, found out that97% of patients who had Aspheric Lasik surgery at-tained perfect vision.

“With Aspheric Lasik, the chances of having night-time vision problems such as glare and haloes are con-siderably minimized,” said Dr. Ang. “It means thatmore patients can now benefit from Lasik surgery, eventhose we previously advised against having one becauseof the likelihood of side effects. (Frances Bumanlag)

AEI offersAspheric Lasik

SPORTS

Meralco remainsundefeated in elimsAS the 2006 Lopez Wellness BasketballTournament nears the end of the elimina-tion round, theMeralco team remains un-defeated and continues to lead the fieldwith a 4-0 record. The Tollways team issecond with a 3-1 record. With identical3-2 records, the ABS-CBN and BayanTelteams are in the lead to take the last twospots of the Final Four although Benpres,First Holdings and SkyCable, with 2-3records, can still complicate matters.

What is the key to Meralco’s domi-nance thus far? Home court advantage?Only one of the four games that Meral-co won has been played in the Meralcogym. Meralco players are taller and big-ger? But the strong five of a couple ofteams, like First Holdings and Bayan-

Tel, are taller. Perhaps the game statis-tics can provide a clue.

Managed by Nandy Padua, captainedby Rey Castillo and coached by CesarDawana andManny Legaspi, TeamMeral-co ranks first in offense and defense. Theoffense of Meralco is prolific, averaging 84points per game. It has also displayed Swissknife-like versatility, with four differentplayers leading the scoring in four games.

On defense, Meralco is even moreformidable, allowing a stingy 51 points pergame. More importantly, this hardworkingdefense generates the offense of Meralcothrough steals and forced turnovers whichlead to easy transition baskets for its players.

“Good defense makes good offense,”Dawana says. Drawing from the inspiration

of Meralco Sports Hall of Famer Aric delRosario, the Meralco brand of basketball isheavy on defense and proper conditioning.

Legaspi shares: “Endurance, strength-ening and flexibility are important partsof playing basketball. Close games arewon by the team with the best physicalconditioning. Players’ shots, free throws,hustle and rebounding are the things thatwin games. When you are tired, thesecome up short and suffer.”

Will the winning streak continue?Maybe, maybe not. One thing is forsure—a basketball team praying to winone will have to match or exceed thelevel of conditioning and hustle of TeamMeralco if its prayer is to be granted.(Macky de Lima)

Meralco Chess Club trains kids Blitz champion Romeo Aguilar of Call Center (extremeright) conducts a simultaneous play on the Ruy Lopez Opening against 11 kids at the Fit-ness Center canteen during the Meralco Chess Club's chess clinic for dependents onSeptember 23. The kids are Jan-Jo Miguel; Laurence Ferol; Julian and Paolo Sabularse;Jorge Reyes; Jefferson, Jerome and Joana Saltorio; JC Andan; Marvyn Mendoza; andJustin Lim. The chess clinic, which is held every other Saturday, is handled by MCC mem-bers Manny Benitez Jr., Darryl Mata, Lilet Bersamina, Rolly Sol Cruz, Karl Clarito andRuben Lagrimas Sr. The MCC hopes to replicate the success story of RP and ASEAN Under8 champion Paulo Bersamina through the clinics. (R. Sol Cruz)

A tale of two coachesBasketball when played smart, together and hard is as colorful,emotional and rewarding as a game could get. And the con-ductor of this athletic symphony is the team coach. Let’s take alook at two of them: Ric-RicMarata of the Benpres-Lopez Inc.team and Dan Lachica of the First Holdings team.

More than two decades of experience in organized bas-ketball has equippedMarata with the tools and knowledge tobe an effective “players’ coach.”

The president of First Sumiden, Lachica is the playing coach ofthe First Balfour team.He played juniors basketball at the PhilippineScience High School, and the inter-college teams of the College ofArts and Sciences and the College of Engineering in UP Diliman.At the San Jose State University in California, Lachica polished hisgame by playing pick-up games with African-Americans.

Marata and Lachica share their views on offense vs. defense,conditioning, and the team to beat in this year’s tourney:Offense or defenseMarata: Magpahinga sa opensa, todo bigay sa depensa.Weneed more stops. The more stops, the more possessions; themore possessions, the greater the percentage of winning.

Lachica: I belong to the old school which subscribes to thebelief that defense is the best offense. More often than not,offense comes naturally but defense has to be trained,learned and executed persistently.ConditioningMarata: Pag-gising pa lang sa umaga, push-up na. Pagdating sa trabaho, bigay todo para palaging kundisyon.Lachica:Conditioning is very essential for our style ofrun-and-gun game. Our pregame routine consists ofstretching exercises, round robin, shoot-arounds and mostimportant of all, team prayer; we close every game with ateam thanksgiving prayer as well. You might say that webelieve in a player’s well-roundedness—in body, mindand spirit.Team to beatMarata:Marata: I have not seen all the eight teams play. Butmany say the team to beat is Meralco.Lachica: I have not seen all the teams play well but I wouldthink that Meralco is one of the teams to beat. They have sea-soned players, plus, they have the home court advantage.

The controversy continues to rage about thehealth risks attributed to cellphone radiation.The devices—which are basically sophisti-cated radios—do emit a form of electromag-netic radiation (EMF) made up radio-fre-quency (RF) energy, but do they emitenough radiation to cause real damage?

The cellphone is a microwave transmit-ter with microwave energy oscillating atmillions to billions of cycles per second.According to the Journal of Cellular Bio-chemistry, these frequencies may causecancer and other diseases by interferingwith cellular DNA and its repair mecha-nisms. Italian scientists meanwhile demon-strated that cellphone radiation makes can-cerous cells grow aggressively.

While the US Food and Drug Adminis-tration states on its website that “the avail-able scientific evidence does not demon-

FROM THE CORPORATE WELLNESS PROGRAM

The lowdown oncellphone radiation

s t r a t e a n y a d v e r s ehealth effects associatedwith the use of mobilep h o n e s , ” e l e c t r o n-ics.howstuffworks.comcautions that “it doesn’tmean that the potentialfor harm doesn’t exist.”

“Radiation can damage human tissue if itis exposed to high levels of RF radiation, ac-cording to the FCC (Federal CommunicationsCommission). Damage to tissue can be causedby exposure to RF radiation because the bodyis not equipped to dissipate excessive amountsof heat. The eyes are particularly vulnerabledue to the lack of blood flow in that area.”

To minimize the potential hazards of cell-phone radiation, you may use a hands-freeheadset, extend the phone’s antenna duringuse, and limit your calls inside buildings.

Coach Dan Lachica Coach Ric-Ric Marata

11LOPEZLINK November 2006

CrosswordBINASAmo ba from cover to cover ang huling isyu ng LopezLink? Isa ka ba sa mga masugid na tagasubaybay ng mgaprograma sa ABS-CBN, Studio 23 o ANC?

Patunayan na isa kang ganap na kapamilya sa pamamagitanng pagkumpleto ng crossword puzzle na ito.

Answers to Octoberpuzzle

ACROSS1. - - - - Verde, world epicen-

ter of marine biodiversity5. European country where

the Lopezes were con-ferred the DistinguishedFamily Business prize

11. Author of the “Centerof the Center” study,first name

13. Cut using a saw14. The “PDA” dreamer

from Pangasinan15. RP’s only all-news channel17. Ex-Ombudsman’s nick18. “Hidden desire”20. Philippine ambassador

who hosted the KCFIparty in Washington

21. A semimetallic element,for short

22. Intravenous24. Infrared26. According to, esp. if

used with “as”27. I Can - - - - - , founda-

tion behind the TickledPink Bazaar at The Loft

28. - - - - Records, ABS-CBN’s recording company

30. FPHC VP Rey Sarmen-ta’s turf

31. To fall from “a better toa worse” condition

33. Official receipt35. Don’t answer37. Lopez Group chairman39. Earlier than now41. “Goodbye - - - - - ,” a

feature in the Germanfilm fest at the ShangCineplex

42. Each44. Silver45. Ghost’s “partner”47. Value or grade50. Politically correct51. New - - - -, site of the

United Nations head-quarters in the US

52. She went to New Yorkto speak before a UNconference

DOWN2. Cable provider that of-

fers “Pinoy DreamAcademy” 24/7

3. - - - - Salterio, ABS-CBN’s corporate PR

4. Year (abbr.)6. Lopez Group recognition

named for the chairman7. Not applicable8. Pity, according to Juan9. Verde Island can be

found “here”10. The “O” in the IMD-

LODH DistinguishedFamily Business Award

12. Teaching assistant14. “PDA” dreamer from

California16. Nanogram19. - - - - Club-You can dive

for vitality and environ-ment with this group

23. - - - - - Island, greenplace in Batangas

25. Cecilia - - - - - -, congen in New York

26. For, according to Juandela Cruz

29. Turnover32. Bachelor of medicine,

or music34. Fuzzy - - - - -, ongoing

Zero-in 5 exhibit at theLopez Museum

36. God38. The fifth zodiac sign or

Studio 23’s Katigbak40. General assembly41. A household god43. German manufacturer of

“exquisite cars”46. Pronoun referring to a

male who is not thespeaker nor hearer

48. Academic year49. George Clooney worked

in a TV version of this50. Father

DDDeee aaa rrr RRRooo sss iii eee

REDISCOVER THE NORTH: MNTC RECOMMENDS

EVERYONE had a story to tell abouthow s/he coped on the day Milenyowreaked havoc on Metro Manila, and onsurviving the next few days sans electricpower, water and cellphone. For many ofus in the Group, it was business as usu-al—or business unusual, considering theconditions that we had to work under.ABS-CBN VP Maloli Manalastas sol-diered on with the 13th PR Congress de-spite the storm and got quite a good num-ber of attendees. For almost a week afterMilenyo’s onslaught, Meralco officialspacified irate customers as work teamsworked around the clock to restore powerin its franchise areas; SkyCable toorushed to give subscribers their cable TVfix. While other companies played hard-ball in the wake of the billboard injuriesand damages (one man died when a boardfell on his van on Edsa), ABS-CBN vol-untarily took down its billboards in various spots around themetro.

On a more upbeat note, it can’t be denied that it’s nearly that time ofthe year again. And we know nothing can stop Christmas—not thesummerlike weather, and certainly not the crises that seem to be ourlot. There’s a list of bazaars in this issue that you can check out for niceand not-so-expensive presents for your loved ones. In the meantime,we give our curious readers the floor.

ooOooPlease provide a report of the past “Walk the Talk” activities. Iplan to join one of the upcoming walks and would like to knowwhat I’m getting myself into! Thanks!—Alice

The Wellness Team’s Isagani Velasquez replies: “Walk the Talk(WTT) is a cost-effective monthly wellness activity. Walking can bedone at your own pace with minimal exertion and without uniforms,just comfortable attire. The chairman usually leads the walk, whichstarts at 6:30 a.m. Our WTTs held at Meralco drew 30 pioneers, theMall of Asia edition 128 FPHC-led walkers, and the UP WTT attract-ed 202 walkers, led by BayanTel.”

ooOooThank you to ABS-CBN for taking down its billboards! I hopeothers follow suit. At the least, billboard size and location restric-tions should be put into place and strictly enforced.—Ninfa

ooOooMay nagpapatanong lang sa akin: Talaga bang alam niKris Aquino ang pangalan ng lahat ng briefcase girls sa“Kapamilya Deal or No Deal” o may daya ito?—MdL

According to ABS-CBN, Kris was given the profiles of the“26K” even before the start of “Kapamilya Deal or No Deal?”in June. With her sharp mind, she had already memorized thenames of all the girls by the time the show started airing.

ooOooAno po ang qualifications at gamit na kailangan paramakasali sa DiVE Club?—Gabriel M.

Basically, you just have to be a Lopez Group employee. Dogive Gerry Reyes of FPCI a call at 449-6086 for more infor-

mation.ooOoo

Pwede po bang lakihan ang space ng LopezLink para sa sports,kahit habang isinasagawa lang ang basketball tournament? Sala-mat po.—Jovs

The space allocation for sports hinges on the schedule of the games.We publish whatever results are available by the time we go to press.In any case, basketball diehards can visit www.lopezwellness.com forupdates on the tournament.

ooOooMy daughter is a fan of “Pinoy Dream Academy” and read inLopezLink that she can get it 24/7 in Sky. I’d like to know if thereis a SkyCable package that includes the Discovery Travel and Liv-ing channel as well as the Aussie channel. These two channels arethe only reason I am with Destiny. Cheers—Dix

SkyCable’s Arlene Torres’ answer: “Yes, Discovery Travel andLiving is a channel included in our Metro Pack, Platinum tier. Sky-Cable also carries the Aussie channel.”

ooOooIf you have questions, comments, opinions, suggestions and reac-tions about anything and everything about the Lopez Group,please send them to Dear Rosie through fax no. 633-3520 or toDearRosie@benpres-holdings.com. Maraming salamat!

THE place to be this month ang Baguio, hindi langdahil out-of-this-world ang dating ng siyudad pagganitong panahon—super lamig at foggy—kundidahil all-out din ang celebrations sa Summer Cap-ital ngayong buwan!

Merong Baguio Arts Festival (November 18),WOW Philippines Cordillera’s Best Festival (Nov.19-25) at Baguio Tossed Salad Festival (Nov. 25-27). Sa Nov. 23 naman, ipagdidiriwang angBenguet Foundation Day kung saan magkakaroonng cañao o party sa grounds ng provincial capitalng Benguet. Ayon sa wowphilippines.com, “notouristy stuff here, just a healthy dose of traditionalCordillera culture.”

Those who plan to drive up to Baguio for thefirst time may enter the Balintawak exit of theNorth Luzon Expressway and exit at Sta. Ines.Take a right to Mabalacat, Pampanga, and anotherright to McArthur Highway. Dire-diretso lang

through Tarlac at Pangasinan hanggang makarat-ing sa Rosario, La Union. Mag-right pagdating saKennon Road o di kaya’y sa Marcos Highway lag-pas lang ng konti sa Kennon. (Bagamat ang Baguioay makikita sa Benguet, ito ay independent sa nat-urang probinsiya.)Nov. 27-Dec. 2PanangedayewDagupan City

Appropriately, this is a celebration of the productsof Pangasinan( “ p a n a n g e-dayew” means“to uplift”) sapamamagitanng isang bong-gang trade fair.K i l a l a a n glalawigan sak a n i l a n gma s a r a p n aBonuan ban-gus, bagoongat peanut brittleat mga Christ-mas decors .Tamang-tama

para sa mga nagbabalak nang mag-decorate ng kani-lang mga bahay para sa Pasko.Nov. 305th Annual Pinatubo Trek: A March to Peace andTranquilityBrgy. Juliana, Capas, Tarlac

Recall one of the greatest volcanic eruptions inrecent history through a three-hour trek throughthe “laharscape.” Now on its fifth year, the trekaims to sell Mt. Pinatubo as a “major ecotourismdestination.” Layunin din nito na magdala ng eco-nomic opportunities sa mga naninirahan sa lugar.Nagsisilbing highlight ng trek ang isang ecumeni-cal worship. (JGJ)

Baguiois the place to be!

12 LOPEZLINK November 2006

Editorial Advisory Board Boo Chanco / Danny GozoExecutive Editor Rosan CruzContributing EditorsCarla Paras-Sison (Benpres)Maite Bueno (Meralco)Estela de la Paz (First Gen)Leah Salterio (ABS-CBN)Cesar Gomez (FPHC)Rafael Alunan III (Wellness)

Marlene Ochoa (MNTC)John Rojo (BayanTel)Juno Chuidian (Beyond Cable)Joseph Uy (ABS-CBN Publishing)Vienn Tionglico (Rockwell)Frances Bumanlag (AEI)

Circulation Lucy Torres (Tel. 449-2468)Editorial and Layout IPI Creative Business Unit

LopezLink is published by Benpres

PR Group, 4/F Benpres Bldg.,

Ortigas, Pasig City

Telefax: 633-3520

For feedback, please email:

rcruz@benpres.com.ph

Juno Chuidian in ‘The Good Body’CATCH SkyCable’s Juno Chuidian as shereturns to the boards in “The Good Body,”an exploration of how women of all culturesand backgrounds feel compelled to changethe way they look in order to fit in, be ac-cepted and be good.Chuidian will appear alongside ac-

claimed theatre stalwarts Pinky Amador andMonique Wilson in this New Voice Compa-ny production of playwright Eve Ensler’sopus, which will have a limited engagementat the Music Museum on November 10 and11, 2006.The author of “The Vagina Monologues”

explores women’s experiences with mono-

logues representing women from Bombayto Beverly Hills. Narratives collected inlocker rooms, cellblocks, boardrooms andbedrooms are framed with her personaljourney from a self-loathing teenager to a(sometimes) self-accepting adult.The issue of body politics is stripped

down to its intimate essence, once again de-stroying preconceived notions about whatwomen really think. “The Good Body” willmove, inspire, entertain—and just mightmake you blush a bit in the process.Call New Voice Company at 896-6695

or 896-5497 or Ticketworld at 891-9999 forinformation. Ticket prices start at P300.

OUR VERY OWN

What’s newfrom ABS-CBN Publishing this November

Gear up for the holidayswith Chalk

Chalk helps you gear up for the holiday season!Nikki Gil gives her gift picks and cool ideas forChristmas shopping. Now that it’s getting colder,the best cover-ups of the sea-son are all here.Red is the newblack! Find outhow to workthis standoutcolor into yourwardrobe. Getthe hair you’vealways wanted-it’s possible withthese tips, plusa complete di-rectory to thebest salons-while model sis-ters Nicole andNoelle Hernan-dez give a peekinto their rela-tionship.

The best shops of Christmas

‘Tis the season to go shopping, and Metropoints you in the right direction! We listedover 20 of the best shops for food, gadgets,beauty and fashion, along with recommend-ed buys. “It” girl Toni Gonzaga gets glammedup for our cover, and talks about keeping herpretty head in the world of showbiz. Also,find out why they’re taking ADHD pills tolose weight, feast your eyes on our fashionspread of gowns shot in scenic Iloilo, findout if you’re taking the right vitamins andsupplements for your age, and read aboutABS-CBN Foundation head Gina Lopez’sbattle to save La Mesa Ecopark.

FOOD’s Christmas food gift catalogSome of the best baked goodies and savory dishes are made in the home

kitchens of readers and friends of FOOD Magazine. Order for your holiday partyingor gift-giving through the magazine’s exclusive gift catalog, Presents Perfect.Among the award-winning desserts are Joyce Aragon’s rum cakes, Dennis Hipoli-to’s chocolate decadence cake, Baba Ibazeta Benedicto’s Nono’s Chocolate Obliv-ion, old-fashioned caramel cake by Estrel’s, Roselyn Tiangco’s banoffee pie andBizu Patisserie’s macaron de Paris. On the cover is a custard-filled angel food cakewith meringue frosting and cherries, executed by Hipolito, who devised a fool-proof recipe for a moist but light cake, perfect for your holiday table! (Joseph Uy)

Get the newest issues of yourfavorite magazines at leadingbookstores and magazinestands nationwide. Forsubscriptions, contact ABS-CBNPublishing Inc. at 924-4101 or415-2272 loc. 4658 or JoenaCabrera at 415-2852 or415-2671.

Cars, art and a lot moreMALL FINDS

at the Power Plant MallBy Mira Marasigan

When your pumpkins have been taken down, it’s timeto put up the Christmas tree, tie your red ribbons,bring out your poinsettia plants and head to the mallfor your Christmas shopping!

Bring home a Mercedes!Get a chance to drive home the 2007 Mercedes

Benz B-Class!The promo is open to all Power Plant Mall shop-

pers with the required minimum single receipt pur-chase, at least 18 years of age, with a Philippine ad-

dress and a valid driver’s license.Customers may claim one raffle stub for

every P2,000 single receipt minimum purchasefrom any store at the Information Center, Man-ansala or any Power Plant Mall establishment,except Rustan’s Supermarket; every P3,000minimum single receipt purchase at Rustan’sSupermarket; and every P1,000 purchase ofPower Plant Mall’s Gift Certificate.Exchange your receipts for raffle stubs and

drop at the drop box-es located at the R2I n d e p e n d e n tLifestyles.Deadline of submission of entries is at 3

p.m., Jan. 14, 2007. Draw date is on Jan. 14,2007, 5 p.m. at the North Court.Other prizes such as Samsung LCD tele-

vision sets and Apple computers will also begiven away.Do you see my GC?Avail of Power Plant gift certificates

starting Nov. 15! GCs may be purchased atthe Customer Care Desk (R1 Level, NorthCourt Entrance) and come in P1,000 de-nominations. Last day of issuance of GCs

is on January 14, 2007. All GCs ex-pire on February 14, 2007.Art exhibitsAdditional events you should

watch for are the exhibits of LucyFernando from Nov. 10-26 and theSaturday Group of Artists from Nov.27-Dec. 7.Give yourself a treat this month

and infuse some artistic character inyour holiday spirit!

Juno Chuidian(extreme right)with MoniqueWilson (center) andPinky Amador