May 2006 Mark this date on your calendar:June 10, 2006 (Saturday)

Lopez GroupSports Fest 2006

@Marikina Sports Park(formerly Marikina Sports Center)

Benpres was the overall champion last year.Who will grab the crown this year?Sign up for the Lopez Group Sports Fest now!

By Ritzi Villarico Ronquillo

Meralco continues to light up the Philippine landscape withnew ideas and new accomplishments, and serve communi-ties three years into its century mark, in line with chairmanManuel M. Lopez’s vision for Meralco to become a world-class company.Meralco in 2006

The 103rd anniversary of Meralco with its theme “Isangdaan at tatlo, sama-sama tayo!” began with a salute to coun-try with simple flag raising rites on March 13 attended bycompany officers and employees. It was also the openingand blessing of the corporate exhibit and appliance fair.

From then on, there were daily activities that honored of-fices, groups, teams and individuals for exemplary work,malasakit and public service; showcased employee talentsand skills, and promoted team spirit and excellence.

Some anniversary highlights included the ISO certifica-tion of the Substation Services and the Meralco Manage-ment and Leadership Development Center (MMLDC)Foundation Inc. and the launching of “Behind the PowerLines,” a book by Dr. Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo that cap-tures the story of the men and women behind the technicalcompany that Meralco is.Highlights

Meralco also launched the Hall of Fame at the MeralcoFitness Center honoring the company’s sports greats; theGawad Haydee Yorac, an annual award for outstandingpublic service by Meralco in cooperation with the Univer-sity of the Philippines; and the “Share the Light” cam-paign, the second phase of the corporate image buildingprogram that won a Lopez Achievement Award earlier thisyear.

Turn to page 6

FPHC lalonglumakas ...p.2

vvaacc aattiioonn ...p.5

KKaakk aaiibbaannggsummer

The 2006 Outstanding Group

2 LOPEZLINK May 2006

SkyCable-Dream merger posible

Q1 financial performance ng Lopez Group companies

FPHC lalong lumakas2005 Financial Results

ABS-CBN

First Gen

FPHC

Meralco

Benpres

Total Revenues Net Income/(loss)

2004

P15.77 B

US$661.53 M

P40.8 B

P154.70 B

% change

+8

+25

+36

+14

NOONG 2005, nagtala ang FirstPh i l i p p i n e Ho l d i ng s Co rp .(FPHC) ng consolidated revenuesna P55.5 bilyon, mataas ng 36%kumpara sa P40.8 bilyon noong2004. Ang tubo o net income ayumabot sa P4.9 bilyon, 28% namas malaki kaysa P3.8 bilyonnoong nakaraang taon.

Ang magandang performanceng FPHC ay galing sa magka-tuwang na benepisyo rito ng pag-sisimula ng commercial opera-tions ng Manila North TollwaysCorp. (MNTC) mula Pebrero 2005at ang patuloy na tibay ng negosyong First Gen Corp., na nagbibigayng malinis at maka-kalikasang en-erhiya para sa gamit-kuryente.

Nag-umpisang patakbuhin ngMNTC ang North Luzon Express-way (NLE) noong Pebrero 10, 2005.Mas mababa ang bilang ng mgasasakyang bumaybay rito kaysa saprojection ng consultant ng proyektodahil na rin sa magkakambal na pag-taas ng presyo ng gasolina at ng tollrate. Gayunpaman, ang mataas naantas ng serbisyo sa tollways ay lu-bos na pinupuri ngayon ng mga gu-magamit ng NLE.First Gen magilas din

Lumaki ng 25% ang conso-lidated revenues ng First GenCorp. sa US$827.74 milyon noong2005 mula US$661.53 milyonnoong 2004. Ito ay dahil sa pag-taas ng net dependable capacity oNDC ng mga power plant nito,mas malaking dispatch o paggamitng kuryente at pagtaas ng fuelprices.

Noong 2005, tumaas ang NDCng Sta. Rita sa 1,000 megawatts(MW) mula 996 MW, at ng SanLorenzo sa 503 MW mula 502MW. Ang dispatch naman ay um-abot sa average na 77% para sadalawang planta, kumpara sa 65%lamang para sa Sta. Rita at 58%para sa San Lorenzo noong 2004.Bagama't walang tubo sa fuel angFirst Gen dahil ito ay pass-through

cost, nakadaragdag ito sa revenuesng kumpanya.

Nakabuti rin ang pagkapanalong First Gas sa arbitration case ni-to laban sa Siemens. Ang net in-come ng First Gen ay tumaaslamang ng 1% sa US$87.1 milyonmula sa US$86.2 milyon.

Ang pag-re-report ng First Genng pinansiyal na kalagayan nito aynasa US dollars na itinuturing ni-tong functional currency. Ito aynaaayon sa Philippine AccountingStandards na naging epektibonoong Enero 1, 2005.

Noong Pebrero 2006, nag-list saPhilippine Stock Exchange ang FirstGen at nakalikom ng gross proceedsna P9 bilyon kasama ang greenshoenito. Ang neto ng initial public of-fering ay gagamitin sa pagpapalagong negosyo ng First Gen kasama naang pagtatayo ng mga bagong pow-er plants at paghahanap ng renew-able sources ng enerhiya.

Meralco ipit pa rin sa un-bundling issue

Nalugi ng P411 milyon angMeralco noong 2005, mas maliitng 80% kaysa pagkalugi nito naP2.03 bilyon noong 2004. Patuloyna ibinawas ng Meralco sa kita ni-to ang provision for probable loss-es, para mapunan ang anumangpagkalugi sakali mang tuluyan naitong matalo sa kaso ng rate un-bundling sa Supreme Court.

Matatandaang kinatigan ng Kor-te Suprema ang desisyon ng Courtof Appeals na nagbabalewala sapagpayag ng Energy RegulatoryCommission (ERC) sa unbundledrates ng Meralco. Naghain ng mo-tion for reconsideration ang Meral-co sa Korte Suprema.

Ang unbundling ng electricityrates ay requirement ng ElectricPower Industry Reform Act of2001 o Epira upang magkaroon nghigit na transparency sa pagsingil

sa customers. Isa ito sa mga pau-nang kundisyon para sa open ac-cess system kung saan makapipiliang mga consumers ng kanilanggustong electric utility.

Dahil sa itinatalaga ng Epira, ki-nailangan ng Meralco na lumipat saunbundled rates. Inaprubahan ngERC ang unbundled rates ng Mer-alco kaya nagkaroon ng pagtaas sasingil na P0.17 per kilowatt-hour(kWh) kumpara sa May 2003 lev-els. Ito ay binubuo ng P0.0835 nageneration at transmission chargesat P0.0865 na distribution rate in-crease, ang kauna-unahan para saMeralco mula noong 1994.

Nagtabi ng P5.9 bilyon angMer-alco bilang provision for probablelosses. Ito ang itinatayang pagkalugikung magdesisyon ang KorteSuprema laban sa motion for recon-sideration nito. Nagtabi na angMer-alco ng P9.82 bilyon na provisionfor probable losses noong 2004.

ABS-CBN lumalabanNoong 2005, lumaki ng 8% ang

gross revenues ng ABS-CBNBroadcasting Corp. (ABS-CBN) saP17 bilyon, mula P15.77 bilyon.Bagama't bumaba ng 7% ang air-time revenues sa P10.3 bilyon mulaP11 bilyon, bumawi ang ABS-CBNsa malakas na performance ng inter-national operations nito. Lumawigng 9% ang net sales and services saP5.1 bilyon mula P4.7 bilyon, sapangunguna ng ABS-CBN Globalna umangat ang total internationalsubscriber base ng 30%. Ibig sabi-hi'y mayroon nang dalawang mily-ong manonood ang The FilipinoChannel (TFC) sa buong mundonoong magtapos ang 2005.

Nakalikom din ng P1.6 bilyonglicense fees ang ABS-CBN, kita nitomula sa unang salba ng paglipat ngmga existing direct-to-home (DTH)subscribers sa DirecTV, gayundinang pagkakaroon ng bagong sub-

scribers ng TFC. Ang DirecTV angisa sa nangungunang DTH systemproviders sa Estados Unidos. Sa ilal-im ng isang kasunduan, eksklusi-bong na sa DirecTV ang pag-air ngTFC o TFC package sa DTH plat-form. Magbabayad naman ang Di-recTV ng license fees sa ABS-CBNayon sa dami ng subscribers nagagamit ng serbisyo habang tu-matakbo ang migration period.

Lumaki naman ng 12% ang gas-tusin ng ABS-CBN sa P16.6 bilyonmula sa P14.7 bilyon. Kasama ritoang mga gastusin na isang beseslang mangyayari tulad ng migrationng DTH subscribers sa EstadosUnidos, at mga gastusin para sapagbabawas ng empleyado noongisang taon sa ilalim ng Special Sep-aration Package (SSP) na ipinatu-pad mula Hulyo 2005. Humigit-ku-mulang 400 empleyado o mga 20%ng ABS-CBN headcount ang tu-manggap ng SSP. Kung wala itongmga non-recurring items, aakyatlamang ang total expenses ng 3%.

Dahil mas mabilis ang pagtaasng gastusin sa 12%, kumpara sapag-angat ng revenues o kita sa8%, ang net income ng ABS-CBNay lumiit ng 62% sa P288 milyonmula P750 milyon noong 2004.

Gayunpaman, sinabi ni ABS-CBN chairman at president Euge-nio Lopez III na malamang aymakabawi ngayong 2006 angkumpanya. Dahil sa pinaigting naprogramming ng Channel 2, unti-unti na itong nakakahabol sa TVratings sa Mega Manila. Dumara-mi pang lalo ang subscribers ngTFC at naging blockbuster namanang unang dalawang pelikula ngStar Cinema para sa taong ito.

Marami pang pagbabagongmangyayari na siguradong ikalu-lugod ng mga manonood ng Chan-nel 2. Kaya para sa ABS-CBN, tu-loy ang laban.

Samantala, ang 2005 auditedfinancial statements ng Benpres ayisasa-publiko sa May 2. (CPS)

2005

P17 B

US$827.74 M

P55.5 B

P175.96 B

2004

P750 M

US$87.1 M

P3.8 B

(P2.03 B)*

2005

P288 M

US$86.2 M

P4.9 B

(P411 M)**

% change

-62

+1

+28

+80

P600-M set-top project ng SkyCable,malapit nang umpisahan

BTel CIO in IBM event

MALAPIT na ang rollout ng isa sa mgapinakamalaking proyekto ng SkyCable,ang paglagak sa iba’t ibang bahagi ngMetro Manila ng digital addressableset-top boxes kung saan naka-“encrypt”ang lahat ng cable TV channels nito.Kapag walang set-top box, walang ca-ble TV signal na makukuha ang sub-scriber.

Ang SkyCable subscribers sa resi-dential at commercial areas sa PasigCity ang unang gagamit ng digital set-top boxes. Kapag makalikom na angkumpanya ng sapat na pantustos sa

proyekto, susunod na ang iba pang sub-scribers sa Metro Manila.

Umaabot sa 200,000 ang sub-scribers ng SkyCable at Home Cable;batay rito, tinatayang kakailanganin ngkumpanya ng P600 million para palamang sa presyo ng box. Aabutin nglimang taon ang full implementationng proyekto, ayon sa isang opisyal ngSkyCable.

Sa Pasig din gaganapin ang launch-ing ng prepaid service ng SkyCable Sil-ver. Maaaring arkilahin ng prepaid sub-scribers ang set-top boxes, kung saan

naka-encrypt na ang channels ng Sky-Cable Silver.

Bahagi ng pakik ipag laban ngkumpanya sa cable signal piracy angpaggamit ng set-top box. Inaasahangmaibsan ng prepaid service ang illegalconnections, na umaabot na umano saisang milyon ang bilang.

Sa ibang bahagi naman ng MetroManila, maaaring mag-offer ng Plat-inum ang SkyCable gamit ang digitalset-top boxes; ang Platinum ang kauna-unahang digital TV cable package sabansa.

NAKATAKDANGmagpulong ang mgaopisyal ng SkyCable at Dream TV parapag-usapan ang posibleng pagsasamang dalawang kumpanya, ayon sa isangopisyal ng SkyCable.

Ang Philippine Multimedia SystemInc. na pag-aari ni Antonio Cojuangcoang operator ng Dream TV, ang nag-iisang direct-to-home satellite televi-sion service.

“We start negotiations three to fourmonths now, but nothing is final yet.We’re still looking at strategies that willbe better for both companies,” pahayagni Juno Chuidian, vice president forprogramming ng SkyCable.

Posibleng merger ang magiging re-su l t a ng sosyohan ng da l awangkumpanya o kaya’y kasunduan kungsaan papayagan ang SkyCable na

gamitin ang assets o mga kagamitanng Dream.

Maaari ring ipalabas saDream angmgaprograma ng ABS-CBN para mapapanoodang mga ito ng mas maraming tao.

“It really depends on the final agree-ment. The business model is not yet fi-nal and we’re still working to determinewhat will be best for both companies,”dagdag pa ni Chuidian.

AnnualGeneral

Meetings

First Philippine Holdings Corp. —May 15, 3 p.m.Meralco Theater, Lopez BuildingOrtigas Avenue, Pasig City

Meralco —May 30, 9 a.m.Meralco Theater, Lopez BuildingOrtigas Avenue, Pasig City

BAYANTEL chief information officer (CIO)Briggs Merin underscored the importance ofInformation Technology in innovative tele-

com companies at the IBM i5 Event held atthe Shangri-La Makati recently.

Representing BayanTel, Merin told hisaudience of CIOs, corporate executives andtechnology authorities that IT acts as a busi-ness enabler in achieving revenue growth,improving customer service and operationalproductivity in the company. He walkedthem through BayanTel’s products and ser-vices and showed how the company em-ploys iSeries solutions for more efficient op-erations.

The IBM i5 Event gathered IT bigwigsfrom major companies and organizations inthe country. IBM Philippines System i5 Ac-count and Alliance manager Gautam Sarmathanked Merin for “delivering such a greattestimonial on the occasion of the iSeriesDay.” Sarma added that the IBM regionalteam was interested in bringing Merin’s pre-sentation on BayanTel’s story as a showcaseto the entire region. (Dimpy Jazmines)

*After providing for probable losses in the amount of P9.8 billion

**After providing for probable losses in the amount of P5.9 billion

3LOPEZLINK May 2006

No numbercoding until JuneThe Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program(UVVRP) or “number coding” has been suspended in 12Metro Manila cities until June 2, 2006.

There will be no “coding” in Parañaque, Las Piñas,Mandaluyong, San Juan, Quezon City, Pasay City, Valen-zuela City, Taguig, Malabon, Pateros, Pasig and Marikina.Makati City, which only has a minimal number of schools,would continue implementing the traffic scheme since thevolume of vehicles in the city is not expected to change.

The lifting of the UVVRP is based on a study by theMetro Manila Development Authority’s Traffic EngineeringCenter in the summers of 2004 and 2005 that showed asmuch as a 30% reduction in the number of vehicles on theroad during the summer months.

This 30% drop was above the reduction in vehicularvolume resulting from the UVVRP, which is at 20%, anMMDA official said.

EC Tag ‘Kapamilya’summer promo

Northern vacationsmade easyALL employees of theLopez Group of companiescan now avail of an EC Tagtransponder at a special dis-counted unit price of onlyP950—a staggering 57%off i ts regular price ofP2,200!

The EC Tag transponderis a small communicationdevice that is mounted onthe windshield of Class 1vehicles and enables motorists to pay the toll elec-tronically at any toll plaza in the North Luzon Ex-pressway (NLE). With the EC Tag, toll payment ismade quicker, more convenient, hassle-free andcashless. What’s more, it gives users access to an ex-clusive and dedicated lane at every toll plaza, makingtrips a breeze.

So while you plan your vacation trips to the Norththis summer, take pleasure in this huge discount andenjoy the cashless, hassle-free electronic paymentsystem at the NLE.

Offer is good until May 27, 2006 only. Buy ECTag units for your family and friends now! Contactyour HR department for orders or call the NLE cus-tomer service hotline at 3-5000 for more details.

Alok ng Meralco magbubunsodng mababang presyo ng kuryenteINAASAHANG bababa ang hala-ga ng kuryente para sa industrial atcommercial customers gayundinang tinaguriang industrial at com-mercial costs sa bansa simula sasusunod na buwan.

Ito ay matapos pumayag angpamahalaan sa mungkahi ng Meral-co na hayaan ang mga industrial atcommercial customers na may kon-sumong di bababa sa 1 megawattkada buwan na pumili ng sarilingelectricity supplier.

Sa ilalim ng alok na ito ng Mer-alco o yaong tinaguriang “open ac-cess scheme,” maaaring bumili ngkuryente sa ibang power distribu-tors bukod sa Meralco ang mgan a t u r a n g c u s t o m e r s . S akasalukuyan, ang Meralco ang dis-tributor ng kuryente na binibilihanng mga ito.

Kasama sa alok ng Meralco angmalalaking industrial at commer-cial customers na may demand vol-ume na di bababa sa 1 megawatt.

“Easily [manufacturers can save]20 centavos [per kilowatt],” sabi niRep. Joey Salceda, chairman ngHouse committee on appropriationsat economic adviser ni PangulongGloria Macapagal-Arroyo nang usi-sain kung magkano ang matitipid ngmga negosyante.

Binigyan ng pamahalaan angNational Power Corp. o Napocorng dalawang linggo upang ayusinang kasunduan sa Meralco at isum-ite ito sa Energy Regulatory Com-

mission.Ang pag-arangkada ng open ac-

cess scheme ay hakbang patungo saderegularisasyon ng energy sectorng bansa, dagdag pa ng kongre-sista.

Sa panayam sa Reuters, sinabini Salceda na ang mga kustomer namagiging sakop ng open accessscheme ay yung bumubuo ng 25hanggang 30 porsiyento ng annualelectricity sales by volume ng Mer-alco.

SkyCable offerspremium cablepackageSKYCABLE Platinum, the country’s first digital cable TVpackage that consists of first-rate, never-before-seen chan-nels, now offers the Metro Pack, one of two premium pack-ages available exclusively to its subscribers.

“The Metro Pack is a collection of 20 select channelsthat translate to more than 200 new shows. We know oursubscribers lead varied lifestyles and have diverse inter-ests. And the Metro Pack has just the right mix of pro-grams for them,” said SkyCable brand management headMalou Esparrago.

The Metro Packlets you discover theworld and al l i t swonders with fourDiscovery Channels-Real Time, Home &Health, Travel &

Living and Science. It has all the news you need with CNNHeadline News, CNBC and Fox News and all the classicmovies from Hollywood’s golden years from Turner ClassicMovies and MGM.

With the Metro Pack, you also get a taste of the good lifefrom Wine TV and Fashion TV, an intense adrenaline fix fromA1 and music videos from Channel V. The kids, meanwhile,will delight in Playhouse Disney Channel and Boomerang.

Being a digital package, SkyCable Platinum sub-scribers benefit from the same kind of technology used inFirst World countries.

“This means that SkyCable Platinum subscribers enjoycrisper video reception, increased channel surfing flexibil-ity, on-screen program schedule and description, andparental control functions,” Esparrago said.

The Metro Pack uses digital cable TV technology for anenhanced cable TV viewing experience. Call 631-0000 nowand get the perfect cable TV package. (Arlene Torres)

MNTC boosts tourism Manila North Tollways Corp. (MNTC) marketing direc-tor Renie Ticzon (4th from left) emerges from the recently concluded First Northern LuzonTourism Summit flanked by resource persons Department of Tourism directors Martin Valera(Region 1) Purificacion Molintas (CAR), former Tourism Secretary Narzalina Lim, DOT di-rectors Blesilda Diwa (Region II), Ronaldo Teotico (Region III), and Patrick Gregorio, pres-ident of T & G Tourism Development Corp., the tourism consultant of MNTC. MNTC orga-nized the one-day convention which drew over 200 key players representing the public andprivate sectors of Central Luzon and Northern Luzon. The convention was keyed to provide aframework for establishing convention and visitors bureaus in the Northern Luzon provinces.(Kit Ventura)

Traffic advisory

BayanTel conferred 2nd outstandingtelco award in 2 years

FEU confers honorary degree on AEI prexy

38 Green Belts fromBTel train in MalaysiaKUALA Lumpur, Malaysia was the destination of twobatches of training teams from BayanTel for their Six Sig-ma Green Belt training.

The 38 BayanTel Green Belts, coming from different divi-sions of the company, were exposed to Six Sigma processes andprinciples through various discussions, exercises and practical ac-tivities. The sessions were held in the Crown Princess Hotel andwere conducted for BayanTel by Motorola University, the orig-inator of the Six Sigma methodology. (Dimpy Jazmines)

FOR the second year in a row, BayanTelhas been conferred as the Most Outstand-ing Telephone Company (MindanaoAwards) and Most Outstanding TelephoneCompany (General Santos City Awards).

The awards were conferred jointly bythe Philippine Marketing ExcellenceAwards Institute, the Asian Institute of

Marketing and Entrepreneurship, and Mar-keting Insights magazine in ceremonies atthe Westin Philippine Plaza Hotel recently.

The awards were given for undertak-ing best marketing practices leading to-wards market dominance, goodwill,high-level customer confidence and mar-ket acceptability. (D. Jazmines)

By Frances Bumanlag

DR. Felipe Tolentino, president and medicaldirector of Asian Eye Institute (AEI), was ac-corded the degree Doctor of Science (honoriscausa) during Far Eastern University’s 78thcommencement ceremony held at the Philip-pine International Convention Center.

FEU president Lydia Balatbat-Echauz andthe board of trustees honored Dr. Tolentino forhis contribution to medical education as a mem-ber of the academe in the Philippines and in theUnited States for 35 years. He is also a trailblaz-er in retina and vitreous surgery, inventing manyof the instruments used in these operations.

The AEI president was also cited for hisprofound knowledge in ophthalmology that hasbenefited medical practitioners through his

three books on ocular diseases and surgery, andover 150 peer-reviewed articles and dozens ofinvited book chapters.

Dr. Tolentino founded the Ophthalmologi-cal Foundation of the Philippines and estab-lished the Mobile Eye Clinic in Metro Manila,the Miyake Eye Operating Room at the Philip-pine General Hospital, and the Eye Center atGat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Hos-pital in Tondo.

He has received numerous international and na-tional awards from professional organizations andassociations, including the Philippine PresidentialAwards for Humanitarian Achievements in 2000and Filipinas Magazine and Medicine in 2001.During the centennial celebration of the Universityof the Philippines College of Medicine in 2005, hereceived a Centennial Award for Research.

Lopez Group chairman Oscar M. Lopez (left) with Dr.Felipe Tolentino after the FEU commencement rites

4 LOPEZLINK May 2006

OML leads Benguet trek on his 76th birthday

PR CHALLENGE

PR Council membersattend IABC conference

L-R: FPHC’s Raffy Alunan, who organized theclimb; Lopez Group chair Oscar M. Lopez withdaughter Rina Lopez-Bautista; the Lopez Grouptrekkers

LOPEZ Group chairman Oscar M. Lopez (OML)kept a less hectic—but definitely more gruel-ing—schedule on his 76th birthday this year,leading members of the Lopez family, FirstPhilippine Holdings Corp. (FPHC) executivesand Lopez Group employees on the 1st Mt. Sto.Tomas Summer Climb in Tuba, Benguet on April9 and 10.

Classified as a minor climb at 7,500 feet abovesea level, Mt. Sto. Tomas offers spectacular viewsof Baguio City (4,900 feet above sea level), theCordilleras and the South China Sea. It is colder

than the summer capital with average tempera-tures of 17° to 23° Celsius.

Among Sto. Tomas’ would-be conquerors wereConnie Lopez, Rina Lopez-Bautista, FedericoLopez, FPHC’s Nonoy Ibañez, Art de Guia, BenjieLiboro and Raffy Alunan, who organized thetrek.

On Day 1 of the climb, the group gathered for anearly morning briefing in Green Valley at the footof the mountain before proceeding up to the radarstation two to three hours away; there they visited achapel and schoolhouse, as well as burial caves and

the Stations of the Cross. At 6,800 feet above sealevel, the group was already more than halfway tothe Sto. Tomas summit.

After fortifying themselves with a hearty lunch,the crew made for the summit, a trek through moredifficult terrain that took three to four hours. It waswell worth it though as the trekkers made it to thepeak in time to catch the spectacular sunset! Camp JH

was the next destination, as strong winds made stay-ing overnight at the peak a dangerous proposition.

At the end of the two-day activity, everyonecame away with plenty of stories for friends andfamily back in Manila; some were even lookingforward to Year 2 of the trek!

Public relations practitioners of theLopez Group attended the two-day AsiaPacific Conference of the InternationalAssociation of Business Communicators(IABC).

Manila North Tollways Corp. (MNTC)president Jose de Jesus spoke on “Com-municating the Benefits of a Major Infras-tructure Project to Diverse Stakeholders,”joining a roster of prominent plenaryspeakers that included Senate PresidentFranklin M. Drilon, National Transmis-sion Corp. president Alan Ortiz, NagaCity mayor Jesse Robredo, IABC worldchairman Warren Bickford and IABCAsia Pacific director Bish Mukherjee.

Participants also learned from work-shops on speechwriting, crisis PR,scriptwriting, brand building and otheraspects of corporate communications.

Meanwhile, PR initiatives of theGroup garnered Gold Quill Awards fromthe IABC, with Meralco getting two andBenpres Holdings one. Meralco won anAward of Excellence for its 2005 annualreport and an Award of Merit for its cor-porate paper, Meralco News. Both the an-nual report and the corporate paper arein-house publications of Meralco’s Cor-porate Communication office.

Benpres received an Award of Meritfor its group-wide publication, LopezLink. These entries were entered underthe Publications, Communication SkillsCategory.

The Gold Quill Awards recognize ex-ceptional corporate communications pro-jects and programs that add significantvalue to the companies they serve. (CarlaParas-Sison)

1st Lopez Achievement Award Winners’ Fora

Internal marketing, internalbranding: It’s all about connections

ABS-CBN’s Maloli Manalastas and GMA’sButch Raquel

Meralco’s Elpi Cuna with CarlaParas-Sison of Benpres

Speaker Bill Crain (left); Meralco’s Award ofExcellence for its 2005 annual report

By Sybil F. Stershic and

Debra Semans

Employee engagement, getting em-ployees to “live the brand,” gainingemployee buy-in—today’s managersare trying to wrap their minds aroundthese critical practices through inter-nal marketing and internal branding.

Internal marketing is the applica-tion of marketing inside an organiza-tion to instill customer-focused val-ues. As such, it joins marketing withhuman resources to attract and retainemployees, with an emphasis on get-ting employee commitment to market-ing and organizational goals.

Meanwhile, internal branding is theprocess of aligning day-to-day activities,business processes, job designs andrecognition and rewards with the brandidentity to drive business results. It is partof a focused brand strategy that helpsemployees understand and integratebrand value(s) in their roles to ensure

they can deliver on the brand promise.Connecting via communication

The key is to connect employeeswith the company, with the brand andwith customers.

Connecting employees with thecompany: Every organization needs tocommunicate what it is about, where itis headed, what its goals and objectivesare, and what is expected of employeesin helping the organization achieve itsgoals. These should be communicatedin job descriptions, new employee ori-entations and performance reviews.

Companies reinforce this connec-tion by sharing their progress throughregular staff meetings and internal ve-hicles (both print and online).

Connecting employees with thebrand:Defining the brand—along withexpectations of the behaviors needed todeliver on the brand promise—can becommunicated in orientations, in spe-cial training, and/or in “refresher”training. It should also be reinforced

through internal communication, suchas in staff meetings and employee pub-lications. Many organizations includethis information on their intranet.

Connecting employees with cus-tomers: Includes sharing with em-ployees the results of customer satis-faction surveys, customer complaintdata and other forms of relevant cus-tomer feedback, so employees knowwhat customers think of your compa-ny and brand; and profiles of who yourcustomers are, how they use yourproducts and services, and why theywould choose you over your rivals.Take a tip from Nike

These suggestions are within thescope of internal marketing and inter-nal branding as they engage employ-ees for marketing and organizationalsuccess. But when it comes to internalmarketing vs. internal branding, don’tworry about the semantics—just do it!(Excerpted from CommunicationWorld Bulletin, April 2006)

May 11, 1:30 p.m.: Public Responsi-bility featuring MWSI, ABS-CBN andABS-CBN Foundation and KnowledgeChannelMay 18, 2 p.m.: Corporate ImageBuilding feat. MNTC and MeralcoMay 25, 2 p.m.: Business Manage-ment feat. Philec & Fedcor, and Dr.Fiorello EstuarVenue: Meralco LighthouseFee: P120 per personContact: Bheng Relatado, 634-3429

“The LAA was designed and is be-ing implemented, first, to recognize ex-emplary performance and to serve as amodel for all other individuals andteams in the Group. But most impor-tantly, it is our desire to document andpropagate these benchmark practicesand therefore provide a continuouslearning opportunity to all,” Meralcochairman Manuel M. Lopez says in theinvitation to the First Lopez Achieve-ment Award Winners’ Fora, which tar-

gets business unit heads, business ex-cellence officers, Oscar examiners andfunctional councils.

The 2005 Lopez AchievementAwards winners will share the chal-lenges, strategies and tools they em-ployed to address difficulties and thelearnings that helped them sustain busi-ness results. Through the fora, employeeswill have the opportunity to learn bestpractices that can be replicated in anotherwork area, function or company.

5LOPEZLINK May 2006

TULAD ng inaaasahan, ang dat-ing escort girl na si KeannaReeves ang naging “Pinoy BigBrother Celebrity Edition” BigWinner. Nalikom ng kwelangDavaoeña ang halos 50 porsiyen-to ng mga text votes nang ginanapang Big Night noong April 1,2006. Si Keanna ay sinundan ninaJohn Prats, Bianca Gonzalez atZanjoe Marudo bilang Second,Third at Fourth Big Placers.Samantala, nag-umpisa na

noong April 23 ang pinakabago ate spesya l na ins t a l lmen t ng“PBB”—ang Teen Edition.

The housemates. Apat nahousemates galing sa Visayas atMindanao, at walong bagets gal-ing sa Metro Manila ang atingmatutunghayan sa loob ng bahayni Kuya sa susunod na anim nalinggo.Sino ang bet mo kina Gerald

(Amboy ng GenSan); Niña (SosiGirl ng Makati); Mikee (Atenistamula sa QC); Kim (Chinese Cutie

ng Cebu); Bam (Boyish na Kom-edyante ng Parañaque); Olyn(Teen Star Wannabe ng QC); Fred(Perfectionist Hunk ng QC);Clare (Barrio Lass ng Bukidnon);Aldred (Kilabot na Valedictorianng Pasay); Mikki (Orig na Astigng Davao); Matt (Happy-Go-Lucky Guy ng QC); at Jamilla(Teenage Mom ng Laguna)?

The hosts. Ang dating kapit-bahay ni Kuya, si Mariel Ro-driguez, ang main host ng TeenEdition, samantalang si ex-“PBBCelebrity Edition” Big Fourmember Bianca Gonzalez namanang magbibigay ng updates gabi-gabi.

The prizes. P1 million pesosa t condo un i t ga l i ng sa S t .

Monique ang mapapasakamay ngmasuwerteng bagets maliban pasa isang eight-day vacation spreegaling sa SEAIR at Holiday Inn,at iba pang premyo.Abangan ang napakasaya at

exciting na gimik ng mga bagetssa “PBB Teen Edition” gabi-gabip agka t a po s ng “TV Pa t r o lWorld”!

‘Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition’ Update

Sandosenang bagets, kakayanin kaya ni Kuya?

Twist and turns inlast 2 weeks of ‘GNP’THE wheel has turned in favor ofLuisa’s (Kristine Hermosa) familythis time, while Carding (TJTrinidad) is looking formuch need-ed strength after fate gives him andMenang (Cherie Gil) one blow af-ter another. But will a near-fatal ac-cident be the means for a reunion

that she could never have chil-dren, Mimi (Andrea del Rosario)has to deal with more surprisingnews when her mother DoñaCarmen (Raquel Villavicencio)during an argument reveals thatshe was adopted. Now bereft ofher mother, and knowing that

she he r-self willnever bea b l e t oh a v echildren,Mimi i sready tor i s k a l lfor Card-ing.Card-

i n g b e-g i n s t oh a v e a

change of heart about his annul-ment. Menang tries to meddleagain, but Carding puts his footdown. When he learns about Mi-mi’s evil plans from Jojo (Rox-anne Guinoo) and Alex, he triesto win Luisa back. But fightingfor their love would not be aseasy as before.Tune in for even more stun-

ning twists and turns when “Gu-long ng Palad” starts its second-to-the-last week after “PinoyBig Brother Teen Edition.”

for Luisa and Carding in ABS-CBN’s hit teleserye “Gulong ngPalad”?Luisa seemed to be the one in

the gutters as she was servedwith annulment papers by theMedels’ lawyers. She attemptsto leave Sta. Lucia but gets runover by Alex (Rico Barrera)who was be ing cha sed byDavid’s (Lito Pimentel) hench-man.Thinking she has success in

the offing despite the knowledge

CPI channelsin open houseBy Michelle Reyes

IN line with its goal of increas-ing subscriptions and advertis-ing revenues, ABS-CBN’s ca-ble program network CreativePrograms Inc. (CPI) show-cased an “open house” in itstrade event held at the Rock-well Loft in Makati City.

The open house featureddifferent home areas to repre-sent households from all so-cioeconomic classes that areinto music, lifestyle, animeand movies.Cinema One was repre-

sented by the living roomwhere it offers 24-hour primeTagalog movies, film festivals,concert specials and movieawards shows. Kapamilya tal-ent Piolo Pascual sang CinemaOne’s new station ID, “AngBuhay Natin Parang Sine,”during the affair.Symbolized by the kitchen

area, the Lifestyle Network isa locally produced lifestylechannel that offers a guide toevery day living. A teen’s bed-room characterized the 24-hour music channel Myx.Hero TV was represented bythe playroom. The all-Fil-ipino-dubbed anime channelfeatures anime classics.The “open house” gathered

some 70 advertisers and mediaplanners, who got a chance toestablish a connection be-tween the programs and theirproducts.CPI also distributes ABS-

CBN’s other platforms, in-cluding the ABS-CBN NewsChannel, to cable affiliates.

Piolo Pascual (back row, left)with (l-r) Hero Channeldirector/head of PowerbundleDistribution Joy Go; CPI VPand managing director Chinkyde Jesus; Cinema Onechannel director and head ofStrategic ProgrammingRonald Arguelles; andLifestyle Network channelmanager Tippy Beneditoduring the CPI event. (Photoby Conrad Delfino. Courtesyof ABS-CBN Publishing)

Search forsingingstarscontinuein ‘LBS 2’“LITTLE Big Star” trans-formed Rhap Salazar’s andSam Conc ep c i o n ’s b i gdreams to reality as they be-came the show’s BrightestStars in the first season.Tough and daunting eachround of the competitionmay be, they emerged thebrightest among the coun-try’s top kid singers.And on “Little Big Star

Season Two,” the search forthe best and the brightestsinging stars continue! Lu-zon, Visayas and Mindanao,watch for Sarah Geronimo asshe resumes her mission offinding the nation’s most tal-ented kids. Get ready to haveyour TV sets invaded by thenewest singing wonders onthe block!

Will Pinoys make it to the top of the world?

Studio 23’s Vince Rodriguez joinsclimb to Everest Base CampIT was an emotional reunion betweenlead Everest climbers Leo Oracionand Pastor Emata and the rest of the1st Philippine Mt. Everest Expeditionteam on April 12, 2006. Leo and Pas-tor met the 14-man team at Lukla air-field, where the trek to Everest BaseCamp (EBC) begins.

This is the first time in two monthsthe team has seen Oracion and Emata,who have been in the area sinceFebruary, training and allowing theirbodies to adapt to the high altitude.With the completion of their ac-

climatization program, Oracion andEmata a re a l l se t toclimb Everest. Whiletheir primary goal is togain experience on Ever-est to lead the team’s2007 cl imb, the twoh a v e a v e r y s t r o n gchance of reaching thesummit this May.JB Añonuevo, Fred

Jamili, Levi Nagayahanand expedition leaderArt Valdez will providelogistical support, while

Dr. Ted Esguerra will provide medi-cal aid.The other members of the team

meanwhile will conduct a trainingclimb before proceeding to BaseCamp. The climb is part of the train-ing program in preparation for the at-tempt to climb Everest next year.Dubbed as the 2007 Unity Climb, theteam hopes to climb simultaneouslyfrom the north or Tibetan side and thesouthern Nepalese side and meet atthe top.A team member says the 2007

Unity Climb is meant to show the truestrength of the Filipino’s bayanihanspirit—that despite all the politicalbickering and economic problemshounding the country, when Filipinosput their mind to it and work together,they can accomplish great things.

Saturday morning energy boost from ‘Basta Sports’GET an extra boost of energy Satur-day mornings, for “Basta Sports” ishere!Hosted by Atom Araullo and

Ketchup Eusebio, “Basta Sports” is aunique show about games and sportsfor the youth of today. Produced byABS-CBN Foundation, the makers ofeducational shows for children like“Sineskwela,” “Epol, Apple” and“Math-Tinik,” kids can now learnmore about being active and healthythrough fun sporty activities.Not only does sport build charac-

ter, it also promotes health and disci-pline. That’s why “Basta Sports” willbring the latest news about sports andgames, sports trivia, sports history,

game terminologies plus tips andtechniques from the experts!And who better to host the show

than celebrity sports enthusiastsAtom and Ketchup? Studio 23’s“Breakfast” host Atom loves to playfootball and has won several triathlonevents. An Applied Physics graduatefrom U.P. Diliman, he has been hailedas the youngest Half Iron Man.Ketchup, on the other hand, is

known for his versatility as an actor,having excelled in drama and come-dy. He has appeared on ABS-CBNprimetime shows such as “MgaAnghel na Walang Langit,” “TangingIna,” “Darating ang Umaga” and“Berks,” and has hosted for Studio

23’s “WazzupWaz-zup.” Unknown tomany, he is alsovery ac t ive inplaying sports.His favoritei n c l u d e sp l a y i n gb a s k e t-ball, tabletennis ands w i m-ming.Direct-

ed by Rene Gidote, get ready to be fitin mind and body as “Basta Sports”invades your TV sets at 8:30 a.m. ev-ery Saturday!

Olyn Mikee Niña Matt Mikki Gerald

Fred Kim Bam Jamilla Aldred Clare

6 LOPEZLINK May 2006

1903On March 14, CharlesSwift and several part-ners organize theManila Electric Rail-road and Light Com-pany. The firm gets afranchise from the cityof Manila to operatean electric street rail-way service and tofurnish electric currentfor light, heat andpower in the city andits suburbs for 50years.

1905In the afternoon ofApril 10, the newstreet railway system isformally inaugurated.On April 11, Meralcobegins to operate itstranvias commercially.By 1924, it is concededthat “Manila now hasthe leading street rail-way system of the FarEast, with heavy rails,good macadamizedroads, and the mostmodern cars.”

1919In recognition of thefact that electricalpower is now its corebusiness and not thestreetcars, in May,Meralco is reincorpo-rated and renamedthe Manila ElectricCompany, the name itbears today. 1942

On January 2, the in-vading Japanese armyenters Manila. Theytake over Meralco.

1945During the battle forManila, the Japaneseblow up Meralco’sBlaisdell plant.On November 1, thecompany resumes op-erations. It begins afive-year program torebuild its facilities inthe Manila area, whichculminates in 1950with the constructionof Rockwell Station.

1961In March, the LopezGroup begins talks forthe sale of Meralcowith its Americanowners, General Pub-lic Utilities. On June30, 1961, Don EugenioLopez leads a groupof Filipino en-trepreneurs to createMeralco SecuritiesCorporation (MSC).

1962On January 5, 1962,MSC carries out thehistoric purchase of theManila Electric Compa-ny. In October, Don Eu-genio directs Meralcoto embark on a hugeexpansion program. Itbuilds a new powerplant every 18 months,and expands its gener-ating capacity fivefoldby 1974. Meralco’spower rates are amongthe lowest in the world.

1964Meralco begins tobuild up its superiorcredit standing in in-ternational capitalmarkets, without rely-ing on governmentguarantees. The com-pany gets better creditterms from interna-tional banks than eventhe Philippine govern-ment. By 1969, Meral-co is the largest corpo-ration in the country,worth over P1 billion.

Meralco:

said. “In the past, Meralco was very conser-vative with regard to media exposure; TVads and commercials were rarely em-ployed, celebrity endorsers were unheardof. We basically just stuck to the facts butensured that it was in a language that everyJuan de la Cruz can understand.”Actively countering the smear cam-

paign and preempting the news was aparadigm shift for a company that believedthat utilities should not be heard or seen.The move, however, paid off.“The milestones would include our

successful issues management campaignthat helped us in explaining and clearingthe different issues,” Mike said. “It was agreat feeling when our research showedthat finally, our customers knew the vari-ous players in the electric industry and therole each entity played.”Another milestone, for Mike, was the

launch of Meralco’s new corporate taglineof “May Liwanag ang Buhay” and when“employees embraced the concept of cor-porate image and truly believed that saMeralco, may liwanag ang buhay.”What’s next for the CIC?“Share the Light” is the next phase of

Meralco’s long-term program for imagebuilding by the CIC, that of the servicepromise. This means “shifting the focusfromMeralco as a significant organization insociety to all Meralco employees as peoplewho drive the vision of empowerment.”Each Meralco employee is not just pro-

viding electricity but light and life: makinga difference in the customer’s life, givingadded value and attention to customersand going beyond the basic requirementsof one’s job description by giving highquality service delivery. In the campaign,the essentials of good customer service areintegrity, credibility, visibility, accuracy,quick response, presence and availability.“We feel that we are now ready to go be-

yond just explaining the issues. We are nowready to show our customers how we valuethem. We intend to show them service thatgoes beyond distribution of electricity—wewant them to experience our service withcare or ang aming serbisyong tapat at to-too,” Mike said.

to bringer of lightFrom ‘halimaw’ Meanwhile, first-time contender Ala-

bang Sector Fire Brigade Team (MeralcoFire Fighters) was cited as Most Disci-plined Team and as National Champion inCategory B of the 18th National Industri-al/Commercial Fire Brigade Competitionin Bonifacio Global City, Taguig on March11; the sector also won other awards in theMeralco corporate rites.Recognized were outstanding perfor-

mance in the good housekeeping program,work improvement teams, process im-provement teams, One Ring Project,branch service excellence projects, Presi-dential Award, and Model and OutstandingEmployees. A testimonial dinner honoredover 100 employees who served Meralcofor 25 years and more.Executed like clockwork103rd Anniversary Committee chair-

man Boeing Parungao, head of Meralco’sTelecommunications, cites the dedication,creativity, innovativeness and cooperationof the committees, participants and supportgroups with the simultaneous preparationsthat had to be mapped out and executedlike clockwork.He shared: “Working in the different an-

niversary committees is excellent trainingin leadership and management, in peopleskills, in quick but fair decision making, inorganizing and motivating especially volun-teers, and in giving of oneself to a cause.”BeginningsFounded in 1903 by American en-

trepreneur Charles M. Swift, Meralcostarted out as the provider of the first andonly modern mass transportation in Mani-la. Then known as the Manila ElectricRailroad and Light Company, its tranvia(streetcars) system (and later its auto bus-es) was one of catalysts of the developmentof the then colonial outpost.Meralco historian and consultant Rober-

to Paterno recalls: “When war broke out in1941, Meralco’s earnings were roughly 80%electric, 10% autobuses and 10% railway.”In the aftermath of World War II and

with the destruction of Manila’s historicstreetcar service and its facilities, and theeventual sale of the buses to FortunatoHalili in 1948, Meralco focused on powergeneration and distribution.Golden ageIt was in 1962 that Filipino investors led

by Don Eugenio Lopez Sr. made the boldmove of acquiringMeralco. Author Raul Ro-drigo in his book, “Meralco: A Century ofService 1903-2003,” wrote: “The Filipinogroup that took the helm of Meralco would

meet all the challenges—expansion, financ-ing and leadership—with spectacular results.The 10 years from 1962 to 1972 would there-fore be fondly referred to by veterans of thosedays as the Golden Years of Meralco.”In that period, Meralco built and placed

in service several generating units at theaverage rate of one and a half years. Biggercapacity was produced as more and morecustomers began relying on the conve-nience of electricity.The tide turned when martial law was

declared on September 21, 1972. The next13 to 14 years were wrought with difficul-ties. By 1979, with all power plants nowwith government, Meralco became a dis-tributor of electricity.It was after the Edsa revolution in Febru-

ary 1986 that the Meralco and its affiliateswere returned to the Lopez family. ManuelM. Lopez became president (1986 to 2001)and later chairman and CEO (2001 to pre-sent). It is under MML’s leadership thatMeralco today has taken bold, innovativesteps to be a lead player in the new electricpower industry in its people and services.“Meralco is a very unique company...We

like facing huge challenges and succeedingagainst enormous odds,” Lopez said whenMeralco marked its centennial.Shining momentToday, as the company moves even far-

ther into new journeys and a new year to-gether, the bonding with each other in theMeralco family remains very strong.And now that the dust has settled after

all the anniversary preparations and dailylife has descended on the Meralco familyagain, there remains a lift to the spirit, askip to the walk, a new bit of self discov-ered in the work and revelry, for that shin-ing moment every Meralco employee canlook forward to: its yearly anniversary.

Mabuhay at salamat, mga kasama!Winners in the singing contest with judges, exe

Shining moment...from page 1

The flag raising rites on March 13 kickedoff Meralco’s 103rd anniversarycelebration

Joafa

Lineman’s rodeo Xtreme Challenge participant

Shared Services jubilates after capturingthe coveted cheering competitionchampionship

MOVE over, Fab Five, Meral-co’s Corporate Image Commit-

tee (CIC) has carried out the motherof all makeovers.The corporate image program imple-

mented by the CIC won a Lopez Achieve-ment Award for communicating the com-pany values (integrity, quality, productiv-ity, teamwork and malasakit) and its direc-tions and activities to stakeholders,leading to a positive corporate image andbusiness reputation.In particular, the CIC achievement en-

gineered a complete turnaround of Meral-co’s public image by clearing issues tomake these understood by the public, re-stored the public’s trust and protectedbrand image and restored pride in the com-pany among employees.Around 2003, Meralco was getting it

from consumer rights advocates and politi-cians because of the controversial over-charging and PPA (purchased power agree-ment) issues. That the company maintainedits silence only fueled the customers’ dis-trust, until the continued barrage of brick-bats took its toll on the company.Meralco chairman Manuel M. Lopez

(MML) tapped Atty. Monico V. Jacob tohead a CIC, with members coming from thedifferent offices that had a direct impact onthe company’s image. The team took stockof the issues, identified the stakeholders anddeveloped possible solutions for all issues.A communication framework called “Pag-papaliwanag at Pagpapahalaga” was alsodeveloped together with an ad agency.Mike Lopez, Meralco marketing head

and a member of the CIC, recalled: “At thetime, the refund was the heaviest issue.MML explained to all employees that thecompany did not overcharge; we weremerely following a generally accepted ac-counting principle that allows income tax asan opex [operational expenditure] item.”Knowing that internal communication

was very important, Meralco’s CorporateCommunication and HR departments tookthe lead in disseminating pertinent infor-mation.“The biggest leap was the proactive

man-on-the-street approach we took,” Mike

7LOPEZLINK May 2006

1972Ferdinand Marcos de-clares Martial law.Army troops enter theMeralco compound.The Lopezes are even-tually forced to handover their shares inMeralco and MSC.

1973On November 29,1973, in Honolulu,Don Eugenio signs theagreement that handsover the 27% Benpresholdings in MSC to theMarcos-controlledMeralco Foundation.

1976In a long-drawn pro-cess lasting from 1976to 1979, Meralco sellsall its power plants(except Rockwell) toNapocor and becomesa distribution compa-ny.

1986In February, the dicta-tor is toppled. The newgovernment se-questers his and hiscronies’ alleged hold-ings, including Meral-co. Manuel “Manolo”Lopez, son of Don Eu-genio, is named presi-dent. Under his leader-ship, the companysoon recovers fromyears of losses, declin-ing morale and sky-rocketing systems loss.

1991On September 30,1991, the SupremeCourt rules that thereare no legal obstaclesto the Lopez Group’sreassertion of controlover Meralco. It com-pels the Sandigan-bayan to lift the se-questration on Meralcoshares. With that, FirstHoldings is able to goahead with the buy-back of the controllinginterest in Meralco.

1992On January 8, Meralcois listed in the Manilaand Makati stock ex-changes for the firsttime.

1995Manolo Lopez launch-es the Meralco Trans-formation Project(MTP). Under the MTP,core and support busi-ness processes arereengineered for fasterand better delivery ofservice to customers.Meralco computer sys-tems are revamped tobe integrated andmore responsive to theneeds of a reengi-neered company.

2003Meralco marks its cen-tennial on March 14.

EXECUTIVE FEATURE

Chemistry does it for Meralco’s

‘dynamic duo’

MERALCO chairman and CEOManuel M. Lopez (MML) andMeralco president and COO JesusP. Francisco (JPF) have been work-ing together for the last 20 years.“We have a fine working ar-

rangement, with Chito (Francis-co) handling the technical part ofthe operations plus dealing withthe regulators and media. Ourchemistry is very good,” saysMML.MML, on the other hand, is in-

volved in the human resourcesand administrative side of thecompany. Francisco describeshim as a warm, thoughtful andfamily-oriented man. “He loveshis wife, his grandchildren, hisentire family. He’s also quite dis-ciplined as a CEO, his workinghabits are admirable.”Both started their engagement

with Meralco as managementtrainees, MML in 1965 and Fran-cisco in 1971.First pay raiseFresh from his work as a

banker in PCIBank, MML re-ceived assignments from the Mer-alco personnel manager in a pro-gram to familiarize himself withthe operations of the company.For a little over a year, he wentaround the Meralco franchise areawith meter readers, collectors andline crews, and worked in thebranches to get a grassroots feel ofthe business.Francisco, an engineer with

two majors (Mechanical and Elec-trical), was invited to join Meral-co in his second year of graduatestudies at the Asian Institute ofManagement. Three senior execu-

tives interviewed him before hemet the late Eugenio H. Lopez Sr.(Don Eñing), who was then con-fined at the John F. Cotton Hospi-tal.“You’re not hired until Don

Eñing says you’re hired,” the ex-ecutives told him. But the old manseemed to like him and gave himhis first pay raise at their firstmeeting.“I was so happy. I got my first

(salary) increase and I had noteven reported for work yet,” Fran-cisco recalls. He joined the com-pany soon after graduation andwas assigned to the operationsand engineering side of the busi-ness.Meralco OICFast forward to 1986, after

EDSA 1 restored democracy tothe Philippines.MML was called to Mala-

cañang by then President Corazon

moted to executive vice president(EVP) and COO by 1999.Opening doors to homegrowntalents“You don’t enter a company as a

management trainee and think ofbecoming president 30 years later. Itjust doesn’t happen that way. Onlywhen I became EVP did the thoughtenter my mind. But still, because Iwas practically the same age asManolo (MML), I thought that thatwas it. And then he (MML) told mebefore the stockholders’ meetingthat I would become president,”Francisco narrates.Two years later, in 2001, Fran-

cisco was elected president by theMeralco board chaired by MML.This decision was widely inter-preted as opening the doors ofleadership to homegrownMeralcotalents, especially engineers.Since then, the “dynamic duo”

of the country’s largest electricutility has faced myriad chal-lenges in the country’s slowly butsurely deregulating power indus-

try. The Electric Power IndustryReform Act or Epira became lawalso in 2001.“Five years after Epira, we see

everybody struggling with the im-plementation of the law. We’rejust beginning to find out how thecountry will fare in this kind of anenvironment. We’re about to loseour monopoly. What we want is tosteer the company through thismaze of new regulatory rules, andevery rule is a revelation,” saysFrancisco.Persevere and believeMML recognizes that the com-

pany is operating in a populist en-vironment beginning with the dif-ferent courts, and that customershave become more demandingand discriminating. His prioritiesare to put Meralco into good fi-nancial condition, to restore thepublic’s trust in the company andto create a positive image for itbefore he retires.Francisco says in the Lopez

Group, the members go through

tough times as well as good timestogether. “What binds us is thatwe are part of a group of compa-nies with values, which are veryclear and to which we all strive tobe faithful. In the case of Meralco,it’s malasakit.We all subscribe togood corporate governance andlofty ideals. We hope the rest ofthe companies are proud of whatwe at Meralco have achieved andappreciate what we’re goingthrough.”As fo r MML, he adv i ses

coworkers in the Lopez Group topersevere and to continue believ-ing in company management.“We have been through diffi-

cult times not only now but evenbefore. We survived 13 and a halfyears of martial law with ourheads high and our dignity intact.We did not compromise our prin-ciples or integrity. We shall sur-vive our difficulties in the differ-ent periods of our corporate histo-ry. All I ask for from (all of us) ishard work and loyalty.”

Aquino and was asked to joinMeralco as assistant officer-in-charge (OIC). Former senator Te-ofisto Guingona Jr. was appointedas OIC.“A month or two after that ap-

pointment, Tito (Guingona) de-cided to accept the position ofCOA (Commission on Audit)head, leaving the OIC position inMeralco vacant.”Events occurred so fast that

MML believes his path towardleading Meralco was more by “ac-cident.” Malacañang approved hisassumption of the OIC post on atemporary basis. But byMay 1986,following the annual stockholders’meeting, the Meralco board of di-rectors elected him to be the newpresident of the company.At this time, Francisco was a

very new senior vice president ofMeralco, having been promotedabout a month before EDSA 1. Hecontinued to work mainly on thetechnical side of the company andwith MML as president, was pro-

By Carla Paras-Sison

ecutives and other finalists

Joyous bursts of light and color marknother year of service for the Meralcoamily

ts

Meralco chair & CEO Manuel M. Lopez Meralco president & COO Jesus Francisco

8 LOPEZLINK May 2006

CSR ACTIVITIES

‘Buntis Is It!’ ngDZMM sa May 14 na!EXTENDED ang selebrasyon ng Moth-er’s Day ngayong buwan dahil sa han-dog ng DZMM Radyo Patrol 630 na li-breng nationwide seminar para sa mgamalapit nang maging ina at sa mga tatayrin—ang Buntis Congress, na nasa ikaa-pat na taon na ngayon!

Sa May 14, 2006 na ang event namay pamagat na “Buntis Is It!” nagaganapin sa Market! Market! TradeHall sa Fort Bonifacio, Taguig.

Nagsimula na ang registration saDZMM Public Service Center, Foun-dation Building, ABS-CBN Complex,Quezon City daily from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.Registrants must bring their pink

book for authentication of their preg-nancy.

Libu-libong kababaihan ang mabibi-gyan ng iba’t-ibang kaalaman tungkolsa safe motherhood at maternal care.Kasama rin sa programa ang mgakaalaman para sa mag-asawa at mgatatay.

Isa ang Buntis Congress sa librengservice-oriented projects ng DZMM,gaya ng monthly medical mission“Oplan MM”; livelihood seminar “Car-avan Kaalaman”; nationwide masschristening na “Binyagang Bayan”; atang sariling fire brigade ng istasyon.(Joy Villaroman)

Opening doors to infinitepossibilities in MNTC VillageEIGHT-year-old Teodora Oquinathought she was dreaming when shestepped into the threshold of her cleanand roomy new home, one of 50structures that formed Lopez-MNTC-GK Village in Marilao, Bulacan.

Oquina belonged to one of thefamilies whose shanties were re-placed with durable, secure struc-tures through a joint project ofManila North Tollways Corp.(MNTC) and Gawad Kalinga (GK).MNTC had allotted P5 million of itscorporate social responsibility fundsfor the housing project in 2005.

“We have not just inaugurated arow of brand new houses,” MNTCchairman Oscar M. Lopez said dur-ing the inauguration of the village.

“Today, we have, together, openeddoors to infinite possibilities. Maythis be, for these families, the be-ginning of a brand new future.”

OML committed to provide an ad-ditional P2.5 million for the construc-tion of another batch of 50 homes inLopez-MNTC-GK Village.

MNTC officials and employees hadregularly motored to Bulacan to workwith the beneficiaries and GawadKalinga volunteers in building thehomes. The group is currently buildinganother 50 houses in the secondLopez-MNTC-GK Village in ManoloCompound in Valenzuela City.

Oquina was not the only onewho was teary-eyed with thankful-ness on that day.

“Nasubukan ko lang po kumainsa lamesa nang bago na ang bahaynamin,” said “Mary Jane,” a sec-ond grader with a shy smile. “Datipo sa sahig lang kami kumakain.”“Hindi ko alam kung panaginip

ang nangyaring ito,” Oquina said.“Ang laki-laki ng pasasalamat kosa Lopez Group, MNTC at GK.”(Kit Ventura)

Lopez Group and MNTC chairman Oscar M. Lopez (3rd from left) with (l-r) MNTC president Jose de Jesus, Fr. Vic Robles ofthe National Shrine of Divine Mercy, GK executive national director Antonio Meloto, MNTC director for corporatecommunications Marlene Ochoa and resident Leonisa Velarde beside the marker of Lopez-MNTC-GK Village.

Family planningmotivators inthe makingAPRIL was a busy month for the core teamsof the Family Planning (FP) in the WorkplaceProgram of the Lopez Group.

FriendlyCare Foundation Inc.’s Dr. AbelGuevarra conducted FP Interpersonal Moti-vation seminars in Meralco, First SumidenCircuits Inc., SkyCable, Tollways Manage-ment Corp. and ABS-CBN BroadcastingCorp. to train participants in motivating peersand colleagues to use proper FP methods.

Before the seminars, pretests showed thatthe participants have existing knowledge onFP. After attending the seminars, posttest re-sults revealed an increase of 75%-100% in FPknowledge. Hopefully these participants willbecome active FP peer motivators in their re-spective companies. Meanwhile, the nursesof the participating companies have startedtraining in FP counseling, modern FP tech-nology, and Training of Trainers (TOT) onFP.

For more information on the Lopez GroupFP program, please get in touch with DianneMiñon of Lopez Group Foundation Inc. at0921-3725261. (Vanessa Suquila)

First Gen joins EnvironmentalAwareness Week celebrationFirst Gen Corp. sponsored the celebra-tion of Environmental Awareness Weekthat was organized by Ilawan Inc. andTugdaan Center for Mangyan communi-ties in Paitan, Naujan, Mindoro recent-ly.

Recognizing that indigenous peoples(IPs) such as the Mangyans are at theforefront of environmental stewardship,First Gen supported this event that pro-vided a venue for increasing theirknowledge and skills on environmental

conservation and sustainable develop-ment.

First Gen vice-chairman and CEOPeter Garrucho graced the occasion andattended some of the ceremonies thattook place.

ABS-CBN’s “Correspondents” teamfeatured the event and also the TugdaanCenter for Learning and Developmentwhere the event was held. The centerhouses a preschool and high school ded-icated to Mangyans, among others.

Now clicking: Lopez CSRDid you know that the majority ofCorporate Social Responsibility(CSR) programs of the Lopez Groupof companies and foundations are ineducation? Browsing through themaster list of Lopez CSR programs-student scholarships, teachers’ train-ings, educational TV programs, freeInternet connection for publicschools, and school facilities en-hancement—you will see that en-lightening the minds of communitiesis the dominant development goal ofthe Lopez Group.

So where can you see theseLopez CSR trends, programs,news, interviews of beneficiaries,and other information? LopezGroup Foundation Inc. (LGFI) pre-sents its website, www.lopez-group.org, the one-stop informa-tion center of the Lopez Group’sCSR initiatives.

Starting mid-May 2006, inter-national donors, media, privatesector and the global public will beable to access the website. LatestCSR reports (2005 to first quarter2006) and the CSR publication“Bridges” covering 2000-2004 canbe downloaded from the website.

Lopez Group members are wel-come to send their articles and reportsto LGFI at email address vans@lopez-group.org. Please call LGFI at 449-6060 for more information.

9LOPEZLINK May 2006

Remembering Don Eñingsenator. At the Francisco lawoffice on the Escolta, hemeets Claro M. Recto. Rectowas a partner in the firm (thencalled Francisco, Recto andLualhati) and already minori-ty floor leader of the House ofRepresentatives. Despite the11-year age difference, thetwo lawyers had much incommon—both were prod-ucts of Spanish Jesuits at theAteneo, wedded to Spanishculture in an increasinglysajonista (Saxonistic) age,and ardent nationalists.

The second person wouldmake the most profound dif-ference in Don Eñing’s life:Pacita “Nitang” Moreno. Sherecalled: “I met my husbandin a party of the BachelorsClub, which was the topmen’s club before. He wasthen the president of the cluband I was brought to the partyby my brother, Federico. AndI met him there.”

Nitang was then a fourth-year high school student atSt. Scholastica and the museof another club of youngManilans. Then, Don Eñinghad not made up his mindwhether to pursue Nitang.1925

Don Eñing renews tieswith Nitang at the social sen-sation of Manila that sum-mer, the celebration of thefirst complete Madrid-to-Manila flight. This time, the

two fall in love. Don Eñingproposes to Nitang on Jan-uary 4, 1928. At daybreak onJanuary 14, he marries Paci-ta; he is 26, she 19. Theirwedding lasted 47 years andproduced five children.1942

The Lopez couple’s thirdchild, Manuel (Manolo), isbo rn on May 20 . (From“Phoenix: The Saga of theLopez Family” by Raul Ro-drigo)

Exhibit @ Lopez Museum

‘Babble, Bauble’exhibit opensMay 12WHILE it is no longer cutting edge to invokethe trope of “the gaze” in showing nor writ-ing about the way women have been lookedat and look out into the world at large, it stillappears instructive to see whether the womanas virgin, whore and hag archetypes are per-petuated or in fact challenged in as seminal atrov e as the Lopez Memorial Museum’s.

After all, the museum is involved in theproject of educating and reeducating both itsaudience and its prime stakeholders, so muchso that “Babble, Bauble” hopes not only toreread seemingly passive/static depictions,but also to peel and reveal signs of iconic re-sistance/defiance, whether subtle or overt, invarying domains of visual culture.

The Lopez Memorial Museum is at G/FBenpres Building, Exchange Road cor. Mer-alco Avenue, Pasig City. Museum days andhours are Mondays-Saturdays, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.,except holidays. For more information, callF anny a t 631 - 2417 o r ema i l p e z s e-um@skyinet.net.

Awaken the artist or athlete inyou and your kids through theseexciting summer workshops:

Lopez MemorialMuseumTel. no. 631-2417 (Fanny)Five Saturday mornings

starting May 6, 2006 (9 a.m. to12 noon)Book Illustration Workshop

paste and collage paper to createtoys. Quinto is a visual artist whohas exhibited here and abroad.She is the president of KASIBU-LAN and past president of thePhilippine Art Educators Associ-ation. Fee of P4,000 is inclusiveof materials.May 9-12, 2006 (1 p.m.-4 p.m.)Comic Book WritingWorkshop (for ages 14-16)Prof. Emil Flores will teach theform and structure of the comicbook, with particular emphasison the scriptwriting aspect ofstorytelling. Exercises will focuson writing elements and on sto-rytelling. The comic book’s his-tory and cultural significancewill also be discussed. Work-shop product will be a full scriptthat may be turned into a fully il-lustrated comic book. Prof. Flo-res teaches at the Department ofEnglish and Comparative Litera-ture of the University of thePhilippines. He has adaptedPhilippine short stories intocomics form for the UP Press.Fee of P3,000 is inclusive of ma-terials.May 16-19,2006 (2 p.m.-4 p.m.)Portraiture WorkshopThe fundamentals of portraitureand its basic construction in a va-riety of materials will be taught tointerested college-age partici-pants and other art enthusiasts.The workshop will involve paint-

ing, collage, sculpture and maskmaking. Faci l i ta tor is AmyAragon, a UP College of FineArts graduate pursuing a graduatedegree in Art Education in thesame university. She teaches artwhile actively exhibiting. Fee ofP6,000 is inclusive of materials.ABS-CBN Center forCommunication Arts Inc.Tel. nos. 416-9366 or 415-3828May 8 to 26, 2006 (15 sessionsevery day from Monday toFriday. Morning session for kids4 to 12 years old, afternoon forteens and evenings for adults)B a s i c A c t i n g — P 7 , 2 0 0 ;Voice—P7,100; Dance—P5,800;Speech and Ora l Dec l ama-tion—P6,500; Martial Arts (prac-tical self-defense/cinematicwushu)—P5,950; Musical The-ater—P8,100 (kids) /P8,400(teens).

May 22-26, 2006Image Enhancement (fivesessions, from 1 p.m.-5 p.m.)P5,400Requirements are payment ofregistration fee and two pieces2x2 ID pictures. Workshops areheld at the Center for Communi-cation Arts at 6/F Design and Tal-ent Center Building, EugenioLopez Street, Quezon City.Play Underground atRockwell

sions, kids are bound to developpatience and enthusiasm towardsanything that come their wayaside from learning the basics ofwall climbing.

Available schedule of class maybe either every Mondays andWednesdays or Tuesdays and Fri-days. Classes for kids ages 4 to 7years old are from 2-4 p.m. whilethose for 8 to 12 years old are from4-6 p.m. Module 2 starts May 15and ends on June 2, 2006.

P l a y Und e rg r o u n d Wa l lClimbing Center is at ParkingLevel 3 of Power Plant Mall,Makati City.Management Strategies Inc.Tel. nos. 750-8682 or 09178002712 (Marianne Carandang)May 9-12, 2006 (Session 1)May 16-19, 2006 (Session 2)Kids Leadership CampThe four-day youth leadershipcamp for 9-18 year-olds at Lagosdel Sol, Lake Caliraya, Lagunaprovides a safe and challengingenvironment where kids can learnto harness their leadership poten-tial, develop a sense of responsi-bility, become effective teamplayers and strengthen their lovefor the community and the envi-ronment. There will be team ex-ercises, raft building, treks, orien-teering, problem solving activi-ties, arts and crafts, nature pro-jects adventure races, and a lotmore!

MAY milestones in the life ofDon Eugenio “Eñing” Lopez:1924

Don Eñing completes hispostgraduate studies in Har-vard University in May. Soonafter his return to the country,he meets two people whowould profoundly influencehis life.

The first is a man he met athis first job—the one and onlytime he would ever be an em-ployee or practice law—at the

law f i rm of Vi-cente J. Francis-co, then one of

the bestlitiga-tors int h ecoun-t r ya n dlater a

WORKSHOPS

Book Illustration workshop for col-lege students and/or those whowish to create an appreciation forchildren’s books and learn aspectsof its production. The workshopwill be facilitated by Ilustrador ngKabataan’s (INK) Ouie Badelles,Jason Moss, Pepper Roxas andLiza Flores for five Saturdays be-ginning May 6 from 9 a.m.-12noon. Students will learn throughdiscussion and exploration ofdrawing, different media, character,layout and book production. Fee ofP3,000 is exclusive of materials.May 8-13, 2006 (9 a.m.-12 noon)Creative Toy Making Work-shop (for ages 6-10)Alma Quinto will mentor the par-ticipants as they fold, cut, tear,

Tel. nos. 898-0273, 0920-9079116 (Retchie/Joy)April 17-May 12 (Batch 1)May 15-June 2 (Batch 2)Play Underground’s Basic WallClimbing Classes are designed togive kids a fun and exciting expe-rience in a safe environment. Foronly P2,500-eight two-hour ses-

Eñing and Nitang with children Presy, Geny and Oskie in 1940

Pacita“Nitang”Moreno

10 LOPEZLINK May 2006

By Norman Sison

MASAYA ka ba sa iyong trabaho? Na-gagamit mo ba ang natural mong galing attalino sa paghahanapbuhay? Kumikita ka bang sapat para sa iyong pangagailangan?Alamin kung may pag-asa ka pang lumipatng trabahong magdadala sa iyo ng maligayaat komportableng pamumuhay.Doktor: P16,000-P1 milyon+

Pinakamahinang kumita ang rural healthphysicians na sumusuweldo lamang ngP16,000 kada buwan—malaking halaga naraw kasi iyon sa probinsiya.

Ang mga karaniwang GP o general prac-titioner ay nakakasingil ng P300 hanggangP500 bawa’t pasyente at nakakatingin ng 10hanggang 12 pasyente sa isang araw.

Ang mga private na OB-gyns aynakakasingil ng P30,000 hang-gang P50,000 sa pagpa-paanak, depende kungnormal o caesarean.

Ang mga co s-metic surgeons na-man ay P20 , 0 0 0hanggang P40,000ang singil para sa li-posuction at hang-gang P100,000 parasa iba pang surgicalb o d y r e p a i r . Angp i n a k am a l a k i n gganansiya ay para sam g a e s p e s y a l-ista—makakasingil silang P150,000 hanggangP200,000 bawa’t op-erasyon.

Kung masipag kang mag-aral at hindihinihimatay kapag nakakakita ng dugo,pwede ka pang mag-doktor.Lounge singer: P12,000-P36,000 kadabuwan

Kakanta ka sa clubs o hotel lounges tat-long beses isang linggo. Ang isang set ay 45minutes at kung babalik ka pa, another 45minutes. P3,000 hanggang P5,000 kada gabiang tatanggapin mo bilang solo performer, atkung bahagi ka naman ng isang banda, hati-hati kayo sa P20,000 hanggang P25,000.

Makakaasa ka ng konting tip kung maga-nda ang audience rapport mo. Kung sanay kasa puyatan at hindi sintunado ang boses mo,pwede ka pang mag-praktis para maginglounge performer.International airline captain: P300,000-P450,000 kada buwan

US$6,000 kada buwan ang pasimulang netpay ng mga international airline pilots, maydagdag pa kung lilipad ng higit sa nakatakdangoras. Libre ang tulugan at pagkain sa oras ngpagpapahinga sa destinasyon at pabalik. Librerin ang pagbiyahe ng pamilya. Kung malinawang mata mo, malusog ang pangangatawan atwala ka pang 40 anyos, mag-enrol sa flyingschool at baka sakaling makatapos ka pa ngkursong tugma sa pagiging piloto.Patnugot: P20,000-P120,000 kada buwan

Sa pangkalahatan, mababa lang ang swel-do ng mga editor ng diyaryo at magasin. Peromaraming freebies na maaasahan. Kung salifestyle o travel section ang toka mo, sigu-radong maiimbitahan ka sa mga hotel and re-sort openings, overseas trips at libreng taste-test sa mga naglalakihang restaurants.

P20,000 ang gross pay ng mga baguhangdesk edi tors , a t kung mahaba na angkaranasan, umaabot ng P60,000 para sa mgaregular section editors. Ang editor in chiefnaman ay tumatanggap ng P100,000 kadabuwan.

Ang sweldo naman ng chief editor ng mgaglossy magazines ay naka-base sa kinikita ng

magasin. Kung walang bumibili ng magasin,tag-gutom din ang editor kaya napipilitangsumulat din para sa ibang publications. Perokung popular at mabili ang magasin, aabothanggang P120,000 ang maiuuwi mo kadabuwan. Kung magaling kang mag-Ingles,matalas ang mga mata at metikuloso magtra-baho, mag-apply ka na.Bodyguard: P5,000-P50,000 kadabuwan

Kung pulitiko sa probinsiya ang bosingmo, standard pay na ang P5,000. Neto namaniyon, walang tax, bale allowance ang tawagdoon at kung hindi ka naka-duty, pwedeng-pwede kang kumita sa ibang paraan.

K u n gm a t a a s n aopisyal na-man ng gob-yerno o am-bassador ngibang bansa,m a g k a k a-

r o o n k a n gbuwanang swel-

do mula P15,000hanggang P25,000,pero babawasan paiyan ng tax. Bukod sataxable na sweldo,m e r o n k a n g a l-lowance na P250 aday para sa iyongp a g k a i n a t p a-masahe.

Kung may spe-cial training ka na-

man at mga presidenteng bangko at naglalakihang

private corporations o ang kanilang pamilya angkliyente mo, P30,000 hanggang P50,000 angsweldo mo, bukod pa sa overtime pay at dailymeal allowance. Kung handa kang mamataypara sa bosing mo, dagdagan mo ang life insur-ance coverage mo at pwede kang mag-body-guard.Waiter sa fine dining restaurant:P15,000-P30,000 kada buwan

College graduate ka dapat para maka-pagsimula sa P8,000 kada buwan. Pag-igihanmo ang training at magpakitang-gilas para tu-magal ka at makatanggap ng P15,000 kadabuwan matapos ang limang taon.

Ang maganda naman sa fine diningrestaurant, may porsiyento ka sa servicecharge at ang matatanggap mo kada buwanmula rito ay P8,000 hanggang P25,000.Idagdag pa ang mga tip na iniiwan ng mgamapagbigay na kliyente. Siyempre, libre angpagkain at may overtime pay.

Kung magaling ka mag-memorya at kayamo namang magbalanse sandamukal na drinkssa isang kamay, pwede mong subukan ito.Presidente ng bangko: P1 milyon-P1.5milyon

Dapat may MBA (Master of Business Ad-ministration) ka, major sa banking at financeat mahabang karanasan sa iba’t ibang aspetong pagiging bangkero. Kailangan mo ringpumasa sa standards ng Bangko Sentral ngPilipinas na tumitingin sa moral character ngmga gustong maging opisyal ng mga bangko.

Bukod sa buwanang sweldo, meron kangbonus o profit share, depende sa performanceng iyong bangko. May pa-kotse, pa-bakasyonat club memberships pa.

Kung below 30 years old at may MBA ka,maaari kang makapasok sa bank officerstraining program ng mga universal banks atmay pag-asa ka pang maging presidente ngbangko. Kailangan mo ng mga koneksiyon,mga dating kaklase o kamag-anak namakakapag-rekomenda sa iyo sa mga may-ari ng bangko.

Aling trabaho angmalakas sumuweldo?

FROM THE CORPORATE WELLNESS PROGRAM

Tubig, bawal sa mga nag-eehersisyo!Hinay-hinay lang sa pag-inom ngtubig o sports drinks kapag nag-e-ex-ercise, lalo na ngayong tag-init, dahilito ay maaaring maging sanhi ngpagkamatay.

Ito na ngayon ang payo ng mgadalubhasa sa mga atleta pagkatapos ngmahabang panahon ng pagsasabi nadapat uminom ng maraming tubig oliquids habang nag-e-ehersisyo paramaiwasan ang dehydration. Ayon sakanila, mas delikado umano ang labisna pag-inom ng tubig o sports drinkssa ganitong pagkakataon dahil pina-palabnaw ng mga ito ang dugo nanagiging sanhi naman ng malubhangkaramdaman o kamatayan.

Sinabi ni Dr. Arturo Ludan, isangfellow ng Philippine Pediatric Society,American Academy of Pediatrics atPhilippine Society of Pediatric Gas-troenterology and Nutri t ion, nakinumpirma ng isang pagsusuri na in-ilathala sa New England Journal ofMedicine noong April 2005 ang “highincidence of hyponatremia” sa en-durance sports. Ang hyponatremia ayelectrolyte imbalance na nangyayarikapag bumababa sa normal level na135 mmol/L ang serum sodium ngisang tao. Ang mmol ay ang panukatng concentration ng sodium at ibapang electrolytes sa ating dugo.

Ang hyponatremia ay maaaringmaging sanhi ng panghihina, musclecramps o pagsusuka, at kung malala

na ang kaso, convulsion, coma o ka-matayan. Kadalasan, ang hyponatrem-ia ay dala ng labis na pagpapawis, hal-imbawa sa sports activities, o matagalna pagbababad sa init.

Sa isang report sa The New YorkTimes, pinaliwanag ng medical re-porter na si Gina Kolata na “during in-tense exercise the kidneys cannot ex-crete excess water as the body secretesa hormone that stops the excretion ofthe excess water via urine. As peoplekeep drinking, the extra water movesinto their cells, including brain cells.The engorged brain cells, with noroom to expand, press against theskull and can compress the brain stem,which controls vital functions likebreathing.”

Ang labis na pagpapawis, pali-wanag pa ni Dr. Luban, ay maaaringmaging sanhi ng pagkawala ng sodi-um sa ating katawan. Hindi kayangpunuin ng pag-inom ng plain water

(wala itong sodium) okahit ng mga kilalangsports drinks (mababaang sodium content) angs w e a t s o d i u m n anawawala sa pamamagi-tan ng exercise. Sa halip,nagiging sanhi pa angmga ito ng paglala ng hy-ponatremia.

Ang labis na pag-inomng low-sodium fluids ay

nagdadala ng acute dilutional hypona-tremia at reduced plasma volume. Ka-pag nabawasan ang plasma volume,ang ating katawan ay gumagawa ngantiduretic hormone (ADH); pinipigi-lan naman ng ADH ang paglabas ng“free water” sa ihi kung kaya’t nare-retain ito sa katawan at nagiging sanhing weight gain.

Dahil dito, kailangang i-reformu-late ang mga low-sodium sportsdrinks na nasa market ngayon. Mataaspa pati ang sugar content ng mga ito atmaaaring maging sanhi ng osmotic di-arrhea.

Sa ngayon, meron nang sportsdrink na angkop para sa tropical con-ditions pero wala pang go-signal mulasa Bureau of Food and Drugs upang i-market ito. Payo ni Dr. Luban, kalimu-tan na ang nakasanayang paniniwalaat laging alalahanin na ang labis napag-inom ng tubig at sports drinks aynakakamatay!

SPORTS

A slam-dunk success!An excited crowd of BayanTel employ-ees showed up at the ROC Astrodomeduring the final championship game ofthe 2006 BTI Inter-color BasketballTournament.

The Network 1 white team and Cust-Care 1 green team emerged as the lead-ing teams during the almost month-longtournament organized by the HROD-Employee Relations. The other teamsthat competed in the tournament werethe Support Group, the CustCare 2, theNetwork 2 and the Market Group.

The Network 1 white shirts tookhome the Championship via a 72-60win over the Customer Care 1 greenshirts, which took first runner-up.

The white team was powered byEffiel Canete and Allan Baloloy, with14 and 13 points, respectively, while

Arvin Vilan spelled the differencefor Network 1 with his rebounds.

Leading CustCare1 in scoring werePaul Licuanan and Carlo Fernandez, with20 and 17 points, respectively. The gamewas so closely contested that there was re-ally no clear indication of which team willeventually win until the closing minutes;however, one moment that spelled troublefor the green shirts was their top scorerLicuanan fouling out with plenty of timeleft to play.

Named as the Mythical Five of thetournament were Network 1 center Gerry

BayanTel catches football feverWhen BayanTel decided to be-come involved in a sporting eventthat had some kick in it, it lookedno further than the Copa de Layainvitational football tournament.

The BayanTel-sponsored foot-ball competition was held at theSunken Garden of the University ofthe Philippines-Diliman where itwas witnessed by students and avidfootball followers. The tournamentwas an undertaking of the UP LayaFootball Club in cooperation withthe UP Diliman Office of the ViceChancellor for Community Affairs.

Five teams competed in single-round-robin fashion: the UP Varsi-ty Football Team, the UP Interna-tional Community, the UP College

of Human Kinetics, the UP LayaFootball Club and the Sunken Gar-den United.

Literally “kicking off” the tourna-ment was BayanTel chief executiveconsultant Tunde Fafunwa, a self-confessed football enthusiast whohad often played the game in hisyouth. Fafunwa congratulated the or-ganizers for a successful opening andwished them well in their efforts topromote football in the Philippines.

BayanTel complemented thefast and relentless action of theCopa de Laya football tournamentby showcasing logos of its SKYDSL Internet service and BL@STprepaid Internet card products atthe venue. (D. Jazmines)

Action during the championship gamebetween Network 1 and CustCare 1

Castilla, CustCare 1 forwards Carlo Fer-nandez and Paul Licuanan, Network 1guard Allan Baloloy and Network 1 guardEffiel Canete. (Dimpy Jazmines)

BayanTel chief executive consultant Tunde Fafunwa(center) jams with the Copa de Laya tournamentfootball players on opening day

11LOPEZLINK May 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 April puzzle

DDDeee aaa rrr RRRooo sss iii eee

ACROSS1. A mode of transportation

used by the KCFI teamto reach far-flung barrios

6. ‘Batang - - - - -,’ benefi-ciaries of KCFI’sLenten fundraiser

10. ABS-CBN’s new personnelare guided by the system ofprinciples on this

12. Shorter than an eon13. Rhode Island, for short14. Ressa, Valdes and Villa,

individually16. Bayan Foundation presi-

dent, for short17. This org behind the Best

Annual Reports Awardsis “in a position of fame”

19. So far yet so ----21. River, according to a

Spaniard22. News from this is read,

heard and seen by morethan a billion people daily

24. At, kung ayon sa taga-Maynila

25. Diana, not26. Say good night to this veep28. Electrocardiogram, ac-

cording to Fritz30. Arts and Sciences, for

short31. These should appeal to

a lawyer33. Professional press rela-

tions officer-34. Iowa, for short35. An affirmative reply37. Life story in brief38. The, according to a señorita39. - - - - Edition, third in-

stallment of ’Pinoy BigBrother’

41. ‘Pinoy Big Brother’Celebrity Edition BigWinner Reeves

44. Atienza or Leah46. Sunny East Coast state,

for short47. Crowd at the Megastar’s

concerts, for example48. Servo or Brynner

DOWN2. If you can’t read this,

get IOLs at this place

3. New Testament4. OML is one5. Artificial intelligence6. The president of this

org was guest of honorat the MAP event

7. Social and economic de-velopment planning andpolicy coordinating body

8. Either9. Jig or Bobby11. ABS-CBN’s head of

Newsgathering Villa13. Recipient of Rotary

Peace Award, first name15. Surrounded by16. Fly or God, also18. Lopez Group sports

fest, whose next editionis slated for June

20. She dropped the Little Boy23. A symbol for modest

undertakings27. Foundation engaged in

micro finance29. You comrade, said Juan

dela Cruz31. A colorful ABS-CBN

Publishing title32. Southeast33. HR Council Core member

from Benpres, first name36. - - - - Records, co. behind

LAA winner for ‘My FirstLessons with Jollibee’

37. Bachelor of Education38. Chair Oscar M. Lopez

addressed Lopez Groupemployees at the cere-mony for this

40. Lopez Group chair42. This transponder’s handle

is not difficult to remember43. New style45. International unit

BY now you may have heard that, final-ly, our Palaro 2006 will push throughnext month. The HR Council is stillworking on the nitty-gritty—such astransportation arrangements and a mil-lion other logistical details—but theevent will definitely be held at theMarikina Sports Park. The other ques-tion on everyone’s mind is, who will bethe one to wrest the crown from lastyear’s champ, Benpres? Let’s wait andsee!

Some of us may have sighed in reliefwhen the Lopez Group’s first climb onMt. Sto. Tomas was finally over. It wasdefinitely no joke trekking up the 7,500-feet-above-sea-level peak in one of thecoldest regions in the country. Still, it wasworth it to see that sunset and sunrisefrom the vantage point of the summit, notto mention communing with nature and bonding with fellow em-ployees.

A reminder before we go: Don’t forget to give your moms a hugand a kiss on Mother’s Day, May 14. Power Plant Mall has an ex-citing lineup of activities and surprises for the hardworking andbeautiful queen that Mom is, so make sure to pass by the mallthen—or anytime this month, in fact.

Now, here are a few questions from our readers.ooOoo

This may sound weird but I’d really like to know whether Mss.Ressa, Valdes and Villa are on the blogosphere.—BJ

ABS-CBN’s news divas say they don’t blog, but they’re cer-tainly somewhere there in cyberspace.

ooOooBakit hanggang ngayon meron pa ring “sawa stories” sa “TVPatrol”?—Adrian

Luchi Cruz-Valdes, head of ABS-CBN’s Current Affairs andNews Cluster, replies: It’s been some time since we aired sawa sto-ries. For the record though, there was a news peg to the sawa sto-ries we did: the unusually high number of snakes showing up inthickly populated areas like Roxas District in QC. In other words,

we were not doing the sawa stories simply to rate—thoughI will admit sawa stories are raters.

Eventually, after we had tackled all possible news angleson this environmental “palaisipan,” nagsawa na rin kamisa mga sawa. Having said that, let me state that if we chanceupon a sawa story that’s really newsworthy and exception-ally interesting visually, we will air it again, but probablynot in the same frequency. More noteworthy though is thatwe have decided to parlay this animal story obsession intosomething along the lines of Discovery Channel’s “CrocChronicles” by coming out with “Animal Patrol,” a segmenton rare, wild animal species and the need to understand

them and help preserve them for environmental sustainability. Thesegment is hosted by our local Brady Barr, Kim Atienza. I am happyto report that we’re getting good feedback on it.

ooOooHow exactly is CIS connected to Meralco? Is it a subsidiary ofthe company?—Zoe L.

Here’s some background information on CIS: While CIS wasactually organized in 1974, its roots go back to the early account-ing and EDP departments of Meralco. After World War II, Mer-alco acquired IBM tabulating equipment and unit record machinesfrom the US Army and began an aggressive use of informationtechnology. In 1974, Meralco spun off its EDP department. Theindependent subsidiary was given the name Computer InformationSystems, whose activities closely parallel developments in the lo-cal computing, I.T., and eBusiness histories.

ooOooIf you have questions, comments, opinions, suggestions andreactions about anything and everything about the LopezGroup, please send them to Dear Rosie through fax no. 633-3520 or to DearRosie@benpres-holdings.com. Maramingsalamat!

Huling hirit sa summerPANAHON na naman upang ba-likan at muling bisitahin ang ilansa mga pagdiriwang sa bandanghilaga, lalo na sa Bulacan. Ihan-da ang kotse, siguraduhing dalaang EC Tag para sa North LuzonExpressway—at tara na!

ang mga kalabaw at dinadala sasimbahan kung saan ang mga itoay winiwisikan ng holy water.Pagkatapos nito, pinaparada angmga kalabaw sa buong bayanbago idaos ang highlight ng fes-tival—ang carabao race.

Naniniwala ang mga taga-Pulilan na sa patuloy na pagdi-wang ng Carabao Festival, silaay mabibiyayaan ng masaganangani sa buong taon.

May 17-19Obando Fertility RitesObando, Bulacan

“San t a C la r ang p inung -pino/Ang pangako ko ay gani-to/Pagdating ko sa Obando,Sasayaw ako ng pandanggo.” Itoang dalangin kay Santa Clara ngmga babaeng dumadayo sa fertil-ity rites sa Obando, isa sa mga ki-la lang pagdir iwang tuwingMayo.

Kung ang hiling mo ay matag-puan ang taong iyong mapapan-gasawa, baka matulungan ka ni

San Pascual Bay-lon, patron saint ngfertility, wealth atabundance; pina-payuhan din angmga mag-asawa nagustong magka-roon ng anak nalalaki na magdasalkay San Pascual.Sagot naman ng LaCon c e p c i o n d eNuestra (o Virgende Salambao), pa-tron saint din ng mga mangingis-da, ang isang masaganang anipara sa mga magsasaka.

Siyempre pa, kahit saan kaman magpunta sa Pilipinas, hindimawawala ang Santacruzan, angreenactment ng paghanap niSaint Helena sa Holy Cross. Angprusisyon na ito ang highlight ngFlores de Mayo na siya namangpagpupugay sa Birheng Maria.

Kasama nina Reyna Elena,Prinsipe Constantino, Reina Fe,Reina Esperanza at Reina Cari-

d a d a n g mga s umu s u n o d .Subukan nyong hanapin kungmay Santacruzan sa lugar ninyo:Reina Judith (dala ang pugot naulo ng heneral na si Holofernes),Reina Mora (ang sumasagisag saMuslim Filipinos), Banderada(babaeng nakapula na maydalang maliit na bandila), Samar-itana (ang babaeng nakausap niKristo sa balon, may dalang ga-long) at si Methuselah (anglalaking nagtutusta ng buhanginna nakalagay sa kawali).

MNTC recommends

May 15Carabao FestivalPulilan, Bulacan

Isa ang Pulilan sa mga lugarsa Pilipinas na nagbibigay-pugaysa tinaguriang beast of burden.Sa araw na ito, na siya ring feastday ni San Isidro Labrador na pa-tron saint ng mga magsasaka,pinapaliguan at “binibihisan”

12 LOPEZLINK May 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)Frances Bumanlag (AEI)

Marlene N. Ochoa (MNTC)Marlon Arada (BayanTel)Juno Chuidian (Beyond Cable)Joseph Uy (ABS-CBN Publishing)Val Soliven (Rockwell)

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

What’s new from ABS-CBN publishing this May:The stars come out in Metro

I T ’ S a s t a r - s t u d d e dcelebrity issue for this May’sMetro as the jewels of ABS-CBN’s Star Magic—Clau-dine Barretto, Bea Alonzo,Kristine Hermosa, AngelicaPanganiban, Shaina Mag-d a y a o a n d M a j a S a l-vador—pose with star makerJohnny Manahan.

Inside, feast on the ladies’gorgeous portraits by SaraBlack and find out how theystarted, their best and worstmoments, and the beautyand fashion secrets they can’t do without.

Read up on fast slimming tips, listen to career women whoscaled down work for “mommyhood,” find the hottest newtropical getaway, and get a load of the latest in music, books,fashion and health!

Chalk’s makeover specialGet your act together and change your life—it all

begins with the little things, as you’ll learn in Chalk’sMay issue!

Go from simple to stun-ning, tweak your beautyroutines, find out how youcan change your outlook onlife and more! Plus, it’s theultimate primer on how to bediscovered—top agents andtalent managers give a step-by-step guide on how to getnoticed, while celebrities re-veal how they went fromanonymous to famous.

“Pinoy Big Brother”Celebrity Edition’s ZanjoeMarudo, our cover boy, alsotalks about his rise to fame.It’s all in Chalk this May!

FOOD ‘grills’ topchefs

In honor of Mother’s Day, FOOD in-terviews top chefs Gene Gonzalez, JessieSincioco and J Gamboa on how theirmoms supported their culinary career.

Also, find recipes for the dishes servedduring the food styling seminar conductedby Delores Custer—ChickenManila withprunes and olives, popcorn shrimp wrap,assorted seafood with peanut sauce,Anne’s butter cookies with walnut halves,and meat and potato casserole.

Why not go into business makingpizza dough right in your kitchen? FOOD carries a foolproofrecipe for crisp pizza crusts in seven easy steps. Try the recipefor your own home food negosyo or your family’s enjoyment.Get the newest issues of your favorite magazines at book-

stores and magazine stands nationwide. For subscriptions, con-tact ABS-CBN Publishing Inc. at 924-4101 or 415-2272 locals5656 or 5658 or Joena Cabrera at 415-2852. (Joseph Uy)

MALL FINDS

Mother’s Day at Power Plant Mall

Mom, you’re the best!By Mira Marasigan

POWER Plant Mall is abuzz with activity as wepay tribute to Mommy, Mama and Nanay onMother’s Day, May 14. Tell Mom she’s thebest, then make a day of it at Manila’s mostfashionable mall!“Filipinas.” Is a Lorenzo pays tribute to Fil-

ipina achievers in “Filipinas,” a photo exhibit atthe South Court (in front of Zara). The celebra-tion of Pinay power starts on May 11 and fea-tures black and white portraits of AnitaMagsaysay-Ho, Gilda Cordero-Fernando, Dr.Fe del Mundo, Virginia de Guia and LourdesMontinola.Hot buys. One Hot Summer Sale on May

19-21 coincides with another much-anticipated

event, the worldwide premiere of “The Da Vin-ci Code” on May 18. Cap your shopping adven-ture with this thriller directed by Ron Howard.

Shoppers are given the chance to open asealed vault and win up to P500,000 tax-free,all for a minimum credit card purchase of

P 1 , 0 0 0 i nPower PlantM a l l a n dH S B C ’ s“Crack theCod e P r o-mo.” Also,get a chanceto join theraffle and beone o f thef ive luckyrecipients ofa P100,000-s h o p p i n gspree. Pro-mo runs un-til May 31.

Fit for a queen. Stock up on Hava-iana bestsellers at AURA (R1 LifestylesSection).

(From left) Walk the talk in thelatest Havaianas: Cartunista, P895;High Look Café, P1,095; HighFlowers, P1,195; Filipinas, P795

Bag in fashion. Truelove is yours at TRÜ.(R2 Lifestyles Section)

Maya (small), P4,798.Also available in black,white and chocolate

And here’s a special treat forthe kids: Learn how to makeboard games, mobiles, head-dresses, masks, caps, puppets,bracelets, pop-up books and alot more this summer at the ArtStart Workshop 2006. Pre-regis-ter at the customer servicecounter of Fully Booked Rock-well or call 756-5001 for moredetails.

Carrie (top),P3,998.Colorsavailable:Antiquebronze,black andred