With a year to go before the May 2010 elections, ABS

June 2009
Available online at www.Lopezlink.ph
Meralco management buo pa rin...p.2
With a year to go before the May
2010 elections, ABS-CBN launches
Story on page 9
Studio Tours:
Walking the talk
ABS-CBN’s Studio Tours and Museum Walk department is abuzz
with activity when LopezLink drops in one afternoon. In a corner
of the reception area, guests cluster around a display of Kapamilya
collectibles. At the other end of the room, uniformed staff members
juggle phone calls underneath framed celebrity handprints.
A few steps away, mock-ups of different ABS-CBN productions—a centerpiece feature of the whole Studio Tours and Museum Walk experience—take up several showrooms. At the time of
LopezLink’s visit, these included TV shows “Wowowee,” “Maalaala
Mo Kaya” and the defunct “Rounin”; the news and current affairs
All you need to
know about
swine flu ...page 10
Gifts for Dad,
cool school
stuff for
the kids
in Power
Plant Mall
…page 12
Balikbayans plan their homecoming around a Studio Tours visit.
group’s 1969 “Man on the Moon” broadcast; and the Kris Aquino
starrer “Feng Shui.” A small preview room gives tour participants a
crash course on the history of ABS-CBN (see sidebar). These stops
are part of the tour/museum walk that attracts droves of fans to the
ABS-CBN headquarters every month.
Pre-Studio Tours, getting a close look at the ABS-CBN studios
and facilities, to a certain degree, was a matter of luck and good
timing. For example, students hoping for a free behind-the-scenes
Turn to page 6
Lopezlink June 2009
Lopez Group Q1 financial results
Mabagal na simula, pero may pag-asa
By Carla Paras-Sison
MABAGAL ang naging simula
ng taon para sa mga listed companies sa ilalim ng Lopez Group
noong first quarter ng 2009.
Maliban sa Energy Development Corporation (EDC)
na nagtala ng P1.28 bilyong
foreign exchange gain, pawang
humina ang net income attributable to equity holders of
the parent ng mga kumpanya.
Nagkaroon ng ganansiya ang
EDC sa pagpapalit ng yen- at
dollar-denominated loans nito
sa piso, gamit ang closing forex
rates noong Marso 31, 2009.
Gayunman, patuloy na lumakas ang revenues ng karamihan ng mga kumpanya, kaya
nagbabadya din ng mas maaliwalas na financial performance
habang lumalaon ang taon.
Mabili pa rin
Halimbawa, lumaki ang
consolidated revenues ng ABSCBN Corporation ng 24%,
kasama ang P878 milyong
kontribusyon ng SkyCable.
Bagama’t bumaba ng 2% ang
consolidated airtime revenues,
January-March 2008 financial results (unaudited)
TOTAL REVENUES
2008
2009
Net income/(loss) attributable to
equity holders of the parent company
% change
2009
% change
2008
P191M
+24
P242M
P4.26B
P5.29B*
ABS-CBN
(P176M)
+24
P60M
P4.26B
P5.29B
Benpres
P2.173B**
+16
P1.37B
P4.80B
P5.55B
EDC
-13ResultsUS$18M***
US$498M*** 2008
US$434M
First Gen Jan. 2008-March
Financial
(unaudited) US$14M
P178M
+15
P265M***
P17.96B***
P20.58B
FPHC
P653M
+2
P655M
P43.64B
P44.27B
Meralco
nanatiling mabili ang ABSCBN Global kaya pumalo
ang direct sales ng 17%, bago
pa idagdag ang direct sales ng
SkyCable. Malusog din ang
EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and
amortization) ng ABS-CBN
noong Q1 09 sa P1.35 bilyon,
o mas mataas ng 31% kaysa
noong Q1 08.
Inaasahang lalo pang titibay
ang ABS-CBN habang lumalawig ang top ranking nito sa
national TV audience measurement ng Taylor Nelson Sofres o TNS. Ang total day ratings ng ABS-CBN ay tumaas
mula 16% noong Pebrero sa
ANNUAL STOCKHOLDERS’ MEETINGS
June 11: Benpres Holdings Corp., Meralco Theater, 8 am
June 18: ABS-CBN Corp., Dolphy Theater, 8 am
June 30: Energy Development Corp., EDC head office, 2 pm
-21
-393
+58
-24
-33
almost 0
*Including P878 million revenue contribution from SkyCable,
**Including P1.278 billion foreign exchange gain
***As restated
18% noong Abril, at ang audience share ay matatag sa 44%.
Sa primetime naman ay nagtala ng 30% rating at 49% na
audience share ang ABS-CBN
noong Abril 2009.
Power group
Sa power group, bumaba
ng 33% ang net income attributable to equity holders of
the parent ng First Philippine
Holdings Corporation (FPHC)
dahil na rin sa pagkawala ng
kontribusyon ng toll roads.
Matatandaang binili ng Metro
Pacific group mula sa FPHC at
Benpres Holdings Corporation
ang toll roads business noong
Nobyembre 2008.
Sinabi ni Elpidio L. Ibanez,
pangulo ng FPHC, na
pinapagpatuloy ng FPHC ang
consolidation program nito.
“We are resolving the various
debt issues at both the parent
and subsidiary levels. We are
confident that we will emerge
from the financial turbulence
as a stronger and more vibrant
company,” sabi niya.
Nagtala naman ng P176
milyong net loss attributable
to equity holders of the parent
ang Benpres dahil sa pagkawala ng kontribusyon ng toll road
business at sa mas mababang
consolidated net earnings ng
ABS-CBN at FPHC.
First Gas wins ‘Deal of the Year’ plum
FIRST Gas Power Corporation won the 2008 “Asia Pacific Refinancing Deal of the
Year” award from ProjectFinance magazine.
First Gas earned the award,
which was announced in the
April 2009 issue of ProjectFinance, for its successful completion last year of a US$544million refinancing agreement
with nine large foreign banks.
ProjectFinance, an authoritative business magazine of Euromoney Institutional Inves-
tors, one of Europe’s largest
financial magazine publishers,
conducts the annual awarding
ceremony to recognize companies that show innovation and
outstanding achievement in
the global finance market.
According to ProjectFinance,
the First Gas deal was a “major
achievement” because it was finalized “at a time when lack of
liquidity, a spike in Libor rates
and unwillingness to lend long
term had frozen the debt market.” (Joel Gaborni)
FIRST
Philippine
“I am absolutely encouraged
Holdings Corporaby the great (valtion (FPHC) held
ue) potential of
its annual stockholdFPHC as a total
ers’ meeting at the
energy company,
Meralco Theater, with
a leader not just
chairman and CEO
in power genOscar M. Lopez
eration, but in the
(OML) presiding.
development and
In his message,
OML explained how Lopez Group chairman use of clean and
the global financial Oscar M. Lopez
renewable sources
and economic crisis hampered of energy—our energy for the
the company’s capital raising future,” OML stressed.
efforts and necessitated it to sell President and COO Elpidio
its entire stake in the toll roads L. Ibañez stated that the combusiness as well as a major part pany had to make difficult but
necessary decisions to realign
of its investment in Meralco.
But, OML said, he was con- its portfolio and strengthen its
fident that FPHC will emerge balance sheet.
from this period “uniquely “First Holdings will conpositioned to take on the for- tinue to devote efforts in parmidable challenges ahead.” He ing down debt and restoring
explained how the company financial strength and flexibilcontinues to focus on creating ity, while focusing on growing
value by its emphasis on clean our investment in First Gen
and renewable energy alterna- Corporation, through Energy
tives throughout its business Development Corporation,”
he said. (Benjamin Lopez)
portfolio.
EDC senior vice president Agnes de Jesus and ABS-CBN chairman Eugenio Lopez III (front row, 3rd and 5th
from left) with the heads of the other companies cited by the ICD.
meanwhile was the only Philippine media company to be
included on the list, attaining
a score of more than 90% in
the same scorecard. A third
Lopez Group company, First
Philippine Holdings Corporation, was also among the top
scorers.
The Institute of Corporate
Directors (ICD), in partnership with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC),
Philippine Stock Exchange
(PSE), and the Ateneo Law
School, conducted the evaluation in order to assess the
compliance levels of Philippine
corporations.
The corporate governance
scoreboard was based on five
internationally accepted corporate governance standards:
rights of shareholders, equitable treatment of shareholders,
role of stakeholders, disclosure
and transparency, and board
responsibilities. (Toni Nieva)
ENERGY Development Corporation (EDC) made it again
to the list of companies with
the highest ratings in corporate governance. The geother-
mal firm is among the silver
awardees, scoring between
90% and 94% in the 2008 corporate governance scorecard.
Corporation
ABS-CBN
AS a gesture of appreciation,
Meralco recently hosted a fashion event at the Rockwell Tent
Plaza Garden in Rockwell
Center showcasing the fashion
lines of Meralco Liwanag Card
partners for its Liwanag Card
holders.
Chairman and CEO Manuel M. Lopez welcomed Meralco’s loyal clients to the “thank
you” party, which had models
garbed in outfits from Meralco
fashion partners Analog Soul,
Cru, Tru, Luca, Nothing but
Water, No Curfew, Mico and
Bergamo sashaying down the
catwalk. Guest performers
Kris Lawrence and Jessa Zaragosa added to the electrifying
evening’s star power.
The Meralco Liwanag Card For more information about wanagcard.com.ph or to the
is an invitational loyalty card the Meralco Liwanag Card Meralco website at www.
program that rewards prompt- program, log on to www.li- meralco.com.ph.
paying customers with
different
benefits and
privileges.
These include
discounts at
partner stores
and
service
providers, express service at
Meralco call
centers
and
business centers, free personal accident
insurance and Meralco chairman and CEO Manuel M. Lopez (inset) welcomes Meralco Liwanag cardmany others. holders to the “thank you” party.
Meralco loyal customers enjoy perks
First Gas vice presidents Nestor Vasay (3rd from left) and Emmanuel
Singson (3rd from right) with representatives of the other organizations
that shared the ProjectFinance recognition: Paul, Hastings, Janofsky &
Walker; British Gas Philippines; Shearman & Sterling LLP; Bayerische
Hypo-Und Vereinsbank AG; and Société Générale.
FPHC: Moving forward Meralco management buo at matatag
today for tomorrow
NANATILING buo at matatag ang
management team ng Meralco matapos
ang annual stockholders’ meeting nito
nuong ika-26 ng Mayo na ginanap sa
Meralco Theater.
Iinihalal ng mga stockholders sa taunang pulong ang board of directors na
pinamumunuan ni Manuel M. Lopez
(MML) bilang chairman, Jose P. de Jesus, Napoleon Nazareno, Ray Espinosa at
Manuel V. Pangilinan na kumakatawan
sa Lopez-PLDT group; Ramon Ang bilang vice chairman at Estelito Mendoza
na kumakatawan sa San Miguel Corporation; Alan Ortiz at Mario Surio para sa
Government Service Insurance System;
at former Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban at Vicente Panlilio bilang independent directors.
Sa 1.11 bilyong issued and outstanding
shares ng Meralco, 936 milyon o 86.93%
ang represented sa stockholders’ meeting
in person or by proxy.
Sa organizational meeting matapos
ang pulong ng stockholders, inihalal si
MML bilang chairman at chief executive
officer at si De Jesus bilang president &
chief operating officer. Si Betty Sy naman
ang hinirang na chief finance officer.
Reaffirming Meralco commitment
Sa kanyang pahayag, sinabi ni MML:
“We warmly welcome both groups
Lopez Group firms among RP’s
best in corporate governance
(SMC and PLDT) to
Meralco…We reaffirm our commitment
that this year will be
better [than the last].”
Idinagdag ni MML
na tulad ng Meralco,
ang SMC at PLDT
groups ay mayroong
Meralco chairman Manuel M. Lopez (right) and president Jose
“commitment
to
de Jesus (left) flank San Miguel Corp.’s Ramon Ang, the new vice
customer service” at
chairman of the Meralco board.
nagdadala ng sarili
nilang “brand of business savvy, networks magbubunga ng maganda ang investand linkages” na lalong magpapatibay sa ment ng grupo sa Meralco, matapos maelectric utility.
aprubahan ang implementasyon ng PBR
Ayon naman kay De Jesus, ang pag- o performance-based regulation.
sasama ng tatlong respetadong busi- Sa ilalim ng PBR, pinapatawan ng
ness groups na PLDT, SMC at Lopez penalty ang distribution utilities na hindi
sa Meralco ay magtutulak sa manage- makapasa sa service level standards at
ment na magpunyagi para sa kapakanan binibigyan ng incentives ang mayroong
ng mga customers nito. “We will strive mataas na efficiency at reliability tulad ng
for higher customer satisfaction, to give Meralco.
better value for every peso spent by cus- Samantala, nagdeklara ng P1 per share
tomers, and to deliver electricity to every na cash dividend ang board of directors ng
home, office, school, factory and shop Meralco bago magsimula ang stockholdwithout fail,” sabi niya.
ers’ meeting. Ang mga stockholders as of
‘Magbubunga ng maganda’
record date June 9, 2009 ay makatatang Sa bahagi naman ng First Philippine gap ng dibidendo sa June 30, 2009. Ang
Holdings Corporation (FPHC), may-ari Meralco shares na traded sa Philippine
ng 13.4% ng Meralco, sinabi ni chairman Stock Exchange ay mabibili ex-dividend,
Oscar M. Lopez noong taunang pulong o walang dibidendo simula June 4. (C.P.
ng FPHC stockholders na umaasa siyang Sison/Meralco Corp Comm)
Rockwell Land: Solid as a rock
THE distinctive outline of
Number One Rockwell is anticipated to be one of the most
spectacular residential skyscrapers to grace the
Makati skyline
next year. More
than its unique
a rchitect ura l
design, Number
One Rockwell
is a testament
to how solid an
investment
a
Rockwell Land
property is.
In the present
economic slowdown where the
threat of dead-end investments
looms at every turn, the rise of
Number One Rockwell continues to go forward—steady
and unscathed. This is due to
developers’ credibility, their
commitment to stakeholders,
and their capability to deliver
despite the odds.
Rockwell weathered the
Asian economic crisis in the
late 1990s by simultaneously
building the four towers of The
West Block. The property was
completed and delivered on
schedule, and today stands as an
industry benchmark for quality
and premium lifestyle.
Rockwell Land has expanded its portfolio beyond the
Rockwell Center in Makati.
Its latest project, The Grove by
Rockwell, is set to refresh Ortigas with mid-rise residential
towers built amidst a vast landscape. The 5.4-hectare property
boasts of 75% open space consisting of six residential towers,
water features, party islands
with pocket gardens, and a retail cluster at the forefront of
the development.
For more information, visit
The Grove by Rockwell model
units at Power Plant Mall or
call 793-0088. Log on to www.
e-rockwell.com. (Vienn Tionglico)
Lopezlink June 2009
AEI wins Best Paper award ASIAN Eye Institute
(AEI) Lasik specialist Dr. Robert Ang and coauthor Dr. Karen
Reyes’ research paper titled “Epi-Lasik Flap-On Versus Flap-Off ”
won the Best Paper of Session in the American Society of Cataract
and Refractive Surgery
(ASCRS)
convention
held in San
Francisco,
California.
Their efforts,
one of the
research
initiatives
supported
by AEI, are
part of the
institute’s
advocacy in advancing the science and practice of ophthalmology
in the country. File photo shows Dr. Ang and Dr. Reyes with their
award. (Sheila Sochayseng)
PROMOS & OFFERS
HDTV from SkyCable
SKYCABLE makes high definition TV (HDTV) available to its
subscribers in Metro Manila! The
HDTV subscription requires the
use of an HD decoder box which
will decrypt SkyCable’s HD pay-per-view signal. SkyCable offers HISTORY HD, which features diverse historical genres,
ranging from military to contemporary history and technology to natural history, as well as science, archaeology and
pop culture; while Discovery HD has exclusive content from
Discovery’s extensive series and specials. For more information, call the SkyCable customer service hotline at 631-0000 or
text 0917- 6310000 and 0918-8631000. You may also log on to
www.skycable.com. (Arlene Torres)
Soar with SkyBroadband
Raise funds for your school org through the SkyBroadband
School Org Amazing Rewards (SOARs) program. Under
SOARs, school orgs will receive commissions and rewards
points by referring subscribers to SkyBroadband. To join, fill
up the registration form available at www.skybroadband.com.
ph or at SkyCable offices and submit it together with a school
certification for the organization; an organization certification
for the representatives; photocopy of the representatives’ school
ID and latest registration card; and ID pictures. Send documents to the nearest SkyCable office, email to mapingol@skycable.com or fax to 636-9292 loc. 6000. For more info, contact
the SkyBroadband marketing office at 636-9292.
MMLDC is ‘Big@10’
MMLDC celebrates its 10th anniversary with different value
packages for BIG@10: Isang Dekada ng Paglilingkod.” A
“BIG@10” package offers promo rates for rooms and facilities.
Included are overnight accommodation, full board, use of the
function rooms. Promo is available until October 31. Also on
offer are a live-out package rate that starts at P750 per person
and a live-in package rate starting at P1,945 per person. For
inquiries,
call 6328 1 1 1 ,
email astibayan@
mer a lco.
com.ph
or
visit
w w w .
mmldc.
org. (Peng
Young)
Did you miss an issue of LopezLink? Access our archives at www.Lopezlink.ph
Lopezlink June 2009
HRCOUNCIL
couch potato
Medical City offers
discounted rates
THE Lopez Group Corporate HR/HR Council
has entered into an agreement with The Medical City (TMC) to provide hospital services at
discounted rates to employees of Lopez Group
companies. These include outpatient consultations,
emergency treatments, hospitalization and other
similar services.
Under the agreement, TMC will extend a 15%
discount (from published rates) on all in-patient and
outpatient hospitalization charges, except professional
fees and charges for specially priced services such as
executive checkups. A further 7% corporate discount
will also be given. The discount will be applied after
deducting Philhealth benefits. The same discount will
also apply to immediate dependents of employees.
As TMC is an accredited hospital of Medicard,
the usual procedures of Medicard will hold in availing
of hospital services.
To avail of hospital services, employees should
present a letter of authorization signed by the company’s designated signatories. For emergency cases,
the employee should present his/her company ID card
and submit his/her application for leave of absence as
soon as possible. (Yiessa Borbon)
HR Calendar
Gabi ng Parangal 2009, July 1@Rockwell
Tent, Makati
Watson Wyatt survey says
Firms scale down to cope with crisis
WITH the global financial crisis
dampening demand for Philippine exports as well as business
confidence, companies are scaling down on labor expenses
to survive. Options available
include layoffs, shortened work
schedules, salary freezes, slashed
training budgets and reduced
bonus pools.
A survey of 178 companies
conducted in March 2009 by
Watson Wyatt Philippines
Inc. found 22% of respondents
implementing a salary freeze
this year, “based on a mandate
from their global/corporate offices.” The biggest hit is felt by
the export-oriented industry,
“particularly in the semiconductor/electronics manufacturing
sector.”
Several Lopez Group companies participated in the survey,
contributing to the knowledge
pool of human resource and industry practices in the country.
Results serve as benchmarks
for management planning and
guidance.
Salary increases slashed
Despite the financial crisis,
78% of survey participants will
still be providing salary increases
for 2009, although at a drastically reduced rate compared
to forecasts in the previous six
months. Of the 78% that will
provide a salary increase, 52%
have reduced their salary increase
budget and the average reduction
is by 2.65%.
Average salary increases for
workers were forecast at 5.35% in
March 2009, down from 9.50%
in August 2008. Excluding com-
PR CHALLENGE
The ‘Tweetable’ business model
More companies are getting on the
Twitter bandwagon. Kim Hart
in this article excerpted from The
Washington Post explains why.
TWITTER is becoming part of
the business strategy for a wide
range of brands. Some companies are realizing that a more
effective use of the microblogging tool is to mine it for clients,
recruit employees and answer
customer service questions.
Twitter is an easy way to
create buzz for a new product
launch or to alert customers to
a service outage. To that end,
some businesses are starting
to host Twitter tutorials for
employees.
Attendees at conferences
and other business-related
gatherings already use the
service to relate details on an
unusually interesting session or
to share news announcements.
For example, at a conference
focused on global health recently, Bill Gates released a
jarful of mosquitoes into a
biz EXCELLENCE
room to make a point about
the spread of malaria.
“And people found out
about that first on Twitter,”
said Steven Fisher, community
and social media manager at
Network Solutions, a web
hosting and online marketing
company based in Herndon,
Virginia.
Big companies such as
Dell are active in the “Twitterverse,” addressing customer
service issues, said Shashi Bellamkonda, Network Solutions’
panies implementing a salary
freeze, however, the average
salary increase forecast for
2009 is 6.99%.
‘Wait and see’ mode
According to the
latest Watson Wyatt’s
HR BEAT (Business
& Employee Analytics
and Trends), “at the
onset of the financial
crisis, majority of
the companies were
in a ‘wait and see’
mode…However, as the events
unfolded, it created pressure
on many organizations to revisit their salary spending plans
alongside other cost-reduction
initiatives. Thus, we have seen a
general conservatism in the more
recent runs of this survey.”
Majority of those surveyed are
medium-sized companies which
are considered as subsidiaries of
multinational companies. Average
headcount is 1,500 and annual sales
turnover ranges from P225.7 million to P21.8 billion. The sample
comprised business process out-
social media swami (yes, that’s
his real title).
Companies are now accustomed to monitoring blogs
and other consumer-generated
content for mentions of brands.
Similarly, Bellamkonda wants
Network Solutions employees to
take notice of any questions, complaints or other mentions of the
company that pop up on Twitter.
W. Roy Dunbar, the firm’s
chief executive, said it is even
more important to communicate with customers during an
economic downturn. He said
he gives his social media team
free rein to experiment with
new tools.
source/call center organizations,
hi-tech firms including telephone
companies, consumer products/fast
moving consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, financial services, and
others.
Variable bonuses
While majority of industry
forecasts indicate a slowdown in
business activity, 87% of respondents will still provide variable
bonuses to employees, 66% of
which are maintaining the same
level of bonus targets for this
year. Companies that will be reducing bonus pools for this year
(23% of sample) are maintaining
70% of last year’s target bonus
payout.
One-third of survey participants are expected to reduce
their manpower this year, while
60% intend to retain their training and development budgets
at the same level as last year.
For those who will be reducing
their training budgets (35% of
sample), projected decrease is at
30% of their 2008 budget. (Carla
Paras-Sison)
“Next time, we’ll conduct
the meeting entirely in tweets,”
Bellamkonda said.
It may be a short meeting.
LAA 2008 semifinalists known
FIVE team nominations have
clinched semifinalist status in
the Lopez Achievement Awards,
making them eligible to win the
top prize in the LAA derby.
They are, in no particular
order, “A Sustained Business
Turnaround” by the Management Coordinating Council,
First Philippine Industrial Corporation; “Strategic Expansion to
Fuel Transition from Start-up to
Growth” by the Business Management Team, Asian Eye Institute (AEI); and “Harmonizing
Environment and Technology to
Win Mt. Kanlaon Buffer Zone
Crisis” by the MK Buffer Zone
Communications Team, Energy
Development Corporation.
Rounding out the list are
“Organizational Transformation to Achieve Growth Objectives and Superior Performance”
by the Human Resource Team,
AEI; and Schools for Schools
(S4S) Campaign by the E-Media Program, ABS-CBN Foundation Inc.
The six screening committees, composed of the group’s
functional experts in business
management, operations management, human resource focus,
customer focus, public responsibility, and corporate image build-
ing, evaluated each nomination
and then met and deliberated on
which nomination to endorse to
the panel of judges.
Aside from the project’s exceptionality and demonstration
of group values, the committees
also gave particular attention to
measurement, and the alignment of the project/program objectives with the results, which
are part of the “contribution to
business objectives” criterion.
With the selection of the
semifinalists, the scores will
now revert to zero. The panel
will follow the two-step screening review process, which now
includes a panel interview.
Whose star will shine the
brightest? This cycle’s winners
will be announced during the
2008 LAA awarding ceremony
in August. (Bheng Rubia)
treats
French Open on Studio 23
Rafael Nadal, Roger
Rafael Nadal
Federer, Ana Ivanovic
and Roger
and Maria Sharapova
Federer
try to make history at the
French Open 2009 with
the telecast of the matches
on Studio 23. World number one Nadal makes his
bid for a fifth consecutive French Open title,
Federer aims to tie Pete Sampras’ 14 Grand Slam victories,
and Ivanovic defends her 2008 French Open title against
a tough field. Watch the French Open 2009 on June 1, 2
p.m.; June 2-5, 8 a.m.; and June 8-9, 2 p.m. on Studio 23.
(Kane Choa)
Ninja Turtles attack!
Follow the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Splinter
as they are transported 100 years into the future by Cody
Jones, the great-grandson of Casey Jones and April O’Neil
and heir to the O’Neil Tech business empire. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fast Forward” premieres June 1 at 6:30
p.m. on Studio 23. (K. Choa)
Velvet offers laugh-out-loud
series
Murphy’s Law
happens even
to good people
in “Worst Week,”
premiering June
8, 9:30 p.m.
on Velvet. Sam
Briggs
(Kyle
Bornheimer) is
a magazine editor who becomes a one-man wrecking crew whenever he’s
around his girlfriend’s folks. Join Sam as he goes through an
ever-escalating series of upside-downs and misadventures
in “Worst Week.” Velvet is available on SkyCable Platinum,
SkyCable Gold, SkyCable Silver and other quality cable
operators. (Katherine Solis)
Lopezlink June 2009
‘Katorse’
is next level
for Erich
STAR Circle grand questor and Star
Magic talent Erich Gonzales plays
the lead role in “Katorse.” Along with
“Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition Plus”
winner Ejay Falcon and model-athlete Xian Lim, Erich stars in the TV
remake of the coming-of-age ‘80s film
by Joey Giosiengfao that launched the
career of Dina Bonnevie.
Under the direction of Malu Sevilla,
Erich plays Nene, a carefree 14-year-old
who has to face life’s difficulties early.
The Davao native says she may not have
experienced the hardships Nene went
through but this does not stop her from
giving 100% in this project.
“I watched the original film and
I try to study acting techniques from
films and TV shows that are related to
what I’m going to do,” she says. “For
example, pinanood ko yung ‘The Reader’
ni Kate Winslet.”
The young actress shares that her
parents have always been supportive
of her career and that they had blessed
her move to accept the role, her boldest ever.
“Madaming matututunan yung
manonood, especially the teens who
forget to be careful in their actions and
responsibilities,” she explains.
Watch for Erich in “Katorse” this
June, only on ABS-CBN! (Lorelie Dionisio-Piravalasamy)
Wil of good fortune
TV host Willie Revillame hopes to be able to
help others who are in need of jobs through his
new baby, Wil Theater Mall.
The construction of the multimillion-peso
complex on Eugenio Lopez Drive will be finished in 12 to 16 months. It will house two
multipurpose studios, a mall, a theater, and a
number of commercial spaces. A basketball
court, gym and spa will be located on the mall’s
rooftop.
Director Johnny Manahan serves as Wil
Theater Mall consultant, with Jonathan Gan as
architect and Jose Aliling as project manager.
The groundbreaking ceremony for Wil Theater Mall was attended by ABS-CBN Corp.
president Charo Santos-Concio, Channel 2
head Cory Vidanes, “Wowowee” production
head Linggit Tan, corporate communications
head Bong Osorio, director Bobot Mortiz,
Wil’s manager Arlene de Castro and “Wowowee”
cohosts and staff.
Wil leads the groundbreaking ceremony for his new
project, the Wil Theater Mall, located on Eugenio
Lopez Drive across the audience entrance of ABSCBN.
EJ,
Erich
and
Xian
Outstanding overseas Pinoys honored ABS-CBN Global recently honored
outstanding Filipino individuals and organizations in the United States and Japan to celebrate The
Filipino Channel’s 15th anniversary. Gawad Geny Lopez Jr. Bayaning Pilipino Awards pay tribute to
unsung heroes who have made public service their personal mission and were hosted with the Ugnayan
at Tulong para sa Maralitang Pamilya (Ugat) Foundation. Photo shows the awards organizers with the
US honorees: (l-r) ABS-CBN Global CFO Kai Rodriguez; North America managing director Chinky de
Jesus; Ugat Foundation’s Fr. Nilo Tanalega, SJ; ABS-CBN Global COO Raffy Lopez; Abe King of PBA
Legends USA Foundation; Dr. Jocelyn Bruce of Nanay Inc.; ABS-CBN Corp. president Charo SantosConcio; Ken Mendoza of Faba; Alice Andam of PNAMDC Inc.; ABS-CBN CFO Ron Valdueza; Dr.
Manuel Hipol of Cufot Inc.; ABS-CBNi News Bureau chief Ging Reyes; and senior manager Mitos
Santisteban. (Cecile Ilagan /Photo: Mona Brooks)
A musical gift
from Kris
KRIS Aquino and
baby James come
together in Star
Records’ “We Are 1,”
a two-disc musical and educational
album that features
mot her-a nd-c h i ld
bonding music for
infants and toddlers.
Aiza
Seguerra,
Piolo Pascual and
Gary Valenciano are
among the featured
artists in the pop-up
album, which will
be officially released
in June in record bars nationwide. Get your copy of “We
Are 1” now! (L. Dionisio-Piravalasamy)
‘PHR’ fans meet and greet their idols
FANS of “Precious Hearts Romances”
(PHR) filled SM San Lazaro recently
for the PHR Grand Fans’ Day where
lucky participants met “Bud Brothers”
author Rose Tan and other PHR pocketbook writers.
PHR is also an afternoon television
series on ABS-CBN. From the first
“Bud Brothers” TV series entitled “Stupid
Cupids,” which was followed by “My
Gulay, Wow Betchay” and “Red Roses for a
Blue Lady,” romantics faithfully followed
the passionate stories.
PHR staff and writers graced the
event, sharing trivia about the stories
and answering questions from fans; the
writers also signed books for their followers. There were games, raffles, online
shopping and book reservations for the
prequel of the “Bud Brothers” series, “Ang
Akin Ay Akin, Ang Iyo Ay Akin Pa Rin.”
If you liked the stories of Jake
Cuenca and Cristine Reyes; Mariel
Rodriguez and Rafael Rossell; and
John Prats and Denise Laurel, then
don’t miss an episode as the scenes become hotter and more exciting in “Precious Hearts Romances,” every afternoon
after “Kambal sa Uma” on ABS-CBN.
(K. Solis)
Fans have their ‘PHR’ books autographed
Lopezlink June 2009
executiveFEATURE
Studio Tours Museum
highlights
ABS-CBN firsts
The pioneering spirit of Kapitan Eugenio Lopez Jr. lives
on at the Studio Tours Museum:
First to tape a show: “An Evening with
Pilita” was taped beginning 1965 with the
use of Ampex videotape machines which
ABS-CBN was also the first to bring into
the country.
First to broadcast in color: ABS-CBN
aired canned American shows in 1966,
making the Philippines the second
Asian country after Japan to introduce color TV.
First live remote coverage: The April 1967 coverage
of the “Seven Last Words” in the Baguio Cathedral
was also the furthest live remote broadcast ever undertaken in the country.
First marathon election coverage: “Halalan ’67” dished out
36 straight hours of updates on November 14-15, 1967.
First dedicated broadcast center: The 23,078-sq. m.
ABS-CBN Broadcast Center on Bohol Avenue, then
Asia’s best and most advanced, was inaugurated in
December 1968.
First to harness the power of satellite broadcasting:
ABS-CBN’s special coverage of the Apollo 11 moon
landing in July 1969, hosted by Bong Lapira, allowed
Filipinos to watch history in the making.
First to use the Chroma Key: During “Halalan ’69,”
images were projected behind the anchor, the first
time the technique was used in Philippine TV.
First simultaneous satellite broadcasts: Starting December 1988, people in the provinces were able to watch the
news at the same time as their Manila counterparts.
First nationwide live remote broadcast: With its
new satellite dish technology and a digital compression system, ABS-CBN was able to do a live remote
broadcast of the eruption of Mt. Mayon in 1993.
First all-news station: Sarimanok News
Network (later renamed ABS-CBN News
Channel or ANC) began with three newscasts a day in May 1996.
ROGY Panganiban, Studio Tours manager of ABS-CBN Corporation, began
his working life at the age of 20 in the
US. And success certainly did not come
overnight.
“This was during martial law. I spent
about two years in college but I didn’t finish my course. Times were hard and if you
could find work at all, you get used to it and
you’d want to keep on working. I consider
it a blessing in disguise that I had worked
early on. We were in the States and I was
living with my cousins, the family of Gabby (ABS-CBN chairman Eugenio Lopez
III), for a couple of years,” he recalls.
Panganiban worked in Budget Renta-Car for two years and later moved to
a department store, Gump’s, where he
worked in the mail order section for
three years. When he returned to the
Philippines, he worked for The Flower
Farm for at least two years before finally
joining the information technology division of ABS-CBN in 1992.
In 1997, he moved to Star Magic and
later ABS-CBN Consumer Products,
now defunct ABS-CBN subsidiaries that
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Clockwise from top:
CCD’s elite group
during the Anvil
Awards; Daily
scenario at the tour
reception area; Orientation of tour clients
inside the preview
room; Studio Tours
goes to Montemar Resort in Bataan; Ushers
during the “Dolphy
at 80” special at the
Meralco Theater; Tour
clients unique experience at the Wowowee
studio; Studio Tours
administrator Aaron
Domingo.
Walk this way
How to book a tour
WHAT’S in store for tour participants? Aaron Domingo offers a
preview:
“Assembly time is from 8:30 a.m.
to 9 a.m. You will be issued a receipt,
together with a Studio Tours ID
sticker and a souvenir keychain. Then
we will bring you to the preview room
for a 15-minute presentation on the
history of ABS-CBN. Afterwards,
we’ll tour the museum and head to
the different studios. This will take
around 1 and 1/2 hours. We’ll then
have an early lunch at the cafeteria
before going to ‘Wowowee’ or ‘ASAP’
because the shows tape for more than
Lopezlink June 2009
three hours and the audience members are not allowed to bring in food
or drinks into the studio.”
Studio Tours requires a request
letter for groups of 10 persons or
more. Walk-in bookings for tours are
also accepted, though not to watch
a live show or taping. “For the tour,
we can accommodate them anytime,
any day,” Domingo says. “But
to get into ‘Wowowee,’ we
prioritize those that have reservations or are on the wait
list kasi ang tagal din nila
naghintay.”
Of the 190 seats allocated
for Studio Tours clients in
“Wowowee,” 60 are reserved
for balikbayan TFC subscribers. In “ASAP,” 30 of
the 100 Studio Tours seats
are for TFC clients.
To book yourself for a tour,
call 415-2272 locals 3622/3624 or
416-3211. Fee is P150 per head. To
reserve a free slot, TFC subscribers
may log on to the ABS-CBN Global
website (www.abs-cbnglobal.com/).
STUDIO... from page 1
peek at the workings of ABS-CBN
coordinated directly with the department related to their field of interest;
they then adjusted their schedules according to the availability of the personnel tasked to show them around.
For a time, Talent Center and the PR
department also handled the logistics
and conduct of the visits.
In August 1997, ABS-CBN
chairman Eugenio Lopez III (popularly referred to as EL3) decided to
formally organize studio tours and
offer them under Star Magic Inc., the
company’s licensing and merchandising subsidiary. The pioneer batch of
five tour guides included Studio
Tours’ current administrator, Aaron
Domingo.
For loyal viewers
“EL3 saw the need to establish
a department that would cater specifically to the needs of the public,
especially loyal Kapamilya viewers
who would like to see what happens
inside the studio or see our facilities,”
Domingo explains.
Soon, ABS-CBN Global honcho Raffy Lopez decided to merge
Global’s free tour services for TFC
subscribers with that of Studio Tours.
The new centralized operations al-
MILESTONES
lowed Studio Tours to cater to balikbayan as well as to locals, including
students and community organizations.
Studio Tours is part of the corporate communications division
now headed by Bong Osorio, with
Rogy Panganiban as manager. In
addition to Osorio, Panganiban and
Domingo, there are 21 full-time
employees working from 8 a.m. to 5
p.m. every day of the week: 14 tour
guides who also act as customer service representatives, six cashiers and
a stockman.
Guided tours
The department’s current package tour offer includes a guided
tour plus a chance to become part
of the audience for live shows such
as “Wowowee,” “ASAP,” “Entertainment Live,” “Ruffa and Ai,” “Sharon,”
“GKNB” or “The Buzz.” For students
on exposure trips, Studio Tours also
offers customized packages. Mass
communications students, for instance, may attend tapings of teleserye, while would-be electronics and
communication engineers could visit
transmitter sites and control room,
on top of the guided tour.
Student groups could comprise as
many as 400 individuals, with up to
300 non-students joining the daily
tours. In terms of foot traffic, some
STUDIO Tours may be a
small department in terms of
manpower, but it packs a wallop when it comes to achievements.
1997
Studio Tours is established to
serve as the local counterpart
of Universal Studios. ABS-
8,400 people traipse through ABSCBN’s studios and facilities every
month, Domingo reveals.
In the first five years of Studio
Tours’ history, there was often a sharp
delineation between the lean and the
peak seasons. Then, the peak months
lasted from January to March; foot
traffic would drop during the summer break, and would spike again
from October to December.
Formula for success
Things turned around when a
prodigal Kapamilya host took another shot at the noontime slot four
years ago. For years, ABS-CBN had
tried a virtual cocktail of hosts and
formats in an attempt to wrest supremacy from its veteran competitor.
With the wildly popular new show, it
seemed the formula had finally been
found—a formula whose desirable
effects in one way or another also
redounded to other shows and to
Studio Tours.
“When ‘Wowowee’ was established, there wasn’t a day or a month
that wasn’t peak season for us. The
full bookings caught us by surprise.
The show really pushed us up,” Domingo says.
The success of Willie Revillame’s
show had a domino effect on other
shows, such that Studio Tours is fully
booked every day until 2010!
CBN thus opens its doors
to individuals who want to
experience the magic of the
country’s largest and most
modern media and content
network.
2003
Studio Shop is revived. A
new line of clothing and
“It’s amazing because ‘Ruffa and
Ai,’ which was launched only in the
first quarter of 2009, is booked until
June. So, little by little, most of the
other shows are being filled up as
well,” the administrator reports.
Surpassing the target
Studio Tours’ move to a more
viable location (the old site of Io
KTV ) at the ELJ Center two years
ago came with a daunting new sales
target—from P10 million in annual
income, the financial bar was raised
to P19M. Despite the seeming
impossibility of the task, the group
was able to not just meet, but even
surpassed the quota for two years
running.
This year, the group also took
home an Anvil Award of Excellence
from the Public Relations Society of
the Philippines, attesting to the efficacy of the tour service in promoting
ABS-CBN.
Which was why, Domingo smiles,
one won’t see TV or print ads for
Studio Tours anytime soon. “As of
now, for ‘Wowowee’ or ‘ASAP,’ our
next available schedule is in February 2010. Were fully booked until the
end of the year. If we advertise, the
wait list will only get longer.”
Tour de force
This setback notwithstanding,
Domingo aims for a tour de force
other souvenir items are
also created.
2004
Studio Tours guides are recognized as official ushers for
ABS-CBN’s corporate events
and entertainment specials.
2005
Studio Tours Museum Walk
performance for Studio Tours in
2009, especially with its improved
museum segment and other operational adjustments.
One such project is the museum’s
celebrity handprint collection, which
will be organized and unveiled after
renovations are carried out in the
display area. ABS-CBN executives
Cory Vidanes and Linggit Tan determined the Kapamilya stars whose
handprints were solicited and the
list now includes Dolphy, Judy Ann
Santos and Korina Sanchez.
Household name
“Also in 2009, we hope to set up
a pressroom within the Studio Tours
area, so that our friends from the
press can work on their stories and
meet their deadlines right here,” he
adds.
Domingo, who saw the department during its birthing pains almost
12 years ago, seems overwhelmed by
Studio Tours’ unqualified blockbuster
hit status.
“We never thought that it would
become a household name,” he says.
“Even when we won in the Anvil
Awards, we never thought we’d have
this big of an impact. The reception
has been overwhelming. We hope
to live up to everyone’s expectations,
and we promise to further improve
our services.”
is inaugurated by ABS-CBN
president Charo Santos-Concio.
2007
Studio Tours celebrates its
10th anniversary.
2008
The celebrity handprint project
for the museum is completed.
2009
Studio Tours bags an Anvil
Award of Excellence for PR
Programs Directed at the Customer. The project was spearheaded by corporate communications division vice president
Bong Osorio and tour administrator Aaron Domingo.
CBN by conducting entertaining and
informative tours—whatever show there is. Eighty
percent of people who go on
tour want to watch a show.
The rest are satisfied with
a walking tour of ABSCBN. We offer ‘Wowowee’
on weekdays and ‘ASAP’ on
Sundays,” says Panganiban.
He is gratified that audiences have grown to appreciate and value the work that
goes into ABS-CBN programs.
“In the beginning, maybe
12 years ago, we’d send
out 2,000 letters
a year to local
high
schools
a n d
colleges,
offering
matter what the
noontime show
of ABS-CBN is.
“We have created
a family of tour
guides who know
the elements of
production and
are very knowledgeable. I can
guide a tour myself,
if need be.”
He looks forward
to the establishment
human face
Showing the
By Carla Paras-Sison
handled merchandising and licensing of
ABS-CBN products, as well as Studio
Tours. ABS-CBN Consumer Products
closed in 2001, and Panganiban worked
for two years in TFC (The Filipino
Channel), handling special events.
Timely revival
In 2003, Studio Tours was revived as
a department under his leadership.
The revival was most timely. There was
a surge in the popularity of the noontime
show, “Wowowee,” and Studio Tours was
swamped with requests for tours that
include being part of the live audience of
one show.
“Our vision and mission has always
been to show the human face of ABS-
them a stop in the ABS-CBN noontime
show to form part of their field trip. Now,
we can’t do that anymore. TFC subscribers
book their seats online and actually plan
their balikbayan holiday around the schedule
they can confirm. For example, now, if you
want to see ‘Wowowee’ live, the earliest date
is in 2010 already,” Panganiban explains.
For this reason, he is also very aware
of how frustrating it is for loyal kapamilya
to be bumped off their confirmed schedules. “We have to refund their deposits
whenever that happens for any reason.”
Leading the way
Panganiban is proud that ABS-CBN is
leading the way in studio tours and believes
the group will continue to go strong no
Whoa-wowee!:
2 ‘ASAP ‘09’: 400
(Fully booked until October 2010)
1 ‘Wowowee’: 4,560
of a common retail outlet for Studio Shop
which is the merchandising arm of Studio
Tours; Star Records which sells audio and
video discs; ABS-CBN Publishing which
sells magazines; and ABS-CBN Licensing
which manufactures products related to
ABS-CBN programs. Tentatively conceptualized as a “universal store,” the common
shop will aggregate the various ABS-CBN
products to gain better exposure under
shared overhead expenses.
“We’re all selling to the same viewers.
Why not join forces,” he says.
Going forward, Panganiban tells
LopezLink readers to “watch this space”
as there is “more to come” from his closeknit team at Studio Tours.
Top 5 shows
GAME shows and talk shows are among ABSCBN’s top draws, as shown by Studio Tours’
sold-out monthly allocations*:
(Fully booked until October 2010)
of ABS-CBN
4
‘The Buzz’: 400
3 ‘Ruffa and Ai’: 1,600
5 ‘Entertainment Live’: 320
*Allotment for Studio Tours clients only. “ASAP,” “The Buzz” and “Entertainment Live” are weekly programs.
CSR ACTIVITIES
Lopezlink June 2009
Success stories of EntrepBus culinary grads
Never too late, never too old
EntrepBus students in action
WHEN most mothers her age
would already be slowing down,
Florenda Dizon, 52, of Old
Balara, Quezon City would walk
the streets of Payatas to peddle
lutong ulam in neighborhoods and
offices. Thanks to the skills she
learned from the the EntrepBus
Program of ABS-CBN Bayan
Academy, Nanay Florenda now
sells a wide array of viands and
desserts to her customers.
Since her husband lost his
job in 1998, she had to take on
the responsibility of making a
living for their family.
“Kung anu-ano na ang pinasok
kong trabaho: counter girl, factory worker, vendor, katulong.
BAYAN ACADEMY
CALENDAR
BAYAN Academy offers
the following certificate
training programs this
month:
June 4-5 —Strategic
Planning Boot Camp
June 1-5 —Teaching
Entrepreneurship &
Management @ Colegio
San Agustin, Bacolod
June 18-19 and 2526 —Strategic Planning
Boot Camp
June 18-19—The
Eight Rs of Effective HR
Management
June 22-23—Total
Performance Management
June 22-24 —Strategic
Planning & Management
June 29-30—Community Based Social Enterprise
Development
Unless otherwise
indicated, seminars will be
held at Bayan Academy,
2/F Cinderella Bldg., 825
EDSA, Quezon City. For
more info, contact KC
Villanueva at 928-5576 or at
mcesvillanueva@yahoo.com.
Sa pagtitinda ng ulam, nairaraos
ko kahit paano ang lima kong
anak,” Nanay Florenda says.
When she learned about the
EntrepBus program of ABSCBN Bayan Academy, she immediately signed up.
“Pasalamat ako at nakabilang
ako sa programa. Madami talaga
akong natutunan, napalawak
ang kaalaman ko sa pagluluto,”
Nanay Florenda smiles.
Meanwhile, passing the
National Certification Level II
of the Technical Education and
Skills Development Authority (Tesda) spelled the start of
something big for 33-year-old
Chandy Tomasig of Quezon
City.
Chandy lives in Brgy. Pinyahan with his wife and chil-
dren. The third of five siblings,
he was forced to stop his studies after high school and work
part-time. “Mahirap ang buhay
namin, hindi kami kaya pagaralin ng mga magulang ko.”
Then he learned about the
EntrepBus. He enrolled during
the Pinyahan visit of the bus in
March. “Sabi ko, baka ito na
ang pagkakataon para sa akin.
Pumapasok ako araw-araw,
ayoko may ma-miss sa klase.
Gusto ko kasi talaga matuto.”
Unlike the other graduates,
Chandy did not stop at getting
his certificate of completion.
He took the Tesda assessment
and passed. He knew that additional certification will give
him an edge as he seeks employment in the food industry.
Today, Chandy is eyeing a
job abroad, and is just a notch
away from realizing his dream
of being a world-renowned
chef.
In partnership with Ai Hu
Foundation, Bayan Academy
through its EntrepBus brings
the mobile culinary school to
train communities in culinary
and commercial cooking. By
providing quality education
and skills training right where
the students are, it gives the less
fortunate members of society
culinary and commercial cooking training—something that
is offered by culinary schools at
very expensive prices.
To date, EntrepBus has
catered to 34 communities in
Metro Manila, and will go up
north by the third quarter of the
year to serve Pangasinan, Ilocos
and the Cordillera Autonomous
Region. Silver Swan Corporation, Sun Goddess, Chattrade
Corporation and Elba have
joined Ai Hu and ABS-CBN
Bayan Academy to promote and
democratize entrepreneurship
nationwide. (KC Villanueva)
Jude Mannion in final Group Think
JOIN the culmination of the Group Think series at
the Pasig Room of the Meralco Lighthouse on June
8 to 9, 2009. Jude Mannion, CEO of Robinhood
Asia and Robin Hood Foundation New Zealand,
will be the resource person for this two-day session,
which aims to finalize the corporate social responsibility
(CSR) strategy of the Lopez Group. The Group Think is a
venue for CEOs and foundation heads to explore ideas on aligning their CSR efforts for greater impact on the community and
business. For more info, call 490-0779. (Vanessa Suquila)
EDC’s Schools for Excellence lauded
“THE Schools for Excellence
(SFE) project in Tongonan
is the model school that the
DepEd and those who want to
join the Adopt-A-School program could use as a template,”
Education Secretary Jesli Lapus
said during the inauguration of
the final batch of facilities of
the Leyte SFE.
Development
“Energy
Corporation (EDC) and partners…did more than what is
asked of them by innovating
ways to improve the curriculum,” he added.
EDC president Paul Aquino stressed that in addition to
its physical investment, SFE
is putting in resources for the
company’s and the country’s
future manpower requirements.
The adoption of these
schools began with a partnership forged between EDC
and the local governments of
Ormoc and Kananga in 2005.
EDC made the project a multisectoral initiative involving
the local school board and the
Parent-Teacher-Community
Associations (PTCA).
In 2008, SFE signed a
memorandum of understanding with the Ateneo Center
for Education Development to
enhance its curriculum, including the training of teachers in
key academic areas. This year,
SFE entered into a partnership
with the Philippine Science
High School-Eastern Visayas
to reinforce student learning
in math and science.
SFE has thus far registered
impressive numbers: enrollment of 667, up from 345; reduced dropout rate to a low of
0.4% from 8.5%; and improved
participation rate averaging
93%. Zero non-reader status
has been sustained for four
years now.
“SFE has evolved into a
total community development
effort. It has demonstrated
how an education project improved the overall landscape of
the community,” Aquino said.
(Toni Nieva)
Sec. Jesli Lapus
(extreme right)
inaugurates the
SFE buildings and
facilities (inset).
With him are (r-l)
EDC president
Paul Aquino; Tongonan barangay
captain Bienvenido
Napoles; Kananga
Mayor Elmer
Codilla; PSHSEastern Visayas
director Pedrito Padilla; DepEd Region 8 director Sol Matugas; and
EDC LGPF resident manager Manuel Paete.
AFI UPDATES
ONGOINGS
BayaniJuan
launched in
Calauan
Informal settlers living along
the Pasig River and esteros
now have hope for a better life,
thanks to BayaniJuan sa Calauan, the 107-hectare resettlement project that supports the
Kapit Bisig para sa Ilog Pasig
(KBPIP) movement. Different
AFI chief Gina Lopez paints a
sectors, including ABS-CBN
Calauan home
Foundation Inc. (AFI) partners, are working together to make BayaniJuan sa Calauan a
sustainable home for the relocatees. “BayaniJuan sa Calauan is
about showing how the Filipino spirit can be, how we can all
work together,” Gina Lopez, managing director of AFI, said
during the inauguration of the site. (Faizza Tanggol)
Telcos unite for Pasig River
Globe, Smart and Sun Cellular are backing KBPIP’s “Piso
Para sa Ilog Pasig” text campaign, which allows individuals to
contribute towards the rehabilitation of the Pasig River. ABSCBN Interactive led by Connie Lopez also helped by ironing
out the mechanics of the campaign. Since March 2009, “Piso
Para sa Ilog Pasig” has received around 100,000 text hits. To
contribute, Globe, Touch Mobile, Sun Cellular, Smart, and
Talk & Text subscribers may text GIVE [space] ILOG and
send to 2366. (F. Tanggol)
‘Sagip Kapamilya’ helps
typhoon victims
Sagip Kapamilya extended help
to more than 9,000 families
in the Bicol region that were
displaced by the flooding
and landslides triggered by
Typhoon Dante in May. To
date, teams are still conducting
relief operations in Albay and A mother smiles as she cradles her
Camarines Sur in partnership share of relief goods
with Bantay Bata 163 and ABS-CBN Bicol. To donate, deposit
cash or checks to Banco de Oro ABS-CBN Branch Account #
5630020111. Contact Sagip Kapamilya at 411-4995 or sagip@
abs-cbn.com for more info.
‘Double Take’
takes another look
at evolution
DID you really see what you thought
you saw? Was what you always knew
as real merely a cleverly woven myth?
Look at evolution and transformation once again in Lopez Memorial
Museum’s new exhibit, Double Take.
Curated by the husband and wife
team of Chit and Eileen Ramirez,
Double Take features works from the
museum’s permanent collection, LVN
archival photographs and a video installation by young director Raya Martin.
According to Eileen, “Impassioned
battles are waged upon any number of
crafted platforms—notions of blood,
glory, territory and ultimately, nation.
In mining specific aspects of the LVN
film still archive, particularly war
films spanning several eras of Filipino
filmmaking, Martin, the exhibit’s
featured artist, counts on the museum
infrastructure to set off a playing on
the eyes and mind.”
Lopez Museum’s larger gallery
spaces show pronouncements from
the historian Floro Quibuyen, art historian John Clark and theorist Marian
Pastor Roces to set off seminal pieces
that it has become imperative
to bring indigenous, premium
but endangered trees in the
mainstream of reforestation
initiatives.
Under the “Tree for the Future” module, EDC and its partners will plant this type of trees
in locations where they will best
survive or receive protection,
such as school grounds, municipal parks and leisure estates.
The objective is to grow them
into “mother trees” that would
produce the seeds to be used
in reforestation projects. EDC
aims to implement the module
in all 81 Philippine provinces.
Apart from “Tree for the
Future,” Binhi has three other
modules: “Tree for Life” (for
bridging gaps of critical forest areas), “Tree for Food” (for
livelihood of forest settlers)
and “Tree for Leisure” (for
ecotourism). (T. Nieva)
in the collection by 19th century
painters Juan Luna and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo. The two artists are
also reexamined in light of discourse
and personal communication with
the national hero, Jose Rizal. Within
these sites, text and image encounter
each other hopefully to engage visitors
in reassessing what these icons stand
for vis-à-vis such charged concepts as
country and parity.
Double Take also invites attention
on images that hint at how Luna and
Hidalgo saw the everyday as colonial
subjects egging for recognition. It also
brings to the fore pictorial practice
that, in one way or other, propelled
the imaginations of individuals ultimately believing they were brothers
making up a single race, to take on
sword, spear, rifle, and even talismans
on bare skin.
Eileen adds, “It is in summoning
such clichéd yet still charged tableaus
of the real and unreal (like a flank of
“battle-worn” shields girding up for
a no-holds-barred fight) that this ex-
hibition counts on for inquiry, at the
very least, to take place. It is in this
sense that Double Take hopes to occasion revisitings, if not restitution.”
Featured artist Martin holds a BA
in Film and Audiovisual Communication, cum laude, from the University of
the Philippines in Diliman, and a BA
in Journalism from UP Baguio. He is
the first Filipino filmmaker to be accepted in the Cinéfondation Résidence
of the Cannes Film Festival. His latest
works, “Independencia” and “Manila,”
were shown at the Official Selection
Cannes Film Festival 2009 in May.
Double Take runs until September
25, 2009.
Collections management seminar
Lopez Memorial Museum and the
Yuchengco Museum will hold a collections management seminar on June 1819, 2009. This is part of the museums’
continuing studies series which aims to
develop policies and skills, apply standards and encourage adherence to procedures for museums and museological
practice. With its modules divided
into basic, intermediate and advanced
collections management, the series
will give museum-specific knowledge
to a broader audience, particularly
those who manage their own private
collections, galleries or
corporate collections.
Lectures complemented by readings
and hands-on activities
It is the name of a salon as well as an advertising
comprise the seminar.
agency that harps on not needing second chances.
Fee of P3,500 includes
In other places, it is a coed jazz a capella group,
snacks, lunch and
a brand of athletic microwear, and the title of an
seminar kit. Only 25
“FBI novel-thriller.” Online, it is a way of finding
participants will be acnew homes for art through the Doubletake Galcommodated. For more
lery consignment service. On the tech side, it is a
information, call the
Mac OS stitching software that allows do-overs
Yuchengco Museum
and panorama shots.
at 889-1234 or Lopez
Recently, Belgian filmmaker and media artist
Museum at 631-2417.
Johan Grimonprez’s film, “Double Take,” revealed
Lopez
Memorial
his cinematic quips on fear-as-commodity and
Museum
is
at
the
ground
media myth-making via Jorge Luis Borges’ story
floor,
Benpres
Building,
“25 August 1983” which in turn takes off from
Exchange Road, Pasig.
Alfred Hitchcock’s quote: “If you meet your
Museum days and hours
double, you should kill him.”
are Mondays to Saturdays,
As in the Double Take exhibition, Grimonper8 a.m.-5 p.m., except holiez’s work harps on initial misconceptions, deceit,
days. For more info, call
and traded identities in fraught situations.
Fanny at 631-2417.
Again, again, again
What is Double Take?
NOSTALGIA
Those who cannot remember the past
are condemned to repeat it.— George
Santayana
June 4,
1908
P a c i t a
Moreno,
who is to
become the
m at r i a rc h
of the Lopez clan,
is born in
Manila.
June 12, 1928
Eugenio Lopez Sr. and Fernando
Lopez found E&F Lopez, the
predecessor of the Lopez Group.
June 1953
Eugenio “Geny” Lopez Jr.
graduates from Harvard Business
School; his father assigns him to
run The Manila Chronicle.
June 1990
First Holdings makes its first
profit since 1983, culminating its
drive back to viability and prosperity.
June 8, 1993
Benpres Holdings is created. As
CEO, Geny leads an expansion
drive that grows the Lopez Group
to several times its size in the
1970s.
June 28, 1999
Geny passes away in San Francisco. Oscar M. Lopez assumes
leadership of the Lopez Group.
Source: Mercy Servida, head librarian, Lopez Memorial Museum
Library
special FEATURE
‘Ako’ wants you!
‘Binhi’ goes to BGC
E N E R G Y
Development Corporation
(EDC)
sowed the
seeds of its Binhi: A Greening
Legacy program in Bonifacio
Global City (BGC), Taguig
with a tree planting activity.
More than 50 seedlings
of rare Philippine tree species were planted along the
proposed BGC jogging path,
including banuyo, dao, gisokgisok, guijo, palosapis and supa.
EDC senior vice president
Agnes de Jesus explained that
Binhi’s “Tree for the Future” module is biased towards the planting of endangered tree species.
“Our reforestation efforts
must consider tree species
biodiversity preservation and
enrichment,” she said, adding
Raya Martin (top); Double Take at the
Luna Room of Lopez Museum(left)
@Lopez Museum
Lopezlink June 2009
INSPIRED perhaps by Mahatma
Gandhi’s famous exhortation—“You
must be the change you wish to see
in the world”—at least a couple of
campaigns have been sprouting up
anchored on “ako.”
“Ako Mismo,” possibly the mother
of the ako campaigns, first surfaced
during the Manny Pacquiao-Ricky
Hatton boxing match in early May.
People were intrigued by its eyecatching black and white ad featuring celebrities like Ely Buendia,
Luis Manzano, Angel Locsin, Edu
Manzano, Maxene Magalona, Arnel
Pineda,
Cha r ice
a n d
Chris
Tiu. And
with cute
dog tags
as
an
incentive, who could resist (more so if you
belong to the age bracket attracted to
shiny thingamajigs)?
Suspicious minds at first
thought “Ako Mismo” to be a springboard for the presidential run of
an “MVP” after scrutiny revealed
Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. and Smart Foundation
as the reported moneybags behind
the campaign; it didn’t help that you
couldn’t even enter the site (www.
akomismo.org) without signing up
first. Soon enough, the corporate
social responsibility arm of top ad
agency DDB, DDB Cares, admitted
authorship of “Ako Mismo,” which it
calls an “advocacy for hope and empowerment.”
The agency also had to fend off
accusations that it was gathering demographic data due to the somewhat
interminable questions a wannabe
had to hurdle to sign up. However,
according to DDB Cares, these were
simply meant to facilitate the distribution of dog tags and to “determine
where and what projects are relevant
in specific areas.”
It’s a long shot, but we’re curious
what “Ako mismo” statements certain newsmakers are going to make
if they decide to come onboard:
Sen. Lacson, Hayden Kho, Cong.
Nograles, Pres. GMA… the list
goes on!
Another ako movement is ABSCBN’s “Boto Mo, I-Patrol Mo: Ako
Ang Simula” (BMPM). A yearlong
drive to encourage Filipinos to take
an active role in the May 2010 presidential elections, BMPM is the follow-up to the Kapamilya network’s
program that won in the Philippine
Quill Awards, the Anvil Awards,
and the Gold Quill Awards.
The new BMPM kicked off on
May 11 with a multi-venue voter
registration drive that especially targets the youth; teams were deployed
in Pampanga, Cebu, Davao and La
Salle Greenhills in Mandaluyong to
report on voter registration and the
current political situation.
“Many young Filipinos have
become apathetic and cynical that
real change can ever happen,” ABSCBN senior vice president for news
and current affairs Maria Ressa
said. “But we are telling them to
have faith and do something about
it. We have one year to change traditional politics and we are empow-
ering them through this multimedia
campaign.”
ABS-CBN successfully used
BMPM in 2007, when Filipinos used
their cellphones to report anomalies,
violence and payoffs during elections—the first time ever that mobile
technology was used for a political
purpose, Ressa added.
“Now we are taking it one step
further—using television, radio,
cable TV, the Internet and mobile
phone technology to empower Filipinos to push for change.”
This time around, the BMPM
campaign will also be unleashed
in cyberspace, especially on social
networking sites such as Multiply,
YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
Catch regular BPMP updates on
“Umagang Kay Ganda,” “TV Patrol
World” and “Bandila” on ABS-CBN;
ANC (SkyCable Channel 27), and
on www.abs-cbnnews.com.
10
Lopezlink
LIFELONG WELLNESS
June 2009
Lifelong’s Race to 120 contest
Weighing game starts for 25 teams
PARTICIPANTS from different Lopez companies came
together as Lopez Lifelong
Wellness’
weight-reduction
challenge was launched as Race
to 120 at the Meralco Little
Theater on May 6, 2009.
“A gathering for personal
health and well-being” was
how Lifelong head Raffy Alunan III described the event.
He stressed the significance
of CEOs’ personal involvement as coaches and even as
participants not just in the
contest, but also in instilling
wellness as a way of life in
their companies.
Meanwhile, Race to 120
chair Galo Garde explained
that due to popular demand,
the contest was reduced to
just 120 days. Also, for Race
to 120 there are now at least
three weigh-in centers—the
FPIP office in Sto. Tomas,
Batangas; the Rockwell Land
office in Makati; and the former MNTC office at the Benpres building—as well as new
scoring criteria.
Lopez Group chairman
Oscar M. Lopez in his inspirational talk explained how
essential wellness is to make
strong companies that can
Employees’ health profile
‘good,’ survey says
IN 2007, Lopez Lifelong Wellness
conducted the first phase of a survey
on the lifestyle and health
of employees of the Lopez
Group of companies.
This year, the second
phase was conducted
that aimed to construct
a health profile of the
employees and do correlation analysis of the
wellness scores from Phase 1 and health variables from
Phase 2 data.
Samples of 720 employees including those from the
Phase 1 survey and new ones from 23 companies were
obtained for the study. Health variables considered
were blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, cholesterol,
triglycerides, creatinine, body mass index, waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio.
According to the results of the study, Lopez Group
employees generally have a good health profile, although some groups are more at risk than others.
These are usually the ones in high positions, the older
ones, males, and married individuals.
It was recommended that the Wellness Team continue
to provide wellness activities since less than 50% of employees participate in such activities outside the company;
acceptable activities outside of those provided by the company are walking, jogging, badminton, basketball, biking
and bodybuilding. More advocacies for regular exercise
and eating right should also be done since low percentages
perform exercises and eat right. (B. Sandoval)
survive tough times. He also
expressed his appreciation to
the companies that joined the
competition.
Twenty-five teams from 20
companies are competing for
the “Biggest Loser” title: ABSCBN (1 team), Adtel Inc. (3),
Asian Eye Institute (1), Bayan
(1), EDC (3), First Balfour (1),
Fedcor/First Philec/FPMTC/
FPPS (1), FPHC (1), FPIC
(2), FPIP (2), First Philec Solar Corp. (2), First Sumiden
Circuits Inc. (1), Inaec/Third
Gen/E.L. Foundation (1),
Philec (1), Rockwell Land (2),
SkyCable (1), and STSI (1).
Lopez Group chairman Oscar M. Lopez (right) and Lifelong head Raffy
Alunan III (extreme left) with one of the participating teams, First
Philec Solar Corp. led by Dan Lachica (behind OML).
Capping the program was
a briefing on the A(H1N1)
flu virus by Dr. Soe Nyunt-U,
World Health Organization
country representative. (Benjo
Sandoval)
swine flu
body aches, headaches, chills, fatigue and in some cases, diarrhea
and vomiting.
How does it spread?
The virus spreads mainly from
person to person through coughing or sneezing of people with
flu. One may also contract it by
touching surfaces with the virus
and then touching their mouth or
nose. One cannot contract swine
flu from eating well-cooked pork
and pork products, as cooking the
meat to a temperature of at least
70°C kills the virus. However,
make sure these have been properly handled.
How can people avoid getting
infected?
Build up your immunity by
getting enough rest, eating well,
drinking plenty of fluids, keeping active and taking vitamins
A, B complex and C, and zinc.
Also, wash hands with soap and
water or gel sanitizers; cover
your mouth when you cough or
sneeze, and make sure to wash
your hands immediately; avoid
crowds and close contact with
sick people; and seek medical attention if feel like you might be
coming down with the flu. (B.
Sandoval)
Get out of your tuition fee fix!
By Susan Ariola
NOT considering inflation, one
needs about P2 million to see a
child through his education—and
there are still lots of other expenses to consider. But don’t despair.
There is always a way. All it takes
is hard work—and wise spending
and saving. Here are some tips so
you can meet your goal of putting
your children through college.
Check your expenses. Break
down your monthly expenses.
JUNE
7: Mizuno Infinity Run,
14: 1st
Philippine
Travel
Agencies
Association Charity Run,
financialwellness
Kids’ summer chess workshop held
Former national juniors champion and now National Master
(NM) Andrew Vasquez (right) conducted a five-day summer chess workshop for the children of Meralco employees in
coordination
with the Meralco
Chess Club.
NM Vasquez
concentrated
on the opening
module, stressing
the importance of
piece development. (R. Sol
Cruz)
calendar
Sudoku
Maglaro tayo ng Sudoku, ang bagong libangan ng bayan!
Ayusin lamang ang mga numero simula 1 hanggang 9 para
ang bawat numero ay minsan lang magagamit sa bawat row,
column at kahon.
5k-10k-15k @Bonifacio
Global City. Call May
@757-3160.
Going whole-hog vs
WITH more than 11,000 confirmed
infections in 41 countries as of midMay, swine flu caused by the Influenza A (H1N1) virus continues to sow
fear among the world’s population.
Lopez Lifelong Wellness invited the World Health Organization (WHO) representative to
the Philippines, Dr. Soe NyuntU, to conduct a briefing recently.
Some important facts about
swine flu:
What are the symptoms of
swine flu in people?
Like regular flu, symptoms
include fever, cough, sore throat,
sports & wellness
Lopezlink June 2009 11
Eliminate vices like drinking,
smoking and womanizing (for
men!). You not only generate money for tuition but also eliminate future medical expenses that may put
your kids’ tuition fees in jeopardy.
Determine how much you need.
Target a college or university and find
out how much a four-year course
may cost. Add the cost of remaining
grade school and high school education (if there are younger children).
There are reputable schools that
charge low tuition fees. You just have
to do your research.
Save early. Start saving for the
future. By doing so, you may need
to pay a lesser amount of money
up succeeding years. How can you
do this? Start early and increase
your savings. Take advantage of
time, take advantage of compounding interest.
Invest regularly. Beat inflation
through regular investments of
your savings. There are several in-
vestment vehicles that can match
your goals, like pooled funds or
the money market. Buy educational plans from reputable companies only. A good suggestion
is to buy fully paid plans that are
being sold for a bargain. Commit
to save money regularly and invest
in higher-earning investments. A
good strategy is to set aside money every payday. Treat saving for
your children’s education as a bill
you have to pay every month.
Look for scholarships. Your
children may be qualified to avail
of such; this will help ease your financial need.
Teach children the importance
of saving and planning. Let them
be aware of your priorities. Make
them bring baon instead of buying
food during breaks. Later, they may
be able to contribute by saving or
working part-time.
For more info, contact the author at 0928-4783305.
3k-5k-10k.
6 am @UP Diliman. For the
restoration of the East Ave.
Medical Center playroom
for pediatric cancer patients.
Visit www.ptaa.org.ph.
14: Animo Sprint Triathlon, 6 am @La Salle
Zobel/Ayala Alabang Village.
Check www.triathlon.org.ph.
20: Walk the
Talk, 6:30 am @
Forest Hills, Antipolo City. Participants must
register with their respective
HR departments. Contact
Rico de Manzana @449-6122.
20-21: Anvaya Cove
Father’s Day Aquathlon,
Anvaya Cove, Bataan.
Contact Triathlon Association of the Philippines
@710-8259 or Rick Reyes @
0916-5046513.
28: 2nd GIG Run, 6am
@UP Diliman. Run for
the reforestation of Ipo
Watershed. For info, email
join@thegigrun.org.
 Very
Easy
 Easy
 Medium
 Hard
Answer to May puzzle
Solution, tips and computer program available at www.
sudoku.com
Mt. Mayon
Hooping it up
in Lifelong
basketball
tourney
THE 2009 Lopez
Lifelong Wellness Basketball Tournament tipped
off at the Meralco Gym on
May 26, 2009 with the parade of teams. ABS-CBN
and Philec won the inaugural
games against the teams from
Rockwell and Mesala, respectively. ABS-CBN defeated
Rockwell, 62-60, while Philec
downed Mesala, 66-46.
This year’s contenders are
ABS-CBN, Meralco, First
Gen, SkyCable and Rockwell
in Division A; and Asian Eye
Institute,Bayan,First Holdings,
First Philec, EDC, Philec and
Mesala in Division B. Games
will be played Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays until July 31.
For updated stats and results,
log on to www.gameface.ph/
mcbl.php. (Hermes Miranda)
Don’t keep the good news to yourself. Pass on your copy of LopezLink! For your comments and suggestions, please text 02-382-0139 (Bayan Wireless Landline).
FIND out why Lopez Group chairman Oscar
M. Lopez spent his 79th birthday last month
in cool Bicol!
M t. Mayon skyline adventure
It nestles on the eastern slopes of Mt. Mayon
at an altitude of 2,700 feet. It is known as “heaven
on earth” because of the clouds and pleasant climate. From this height, visitors can see a stunning view of the Pacific Ocean and the different
towns, lakes, villages, fields and other mountains.
Mt. Mayon assault trek
Get a panoramic view of Bicol from majestic Mt. Mayon, Bicol’s fiery maiden. See also
proof of Mt. Mayon’s destructive fury at Cagsawa ruins.
Pototan Cave
A spelunking adventure site about 10 feet
above the beach line. Inside, an underground
river flows into the chambers and passageways.
Marvel at stalactites and stalagmites of various
shapes and sizes.
Whale shark interaction in Donsol
One of the most popular tourist attractions
in Bicol, dubbed by tourists as the “whale shark
capital of the world.” Swimming and interacting
with the gentle giants of the sea called “butanding” is the thrill of a lifetime.
1
2
3
4
HAVE
you
ever wondered what it’s like to
walk the halls of ABS-CBN and rub elbows
with the stars? What goes on during the
taping of “Wowowee” or “ASAP”? This issue,
take a closer look at ABS-CBN’s highly
successful studio tours venture through
its Studio Tours and Museum Walk department and find out how you can get a
coveted pass to watch top-rated Kapamilya
network shows.
It’s not too early to prepare for the 2010
presidential elections, especially if you’re
a first-time voter or if you have not had a
chance to cast your vote for the country’s next president. To this end,
ABS-CBN launched the beefed-up “Boto Mo, I-Patrol Mo“Ako Mismo”: Ako Ang Simula” to help voters navigate through and make sense
of the electoral maze. Whatever your preferred platform is—whether
you’re into TV, radio, news websites, Multiply or Twitter—thanks to
ABS-CBN, election news and information are always within your
reach. But first, go out and register, you have until October 31 to sign
up!
ASM season is in full swing and people are waiting expectantly for
their CEO’s or president’s report on whether their company remains
on firm financial ground—an even more nail-biting prospect than
usual this time around given the world’s current woes. One meeting
that is the cynosure of biz watchers and the public—as it was last
year—is that of Meralco. We chronicle the 2009 stockholders’ meeting on page 2.
Despite the weird weather we’ve been having the past couple of
months, with a destructive typhoon or two to boot, June still ushers
in the rainy season in the Philippines—and the beginning of classes.
We’ve got a back-to-school special from Power Plant Mall, with
some cool finds to make school life just a bit easier and more fun for
the kids. Not to be forgotten, of course, is Father’s Day, which this
year falls on June 21; Power Plant salutes dads the whole month of
June, so we’ve got plenty of quality time to spend with Pop!
ooOoo
Thanks for your support to the Pasig project!—Girlie Aragon
ooOoo
I would just like to ask if you could lead me to the office or shop of
Zenaida Seva. I’ll be getting married next year and would like to
ask her the best date, time and day to marry. God bless and more
power!—Jason
Please email Zenaida at zenaida.seva@gmail.com. You may also
catch her weekdays on “Umagang Kay Ganda” on ABS-CBN. Congratulations in advance and keep on reading LopezLink!
ooOoo
Dear Rosie
I was allowed to sign up for one of Lifelong Wellness’ stress management programs even if the class was already a few sessions along.
Thanks again, Lifelong!—Yas
ooOoo
Please consider including resto/food reviews in LopezLink. Those
who are watching their wallets (and waistlines) will surely appreciate
being pointed to establishments that give value for money.—Thess
We will look into featuring reviews of Lopez Group-affiliated
restaurants, including FOOD Magazine’s recommendations.
ooOoo
I visited the LopezLink website. It looks good! Congrats!—Cecile
ooOoo
Nakakabilib ang Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig! I feel proud that
the Lopez Group is leading this. After La Mesa, I have no doubt
that AFI can work its magic on the Pasig River as well. Please keep
us posted. Godspeed!—Kristine
Do check our CSR page for an update on KBPIP. Our media
partners likewise keep the Pasig River and AFI’s rehabilitation efforts
in the public eye through regular newspaper features and other media.
We hope you follow those as well.
ooOoo
Is SkyBroadband available in Salcedo Place? Thanks.—Ninfa
Response from Marriane Nill of SkyCable: “SkyBroadband is not
yet available in One Salcedo Place. Nevertheless, we are continuously
expanding our coverage areas. To check SkyBroadband’s availability
in your area, visit www.skybroadband.com.ph or call our 24/7 customer service hotline at 631-0000.”
ooOoo
Pwede po ba i-request sa Balls na i-publish ang schedule ng shows
nila? Lalo na po ang tennis matches. Ang Star Sports po ay may
complete schedule sa kanilang website. Meron po bang website ang
Balls o kahit anong website na may schedule nila? Salamat.—Luisa,
LopezLink Forum subscriber
Carlo Ferrer, marketing manager at the Cable Channels and Print
Media Group, says: “We are now working with ABS-CBNnews.com
(Interactive) for a page with schedules of highlighted events on Balls.
This is to be done by June.”
If you have questions, comments, opinions, suggestions and reactions about
anything and everything about the Lopez Group, please send them to Dear Rosie
through email DearRosie@benpres-holdings.com or send text to bayanWIRELESS
landline number 02-3820139 (for Globe, add
2963 + 02 +3820139).
travelGRIFFIN SIERRA RECOMMENDS
B
Cool to be in
By Pauline Cala-or
5
Firefly adventure in Donsol River
Firefly watching in the evening is one activity
you should not miss! See mangroves completely
covered with fireflies illuminating the trees.
Explore the citadel of faith
Visit some magnificent churches!
Manta ray dive at Ticao Pass
Dive with the manta ray and experience the
freedom of nature’s wonders.
Wakeboarding in Camarines Sur Water
Sports Complex
Learn wakeboarding, or skate, water ski and
kneeboard! International wakeboarders and
tourists come to this first-class water sports
complex to experience the ride of their life.
Explore Sorsogon
Visit the Philippine Bee Farm, Sorsogon
Dairy Farm, Rizal Beach, Lake Bulusan (the
“Switzerland of the Orient”), Barcelona Church
and Mateo Hot Spring.
6
7
8
9
10
icol!
Food trip
Don’t forget to taste the rich and spicy
dishes of Bicol cooked with coconut milk and
siling labuyo.
You will never run out of things to do in Bicol. Call Griffin Sierra Travel Inc. for your ideal
accommodations
and tours
now!
F o r
more information, call
898-2451
or email sierra@info.
com.ph and
look for Diana, Allan
CamSur Water Sports Complex
or Shiena.
Butanding
Wakeboarding
12
Lopezlink June 2009
What’s new
from ABS-CBN Publishing this June
Proud
to be Filipino with
‘Metro’
Metro focuses on
everything Filipino
this June. Gracing
our cover is singer
and actress Lea
Salonga. Senior associate editor Audrey Carpio goes into detail
about Salonga’s longevity in the entertainment industry as well
as her life as a mother and wife. Our monthly list of 20 focuses
on 20 global Pinoys, including boxer Manny Pacquiao, White
House chef Cristeta Comerford and entrepreneur Ben Chan.
“Get Gorgeous” shows readers how to embrace their Filipino
features. Learn about Nikka Abes’ thoughts on saving the environment in “Independent Woman” and get fit with triathlete Ani
de Leon in “In Shape.”
‘FOOD’ satisfies your soul
FOOD rejuvenates the spirit and warms the cockles of your heart
with its special issue on soups. Its 16 wonderful soup recipes will
surely bring you comfort and a sense of wellness as you browse
through the delightful menu of stories. There’s the inside story
on celebrity chef Ming Tsai’s visit to Manila, a guide on how
to create your own Malaysian-themed dinner party, a modern
wedding caterer’s story, the confessions of a kitchen slave, more
than 40 kitchen-tested recipes, and even more stories!
ROCKWELL POWER PLANT FINDS
Much ado about Dad!
Nike golf set
Editorial Advisory Board
Executive Editor
Contributing Editors
Carla Paras-Sison (Benpres)
Maite Bueno (Meralco)
Estela de la Paz (First Gen)
Kane Choa (ABS-CBN)
Angelo Macabuhay (FPHC)
Rafael Alunan III (Wellness)
Circulation
Editorial and Layout
Rockwell celebrates Father’s
Month this June with activities geared towards health and
wellness, such as a fun run
and a basketball clinic for
father-son or father-daughter
tandems. Also, enjoy discounts
from health and wellness stores,
and ogle the car displays and collectible exhibits. For more info,
log on to www.powerplantmall.
multiply.com or call 898-1702.
By Lisa Gomez
IT’S raining great finds this June as Power
Plant Mall celebrates Father’s Month and
welcomes the kids back to school. Time to hit
Manila’s fashionable mall for gifts and activities to enjoy with Dad and, of course, school
must-haves for the young ones!
Nike golf set
You can never go wrong with the Nike golf
set (P106,820) from Golf King. It includes
high-quality golf clubs, a stylish golf bag and
a handy umbrella.
Watch from Original
Penguin by Munsingwear
By Sheila Quieta
‘SSM’ wedding special
StarStudio devotes over 60 pages of its June issue to the Judy Ann
Santos-Ryan Agoncillo wedding. With more than 140 photos,
most of which were personally handpicked by the newlyweds
themselves, revel in the couple’s amazing love story that culminated in their April 28 wedding in Batangas. Learn all about
the bridal shower, the pamamanhikan, the breakfast reception at
Balai Laiya and the sunset party in Balai Anilao, the Manila
reception, what Judy Ann did on her way to Batangas, Ryan’s
pre-wedding jitters, their daughter Yohan’s last-minute request,
and more!
When it rains, ‘tsismis’ pours!
The Buzz Magasin’s June issue has a new, cutting-edge look
and additional sections! Know the plans of Judy Ann Santos
and Ryan Agoncillo and the latest on the Annabelle RamaWilma Galvante tiff, while Raymond Gutierrez defends his
twin Richard. Piolo Pascual gets intimate in Tough Ten Questions and Anne Curtis confesses about the boys in her life.
Learn little-known facts about Manny Pacquiao and Santino.
Also featured is an exclusive first look at the US shoot of “In
My Life” with Vilma Santos, Luis Manzano and John Lloyd
Cruz!
Get the newest issues of your favorite magazines at leading
bookstores and magazine stands nationwide. Exclusive to Lopez
Group employees within Metro Manila, use your office address
and get a full year subscription discount up to 50% off cover
price. For inquiries, call ABS-CBN Publishing Inc. at 4559434.
Elite backpack
Gone are the days
when you have to
worry about your child
getting a backache
from carrying heavy
books. The unique
Elite
backpack
(P5,250) protects
your child with
its built-in spine
protector.
Schoolbags,
school supplies
Kidz Station offers a wide variety
of strollers, backpacks, lunchboxes
and all back-to-school essentials. Ensure that
your child is prepared and hip this school year!
Schoolbags are priced from P499-P1,999.
Boo Chanco / Danny Gozo
Rosan Cruz
John Rojo (Bayan)
Arlene Torres (SkyCable)
Sheila Quieta (ABS-CBN Publishing)
Vienn Tionglico (Rockwell)
Vanessa Suquila (LGFI)
Lucy Torres (Tel. 449-2468)
Mousetrap Publishing
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
Available online at www.Lopezlink.ph
Original Penguin shirts
Shirts from Original Penguin by Munsingwear, the favored brand of icons like Arnold
Palmer, Richard Nixon, Bob Hope and Bing
Crosby, will make great gifts for the fashionable dad. Choose from a wide variety of shirts
as well as footwear, watches and eyewear.
Just for kids...
Harvard desk
Make sure your child enjoys studying even
at home—reward him with a Harvard desk
(P32,500) from Ergrokids, which specializes
in kid-friendly chairs and desks.
From top: Bags and school
supplies, Harvard kiddie
desk, and Elite backpack