2018 BCBP Business Forum Magazine

BROTHERHOOD OF CHRISTIAN BUSINESSMEN AND PROFESSIONALS

BUSINESS FORUM SUMMARY

Changing the Face of Business A FORUM ON WORKPLACE TRANSFORMATION 28Â APRIL 2018 SUBIC BAY, PHILIPPINES

CONTENTS INTRODUCTION A Forum on Workplace Transformation

PRESENTATIONS FR. HERB SCHNEIDER

TRANSFORM

Tracing the Beginning of BCBP's Vision and Mission

THE WORKPLACE FOR

MR. ROLANDO MEDEIROS Business as a Noble Vocation

CHRIST

DR. OSCAR BULAONG JR. Becoming A Sheep In Wolf's Clothing

This booklet contains the messages delivered during the 2018 Business Forum of the Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals held on 28 April 2018 in Subic Bay, Philippines.

MR. PYTHAGORAS L. BRION Transforming Lives Through Education

This Business Forum focused on the theme "Changing the Face of Business" and highlighted the phrase "Workplace Transformation." The topic of workplace transformation is so apt and timely a reminder to the BCBP Community.

MR. ALLAN L. CRISTOBAL Creating Shared Value: Lessons from the Bamboo

As a community, the BCBP is called to cast out into the deep. This Business Forum is a deep dive into the BCBP's battlefield, the world of business, the marketplace where we have been sent as evangelizers by our Lord Jesus Christ.

DR. CECILIO K. PEDRO The SPIRIT of Workplace Transformation

PUTTING FAITH INTO ACTION

As the BCBP continues to fulfill our community's vision and mission today and into the future, may we all gain new perspectives on how we can bring Jesus Christ more powerfully into the workplace..

The Institute for Business Transformation

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INTRODUCTION

A Forum on Workplace Transformation The Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals (BCBP) called on its more than 10,000 members in the Philippines and major parts of the world "to have a new mindset" where business will be considered no longer just a profession but a "vocation."

More than 5,000 BCBP members from all over the Philippines, Southeast Asia, the USA, and Canada gathered at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center on April 28, 2018 for the Business Forum that served as one of the highlights of the BCBP's 38th National Annual Convention.

POWERHOUSE CAST OF SPEAKERS Leaders of important industries were invited to share their experiences and the valuable lessons they learned from them. Rolando Medeiros, president of the International Christian Union of Business Executives (Uniapac) shared Uniapac's efforts to promote business as a vocation in other parts of the world.

Other speakers who graced the forum were Dr. Oscar Bulaong, Jr., Director of the Gov. Jose B. Fernandez Ethics Center of the Ateneo de Manila University; Pythagoras L. Brion, Senior Vice-President of PHINMA Corporation; Allan L. Cristobal, CEO of ALC Holdings; and Dr. Cecilio Pedro, President and CEO of Lamoiyan Corporation The Business Forum also marked the launching of the Institute for Business Transformation (IBT) that will provide learning opportunities for executives who want to change the way they do business.

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The Beginning of BCBP's Mission

By Fr. HERB SCHNEIDER, SJ BCBP Founder and Spiritual DIrector I would like to begin with the year 1980. At that time, I, together with the leaders of Ang Ligaya ng Panginoon Community, became convinced that the Charismatic Prayer Group, from which most of us came, was turning out to be a very limited resource for the kind of men and women needed to build a community.

Most of those attending the prayer meetings were

answer to evangelizing men. Observe everything

married women without their husbands and who

carefully, miss nothing. And when you get back to

were unable to bring their husbands to the prayer

Manila, start something like this -- a businessmen’s

meetings. We knew that you could not really build a

breakfast back in Manila and try to bring people in

community with only one of the spouses. But how

managerial position to the breakfast. These men will

do we evangelize the men?

have many of the gifts you need to build a community." And so in 1980 we began with a men’s

So that year, we went again to the Word of God

breakfast at the Makati Sports Club. We knew that

Community in Ann Arbor Michigan for training in

contrary to the ladies at the prayer meeting, the

community building.

men who came to the breakfast would have no problem bringing their wives along and so it turned

While there, I was invited to a businessmen’s

out.

breakfast and as I participated, it was as if the Lord tapped me on the shoulder saying, "Here is your

The businessmen’s breakfast at the Makati Sports -

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Club was really the birth of the Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals (BCBP). At

us to evangelize decision-makers in business. And to

"We want to raise up men and women who will will act, work and move their business forward as stewards of a God who created this world for the good and benefit of all."

win the marketplace for Christ meant that these

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the beginning a community as it exists today was not envisaged, but as more and more men came to the breakfast it became clear to us that a support environment, a community, was needed.

To make a long story shorter, the BCBP came into existence with its own way of life and with a double mission: 1) To bring Christ to the marketplace. And 2) To win the marketplace for Christ.

The first part of that statement, to bring Christ into the marketplace and into the professions, meant for

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converted leaders will change the way business as done in the way of Christ. It is the second purpose

for the many who are now unable to find employ-

of our mission that determined over the years the

ment. We want men and women, who desire to

kind of people we wanted to evangelize and win for

share the benefits that result from their business

Christ.

venture with their employees, who desire to structure and organize work where their

The breakfast became not only the entrance to the

employees can apply their gifts, talents, and

BCBP. It also was for many the beginning of living

creativity to the job, and, through it, grow as human

and working as disciples of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

beings by developing their potential.

The process goes something like this. A member brings a guest (colleague from the office) to the

In 2015 the former president of the Ateneo de

breakfast. Here he comes in contact with men, who

Manila University gave me the invitation of

are regular guys, but who also love the Lord. He hears testimonies of how others have found the Lord and the difference it had made in their lives.

UNIAPAC to the Thailand Conference. Fr. Bienvenido Nebres thought that it would be of interest to the BCBP. From the program it was clear that the

Through the ongoing attendance and being in

conference would help us understand the second

contact with committed disciples, the desire for

part of our mission in a clearer way.

more grows in these new comers. They are then invited with their wives to participate in the BCBP’s Christian Life Program (BCLP), a 12-week seminar leading not only to adult conversion, but also to taking steps to assure growth as a follower of Christ.

The BCLP is similar to the Rite of Initiation of Adults of the Catholic Church.

I believe that, finally, after 38 years of the existence of the BCBP and 38 years of doing the first part of its mission well, the time has now come for the BCBP to move forward boldly to win the marketplace for Christ.

As a major step forward, the BCBP will launch today

We wanted to raise up men and women of vision and to make their business ventures a blessing for all their stakeholders. We want to raise up men and women who desire to create work places and jobs -

the Institute for Business Transformation. May our Lord bless this venture and make it a powerful tool for winning the marketplace and the professions for God’s glory.

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Business as a Noble Vocation

By MR. ROLANDO MEDEIROS President, International Christian Union of Business Executives (UNIAPAC) Let me start my dissertation with a prayer. Lord Jesus, I ask You the grace of knowing You and loving You more for me to become a faithful disciple and, through my work testimony, be a missionary in the business world. I offer You my effort to build a society which is more just, prosperous, united, and humane. Remain among us and send us Your Holy Spirit to allow our intentions, words, and actions to fulfill Your will. Amen.

First of all, I thank Mr. Chairman, Tito Serafica, Mr.

40 business leaders associations from different parts

President, Joffe Almoro, and Mr. Former President,

of the world: Asia, America, Africa and Europe. It has

Joey Avellana. It is through their invitation that I am

more than 30.000 direct members, more than

here participating in your 38th Anniversary

100.000 business leaders associated to it and a

celebration, in this forum “Changing The Face of

network of over 3 million people.

Business -- A Forum on Workplace Transformation” and the launch of the Institute of Business

UNIAPAC aspires to be recognized worldwide by its

Transformation. I feel very honored and grateful for

distinct promotion of “Business as a Noble Vocation”

being here today with you and to represent

by undertaking its mission of uniting, guiding and

UNIAPAC as its international president.

leading business leaders for them to see themselves challenged by a greater meaning in life; this will

I would like to introduce very briefly UNIAPAC, a

enable them truly to serve the common good by

worldwide organization which gathers more than

striving to increase the goods of this world and to -

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make them more accessible to all.

To realize its vision of the future, UNIAPAC has the following objectives: 1) Study, disseminate and deepen, in international and social activity, Christian social thought, in the light of the Gospel; 2) Serve as a link between Christian associations of business leaders throughout the world, promote and facilitate exchanges between them and organize, if necessary, their common expression; 3) Assist and support the actions of these national and regional associations; 4) Encourage the creation of Christian associations of business leaders where none exist, and 5) More generally, take or promote any initiatives that further the above objectives.

In light of the challenges of the 21st Century we deem the current role of UNIAPAC in society as more relevant and impactful than ever. Nowadays the enterprise needs to play a much more active role to help tackle socio-economic changes, to address the key challenges the world is currently facing, and to support the implementation of a policy agenda for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, quality job creation, and a more inclusive economy with better labor markets, environmental awareness and ethical deployment of technology.

Business should serve to improve society and, for business leaders, the compass that guides their work should be ethics. Businesses should be a key conduit in building trust with all the stakeholders through behaviors that unconditionally respect the human dignity, foster inclusiveness, and enhance intercultural understanding and a sense of belonging to a community in all type of social interactions.

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wealth more accessible to all and more justly distributed among all the stakeholders for the betterment of the society as a whole. And these organizational cultures can only be built with business leaders who see themselves as critical social change agents that contribute to the transformation of society into a better world. Leaders who understand that the purpose of a business firm is not simply to make a profit but is to be found in its very existence as a community that creates value, offers talents, skills, and knowledge, its initiatives and innovative ideas, to help build and fulfill a purpose of common good. Leaders who understand their life mission also as the creation of meaningful, involving work experiences. Leaders who underpin their entrepreneurial mission on key values: respect for human dignity, responsible freedom, representative democracy, equity, the rule of law and respect for human rights. Ultimately, leaders who are willing to transform their business endeavors into a noble vocation.

UNIAPAC's Vision of the Future is to be recognized worldwide by its distinct promotion of business as a noble vocation. Thus, UNIAPAC aspires to be to be a source of inspiration and support for leaders wishing to embrace that path, adopt a broader view of their role in society, and transcend the quest for short-term profits to become builders of the common good and promoters of a new humanism of work. UNIAPAC aims to helping business leaders to welcome purpose into their everyday lives and into their calling at work. Business is still too often perceived as a part of the problem rather than as a part of the solution. And while there is certainly abuse, there is also often a great deal of nobility in business; a nobility that needs to be, not only portrayed, but extensively promoted worldwide in order to serve the Common Good for the betterment of society as a whole.

As already mentioned, the underpinning elements of our Vision of the Future are based on the conviction that business is a vocation, and a noble vocation, provided that those engaged in it see themselves challenged by a greater meaning in life. This will enable them truly to serve the common good by striving to increase the goods of this world and to make them

However, in order to truly assume these relevant social responsibilities, a more humane corporate culture needs to be built in organizations and engrained in the attitudes and behaviors of their members so that they see themselves as active participants in a community where they can flourish by contributing to a long-term business project -- a project aimed at the generation of -

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more accessible to all.

2. MORE HUMANE ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURES

In light of this conviction, three essential success factors in the transformation of business into a noble vocation can be identified: 1) personal transformation; 2) more humane organizational cultures; and, 3) business serving the Common Good. Let´s review these elements with a bit of more detail, as follows:

Business leaders need to become role models in the organizational efforts to ingrain a culture based on the principles of human dignity and the common good; in building a work environment where everybody and all the members of that community organize their work in ways that adhere to the principle of subsidiarity, which fosters a spirit of initiative and increases the competence of the employees who are thereby considered “coentrepreneurs” and see the workplace as a source of meaning. A more humane organizational culture requires that the roles played by all the members are based on a concept of the business as a community of persons. A community of persons who interact with their stakeholders not as instruments for achieving the goals of the company, but as human beings; as people in the broadest and deepest sense of the word, with needs and reasonable expectations which the company is willing to endeavor to satisfy; and with interests that the company respects and are taken into consideration in the decision-making process.

1. PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION Business leaders are required to seriously undertake the journey allowing them to see them challenged by a greater meaning in life and, thus, willing to adopt a broader view of their role in society by transcending the quest for short-term profits to become builders of the common good and promoters of a new humanism at work. This deeper meaning in life involves associating the business leadership role to God´s plan. The challenge means adhering to such a plan as a way to find the good in order to realize it fully. In this plan, the business leaders should find their truth, and through adherence to this truth they should become free. To defend the truth, to articulate it with humility and conviction, and to bear witness to it in life are therefore exacting and indispensable forms of charity.

Chief amongst the numerous obstacles standing on the way of realizing the potential that businesses have to be a force for Greater Good in any society is a divided life: the split between the faith which a business leader profess and his daily life. Business leaders who do not see themselves as serving others and God in their working lives will fill the void of purpose with a less worthy substitute.

They will not see business as a vocation. A Christian business leader should strive to see signs of God in the daily experiences of life. Faith does not merely grant interior firmness, a steadfast conviction on the part of the believer; it also sheds light on every human relationship because it is born of love and reflects God´s own love. Thus, faith becomes a light capable of illuminating all our relationships in society and a service to the Common Good.

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It is only in this manner that every person becomes a main actor in the business and finds in the enterprise a source of fulfillment. At the same time, this is a way to prevent companies from becoming a means to achieve a development for the benefit of a few. Furthermore, also a way to ensure that the company profit does not become a goal in itself, but the consequence of the correct understanding of the needs of those who interact in and with the company; a consequence of having organized the resources available to address those needs in efficient, effective, environmentally friendly and socially responsible manners.

"Business leaders need to become role models in the organizational efforts to ingrain a culture based on the principles of human dignity and the common good."

ROLANDO MEDEIROS

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3. BUSINESS SERVING THE COMMON GOOD Business serving the common good is what follows when long-term value is created for customers, employees, shareholders, and society. Consequently, for businesses to serve the common good a more humane corporate culture is needed which, in turn, demands an emphasis on properly ordering a set of practical principles. Key amongst them, besides the principle of subsidiarity critical for building workplaces as sources of flourishment, are the principle of meeting the needs of the world with goods that are truly good and truly serve without forgetting, in a spirit of solidarity, the needs of the poor and the vulnerable; and the principle of sustainable creation of wealth and their just distribution among the various stakeholders for the betterment of the society as a whole. These practical principles are, in simple and concise terms, the “3Gs” for the service of the Common Good: Good Goods, Good Work, and Good Wealth: • Good Goods: Making goods that are truly good and services that truly serve. Underlying this concept is the principle of universal destination of goods and the right to common use of them.

• Good Work: Organizing work for the employees to develop their gifts and talents. While businesses strive to create goods and services, it should not come at the expense of good work and the integral development of the workers (i.e. the subjective dimension of work).

• Good Wealth: Creating sustainable wealth and distributing it justly. The principle of just distribution calls for wealth to be allocated in a way that creates “right relationships” with those who have participated in the creation of such wealth.

When businesses properly order these three goods, they serve as the economic engine of a society and play an indispensable role in generating material prosperity for wider numbers of people. When they disorder any of these goods, businesses fail to mitigate poverty. If a business is to serve the Common Good, it has to achieve all three of these goods.

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The whole network of UNIAPAC associations all over the world, including the BCBP, are expected to be working in closing their own gaps against the common vision of the future of being recognized worldwide for our distinct promotion of business as a noble vocation. The deployment of this visiondriven strategy is expected to result in higher levels of collaboration and synergies amongst the different associations. It is easy to envision how such a high degree of alignment could result in powerful contributions to put UNIAPAC’s mission effectively forward in all regions for the betterment of the whole world. The BCBP can diagnose its present condition on the same dimensions of UNIAPAC’s Vision of the Future and identify its unique and peculiar set of gaps for its complete realization. The process of managing the gaps then becomes a fully autonomous exercise in light of BCBP´s particular situation, circumstances and capabilities.

However by sharing its specific actions, innovative programs and creativity with all the other UNIAPAC associations, BCBP will be making significant contributions to UNIAPAC by providing a great opportunity to disseminate best practices, capture synergies and allow other associations to learn from BCBP´s successes and failures. In turn BCBP will benefit from the experiences of other associations in its efforts to close its own gaps.

In closing, let me quote some phrases from the recently released Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis “Gaudete et Exultate” [“Rejoice And Be Glad”] which are insightful advices in our quest, as business leaders, for the transformation of business into a noble vocation: we are called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves (#14) and, as Christian business leaders, we cannot think of our mission on earth without seeing it as a path of holiness (#19), a mission that has its fullest meaning in Christ, and can only be understood through him (#20). If we truly assume our business leadership role as a noble vocation we can find in our business activities a path to sanctity… Let´s pray to the Holy Spirit to illuminate that path.

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Becoming a Sheep in Wolf's Clothing

By Dr. OSCAR G. BULAONG, JR. Executive Director, Gov. Jose B. Fernandez Ethics Center Ateneo de Manila University Can I ask you two or three questions? Did you sleep well? Did you have a good breakfast? Are you familiar with this Bible passage? "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves." (Matthew 7:15). Do you find this Bible passage disturbing? I find it disturbing as well.

I first encountered this Bible verse when I was a kid,

clothing. I like this image. I like the idea of

when my mother introduced me to the Bible while I

something subversive, of something that challenges

was busy playing Atari. I remember reading this

the status quo. But how is it possible for me to go

passage and I found it really disturbing because it

into a world that is dangerous, that is unsafe, where

depicted the world outside as dangerous, not only

there are deceptive wolves, and I don't know the

because there are predators, but the predators are

difference between those I can trust and those I

deceptive, and they are wearing sheep's clothing. I

cannot trust?

asked myself, "Is the world an unsafe place? Is it something that I should not engage, simply because

As Christian businessmen, I think we should be

it is dangerous?"

subversive. I think we should subvert that notion that it's a concrete jungle out there, with wolves in

Can I show you an image? I'm showing you an image

sheep's clothing. I would like to look at our work.

of the opposite. That's not a wolf, right? That's a

Bro. Rolando talked about the vocation of the

sheep. And the sheep is wearing wolves'

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development and personal transformation. Those

so. Because the third stonemason has compassion

are precisely subversive insights. And I'm not sure if

for his work. May malasakit siya. He will do his work

that makes sense to you as something revolutionary

excellently. What is special about the third

and subversive. Why? Because the challenge is this:

stonemason is he acts according to his mission, a

To be a sheep in wolves' clothing, the challenge is

grand narrative.

to be more clever, to become more competent, and It is an issue in business -- a tug of war between

to be better than the wolves.

ethics and profits. Have you heard this expression A concrete example: Do you know this practice in

before, "Negosyo ito, hindi charity"? O ikaw ba,

the Philippines both in government and in private

sinabi mo na yan dati? No, no, no. Yung kalaban ko

called "Everybody Happy"? It comes in different

yan. Kaya ako nalulugi. Kasi yung kalaban ko

forms. One form is in the bidding process. If you

nagnenegosyo, ako nagcha-charity. Ganun ba yun?

have four bidders, the purchaser just tells you that if there are four projects, then why not just distribute

Now think about it, is the work we are doing -- that

the projects to all of you. And everybody happy. But

of of bringing Christ into the marketplace -- is it

it defeats the purpose of the bidding. The wolves in

contradictory? What about the work that you do: Do

sheep's clothing are conspiring.

your products or services serve genuine human needs? Or do you need to refine them? Have you

What does it mean to be more clever and more

designed the workplace and the systems to be

competent than the wolves? It's not that we must be

formative so employees develop themselves. Do we

transformed into wolves ourselves. But to win the

follow the principle of subsidiarity? Is the manner

marketplace for Christ. With this challenge, I'd like

we earn profit justly distributive to those who are

to impart some insights. I'd like to share the story of

affected by our operations? Is our operations

the three stone masons. And maybe we can learn an

exploitative, and only in the end that we do charity?

important lesson from it.

Let's cite the example of a hypothetical company You know stonemasons, right? Stonemasons cut

called "A Moral Company." The only purpose of this

stones into shape. There are three stonemasons in

firm is to maximize shareholders' value. It produces

the story. The architect goes to the first stonemason

products using substandard material. It lowballs its

and asked the question, "What are you doing?" The

suppliers. Its employee policies are exploitative,

first stonemason said, "I'm making a wall, and I'm

they pay below minimum wage, require long work

getting paid for it." The architect goes to the second

hours. It has an unsustainable factory that harms the

stonemason and asked the same question. "I'm

environment. And it cheats on taxes.

helping make a cathedral," said the second stonemason. The third stonemason, when asked the

But afterwards, the company signs several checks

same question, said, "I am helping the work of God."

and give them to charity. Then they take pictures of the act and shows it to others that they have been

The first stonemason sees it as an input-output kind

charitable. This is called CSR 1.0 or the first concept

of thing. The second stonemason sees his work as

of CSR. The company does this to window-dress its

something bigger. But the third stonemason sees his

image.

work as a part of a grand narrative. If you think about it, the first and second stonemasons are doing

How distributive is our operation? How do we deal

the same thing.

with our clients or customers? Do we give just prices? Our suppliers, do we have good relations

Do you think the first stonemason requires a sort of

with them? Our employees, do they have work-life

quality control? Yes. Do you think the third

balance? Is the environment sustained because of

stonemason requires quality control? I don't think

our operation?

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Good wealth can be achieved by the way we

a book I read by leadership guru Frances Hesselbein.

distribute our wealth. I would like to show you an

In it, she said, "Start where you are. Use what you

empirical evidence that ethics have a direct benefit

have. And do what you can." That means you don't

on the bottomline and is good for your business.

have to be the president of the Philippines or the

This graph is very old but it is very popular because

president of BCBP to start transformation.

it shows that having ethical business practices is

Transformation happens always in small places

good for the business. On the Y-axis of this graph is

where they are not easily noticed.

the Human Development Index that measures the health, wealth and education of people in these

To be a sheep in wolves' clothing is to be clever and

countries. It compares these to the X-axis which

competent for Christ. We have to be more clever and

shows the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) or the

more competent and to conspire among ourselves.

degree of corruption in a country.

We must continue studying and developing new

skills on ethical practices. Because that kind of

There is a pattern globally. And what is that pattern?

competence enables the ethical alternative,

The less corrupt the country is, the healthier its

generates new knowledge, and allows us to can

people become and the better educated they are.

evangelize the marketplace.

And the inverse is also true.

Knowledge production has to take the form of Corruption is like putting sand in the wheels of

witnessing, not only during Saturday breakfasts, but

commerce. It makes commerce, both in the micro

more so in our everyday business dealings. We have

and the macro level, less efficient.

to develop functional area-focused skills. We need to learn operations management properly, to do

It is not difficult to comprehend that doing good is

finance better. We propose personal leadership

both profitable and sustainable. I teach

workshops that hone not only skills but also

undergraduate students and MBA students, and

character. And finally, we need to do strategic

many of them say they are not the decision maker

management workshops.

and there is nothing they can do to solve the problem of corruption. They think the corruption

We should conspire to truly be a sheep in wolves'

issue is so rampant that it is like a monster. There is

clothing and win the marketplace for Christ.

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Changing Lives Through Education

By Mr. PYTHAGORAS BRION Senior Vice President, PHINMA Corporation On behalf of all the brothers and sisters who work with PHINMA, I would like to thank God for placing us to work with a lay business organization with a very Christian heart. PHINMA has always organized its businesses to serve the country. Started in 1956 by two professionals, with the aim of going into businesses that could help rebuild the country after the destruction of the war.

PHINMA's first business was cement with the

Since 15 years ago, PHINMA has redirected its

acquisition of the Bacnotan cement plant that

businesses from rebuilding the country to making

eventually grew to become the largest network of

Filipino lives better. Specifically, to make lives of

cement manufacturing in the country now known as

poor Filipinos better. This may be best illustrated in

Holcim Lafarge . This was quickly followed by entry

our education business, where we serve the lowest

into steel roof manufacturing, glass bottling, and

socio economic DE class at a tuition at least 50%

the first Filipino controlled oil refinery that was to

lower than our downtown universities in Manila.

become Petron.

Allow me to read from the talk shared by our CEO in It may not be well known that PHINMA also went

the Servant Leadership Conference held at the Rizal

into agriculture for many years; sugar, coconut, fish

Ballroom, Makati Shangri-La, 31 January 2018. Mr.

farming, even vegetable farming for exports – the

RRR spearheaded PHINMA’s entry into the education

sector that employs the largest component of labor

business in 2003: "In his speech before the US

and the poorest segment of the Filipino people.

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of business, Pope Francis first said, 'I would

done. Hence, we brought our management,

encourage you to keep in mind all those people

systems, and practices and our decades of

around us who are trapped in a cycle of poverty.

experience and expertise to bear on what was so

They too need to be given hope. The fight against

fundamental a need -- education.

poverty and hunger must be fought constantly and

on many fronts.'

Our strategy was to reduce education down to its most essential elements, appropriate facilities and

Therefore business’ mission is not only about making

learning materials, a proper classroom, and a great

lives better but is most especially about making the

teacher. We did not take shortcuts, nor sacrifice

lives of the poor better. This is most true in our

quality. We spent heavily on faculty development,

country where de-humanizing poverty continues to

ran our own in-house training programs and gave

be a reality for millions. Beyond providing jobs and

full graduate education scholarships.

paying decent wages, we can fulfill this mission by

choosing businesses that directly impact the lives of

We did not spend heavily on administration –

the poor through the provision of goods and services

choosing instead to use the same people and

that meet their critical needs at an affordable cost.

systems across our network. Nor did we spend on

academic research, but focused on teaching

In my own company, PHINMA, this is best

expertise. Finally, expenses for non-academic

exemplified by our entry into education. Our entry

student activities, such as sport and extra-curricular

into education was not just about entering the

activities, were highly selective.

education sector; it was about serving the

marginalized in Philippine society. Our students are

As a result, our tuition and fees remained affordable,

the children of our farmers, policemen, public school

averaging P13,000 to P15,000 per semester, and the

teachers and other government workers, of pedicab

proportion of our students coming from the D and E

drivers, street vendors, and manual laborers. These

income classes has grown from 63 to 75 percent.

are the families that need the best and greatest

Even more significantly, 65 percent of our college

opportunities to improve their lives. And our mission

freshmen are first generation college students. We

is to give them just those opportunities, by providing

are successfully giving Filipino families a chance to

accessible, quality higher education through a

graduate for the first time a child from college.

country-wide network of institutions.

But to truly serve this market, our education could

Seventy-five percent of our 58,000 students come

not only be about low tuition fees. While the lack of

from households that earn no more than P15,000 per

financial resources is often the major obstacle to a

month, or are from income class D. Twenty-five

good education, a weak basic education, the lack of

percent come from the lowest income class, income

preparedness, and the inability to read, also exclude

class E, or are from households that earn no more

the youth from educational opportunities. Exclusion

than P9,000 per month or are below the country’s

comes in many forms.

official poverty threshold. This is the market PHINMA Education has committed to serving, not by

PHINMA Education’s own freshmen enter with Grade

accident, but by intention.

4 Reading and Math competencies. Based on assessment exams, only 3 percent are ready for

To serve those most vulnerable, whose ability to

college while 36 percent belong to the lowest

matriculate changes from semester to semester

quartile in terms of college readiness. If we were to

depending on their families’ finances, it was

address their poverty, our education had to be about

incumbent upon us to change the way things were

effectiveness. No, for this market we served, it had to be about extreme effectiveness.

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Our key intervention is a program called the Student

the 2013 cohort to 71 percent for the 2015 cohort.

Success Program (SSP), which is based on the

So as business servant leaders, it can be more than

experiences of Teach for America, University of

just providing jobs and paying decent wages. Our

Texas–Austin and other organizations whose work is

business, the goods and services we choose to

relevant to low-income, first-generation students.

provide, can in themselves make a difference. We need only apply our knowhow and expertise to

The SSP seeks to provide our students with mindsets

making these goods and services affordable,

and tools for success in school and in life in general,

effective and transformative. This is the first way

going beyond academics and addressing the causes

we fulfill our mission, by choosing businesses that

of shortcomings. The goal is for them to internalize

directly impact the lives of the poor and provide

three key messages: I Want. I Can. I Belong.

routes out of poverty.

In our I Want sessions, we nudge our students to

Our efforts to make education accessible does not

reflect on their heart’s desire and set milestones

end in our running our own schools efficiently. The

towards their goals. As Antoine Saint-Exupery wrote,

problems of very high fall out of students without

“If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to

completing high school, even with free tuition at

collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work,

that, to find the most menial work just to earn a

but rather teach them to long for the endless

living for his poor family due to lack of employable

immensity of the sea.”

skills; the problem of high school graduates who cop out of college because they have not been

Our I Can intervention shows students scientific and

prepared to have the basic reading and arithmetic

neurological proof that intelligence is malleable, not

skills to cope with college materials cannot be

fixed. Most of our students have received messages

addressed effectively only by adding classrooms and

throughout their lives that they were intellectually

giving scholarships to a deserving few.

weak and incapable. Through this program, they will

realize that they themselves can change their ability

Allow me again to lift the following from our CEO's

to learn and that learning is just an issue of effort,

speech to the Serviam community in January this

practice, and grit.

year: “Entire education system had to change and

business had to participate in and, if need be, lead

Finally, when disadvantaged students encounter

this change. The K-to-12 Basic Education cycle,

adversity they often believe that they are dealing

probably the largest transformation of our education

with problems by themselves. This increases their

system in recent decades, was one of PBEd’s

chances of dropping out. Instead, through the I

advocacies. PBEd and many other initiatives --

Belong programs, we want them to internalize the

Philippine Business for the Environment, the Joint

belief that they are not alone and other students like

Chamber of Commerce’s Arangkada, the National

them have succeeded.

Industry Academe Council -- attempt to go beyond

dole-outs and become actively involved in

As a result of the Student Success Program and the

governance and policy.

commitment to academic excellence, our overall board passing rates have gone from an average of 50

"The impact of the K-to-12 system is not just to

to 70 percent from 2009 to 2016. In that same

make our basic education program equivalent to

period, our average tuition fees decreased from

most developed countries. By adding Grades 11 and

P30,000 annually to P25,000. At the same time our

12 to the high school program, poor students gain

average teachers salaries rose 30 percent. Moreover,

more time to upgrade their basic reading and

the number of our graduates employed six months

arithmetic skills. More importantly, it allows them to

after graduation has gone up from 57 percent for

acquire functional skills in voc-tech subjects that

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will equip them to qualify for regularly paying and

with PHINMA, her PNS Ate who works with me in

meaningful jobs or even go on their own micro

PHINMA’s Treasury, was one of the donors of this

business to start with, even if they decide not to

project.

pursue a college degree."

Another alumna who maintains her links with Improved education also needs very much great

PHINMA to continue to make lives better is Zoe

teachers. PHINMA Foundation under Bro. Bobby

Nery. Zoe is currently a Teach for the Philippines

Laviña’s leadership has formulated a scholarship

Fellow assigned to a public school in Guimaras. As

program for teacher education in cooperation with

the school has limited resources, we connected her

the Philippine Normal University. Our scholars come

to the PHINMA-University of Iloilo where she is able

mostly from low-income families in the provinces;

to bring her students to study in our library.

most of them are the first in their families to reach college. When they graduate and obtain their

The PHINMA scholarship program has not only

teacher’s license, they are committed to return to

developed good teachers, also good multipliers of

their provinces to teach for at least 5 years and to

the good that they have received. Our transformative

apply in a public school immediately.

approach to business is not limited to education.

To properly equip them, these scholars’ training are

In housing, we have had opportunity to apply the

not confined to academics and the classroom. The

same principles with heart-warming results.

PHINMA Foundation program provides the

Bistekville 2 housing for relocated Informal Settler

mentoring and the training to develop their

Families (ISFs) in Quezon City is a case in point. The

leadership skills and potential. Throughout their

property was squatted on for many years, until the

college term, scholars absorb the values of integrity,

owner worked out an arrangement with the Quezon

competence, professionalism and nationalism. In

City Local Government Unit to relocate the informal

fact, 70 percent of the cost of scholarship is spent on

settler families (ISFs). We were engaged by the to

educational field trips, outreach activities, and

undertake the construction of the houses at

leadership conferences to make them good citizens

P450,000 government funded rate. Usually, this

and effective leaders. Employees are engaged to

cannot be done profitably in a Manila setting. But

participate in mentoring the scholars as Big Brother

PHINMA Property did it -- building a total of 1,078 in

or Big Sister. The Ate's and the Kuya's meet monthly

row houses and flats in 3-storey medium-rise

with their little brother or sister to make kumusta,

buildings. About 4 of the original ISFs and a few

encourage, tutor, or give guidance on personal

hundred ISFs living in waterways in Quezon City

concerns.

were resettled in decent homes with running water, tiled toilets, and metered electricity. The subdivision

To date, the PHINMA National Scholarship program

had paved roads with lighted streets and a police

or PNS has 117 alumni teachers nationwide.

outpost, all as a contribution of the QC LGU.

Demonstrating that they have learned the values of PHINMA, our alumni continue to pay it forward. One

But PHINMA’s development did not stop at the

example would be Patricia Boncayao, who is now

construction and turnover of the dwelling units.

teaching in a remote public school in Quezon

Under the direction of Bro. Ricky Siton, Vice

province. She noticed that many of her students

President of PPHC, the Haggai Council was formed.

were unable to attend class due to the difficulty of

The Council was a cooperation among the QC LGU,

commuting (often walking as much as two hours

the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP),

each way). On her own initiative, she raised funds to

Focolare, the Diocese of Novaliches and the

purchase bicycles that she then lent to the students,

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Professionals (BCBP). The QC LGU organized the

profitable, albeit with persistence, perseverance, and

estate management to keep order in the community.

patience if we in business can really put our hearts

PBSP assisted the community in organizing a

into it. It does come with a cost, but eventually

homeowners’ association that mobilized residents to

reasonable profits can be earned.

participate in the continuing development of their community. Focolare and BCBP provided values

The Bistekville project did not make money for PPHC

formation.

as the length of time to execute the program to meet our desired transformative objective took three

To augment their mostly irregular income, PBSP

years longer than planned. Despite that, we are

conducted livelihood training programs. Today, many

prepared to do something similar with lessons

residents are engaged in micro businesses like SIM

learned from the Bistekville project. God has sent us

card selling, rag making and fashion item-making

a few projects to work on. For many years, our

from recycled materials, and food processing.

schools did not even make returns that cover the cost of capital. The first school to attain a 10% ROE

All these efforts of community building have given

took us more than 7 school years to achieve that.

these poor people a sense of dignity and a hope for a

Even another university acquired in 2009 remains a

better future. Having their own homes that they pay

single-digit return investment as of the last school

for instilled a high sense of pride among those

year. But we expect this school to finally break the

previously looked down as ”mga squatters”. And

hurdle this coming school year.

their children have the confidence to invite classmates to their little homes and play in a safe

A recent independent assessment of the school

environment.

business values the business at more than three times the investment we have so far made on the

Most surprisingly, these people spent less on rent,

seven schools. We do not intend to sell the business,

water ,and light in homes they own than when they

but that kind of valuation will allow us to raise more

were “renting”, about P 600 less per month. Making

capital to expand our efforts to organize, run, and

business doing good can be made reasonably

expand businesses that could transform lives for the better.

PHINMA'S Bistekville 2 project

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Creating Shared Value: Lessons from the Bamboo

By Mr. ALLAN L. CRISTOBAL

Founder and Chairman, ALC Holdings and ALC Foundation Most of us today are successful and fulfilled in our respective professions and businesses. In all of God’s blessings, do we view ourselves as a dot in a white blank page? A dot? An end to a sentence – a mark of completeness, the fulfilment of a thought or message – a small dot that is drowned in the overwhelming vastness of one big environment such as this white blank page.

As individuals, are we the same kind of dot with a

We started our humble business as a one-table

sense of completeness and fulfilment

trading company. With the entrepreneurial spirit

but, are operating in an environment that is vast –

that has been inculcated in me all through the years,

as a matter of fact full of potential – but at the

together with a mix of talented individuals on

same time in an environment that is blank – a

board, bold decisions made and right opportunities

hollow space of no ground, of no purpose? Are you

explored, we were able to grow our group of

the same dot? I was.

companies to what we have today.

I am Allan Leal Cristobal, Founder and Chairman of

As an entrepreneur, I was very much fulfilled and

ALC Holdings, Inc. (ALCHI) and ALC Foundation. We

complete. I was like that one dot in a blank page,

are a diversified group of companies with 16 years

excited to expand and grow to fill and conquer the

of experience. Together, the group and the

un-colonized space around me. Success has been

foundation are geared towards growing socially

measured by business excellence and business

sustainable businesses.

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most tragic event in our life happened. I am a

of Creating Shared Value (CSV), the Lord has

husband to a loving wife, Sheila, and a father to 5

revealed to me that these values are leading us to a

adorable children, namely, Paulo, Angel, Sofia,

mission -- a mission to be of impact in the areas of

Alliana and Sean . My family is my inspiration, they

Wellness and Health, to be of sustainable value in

are my top priority after God. My drive to grow the

advocating for the environment, to foster human

business is primarily to be a responsible providing

development via education, and to be an instrument

father to them.

in providing livelihood to the communities – a mission to be bigger than the business, to grow

It was on May 5, 2013, our second born, Sofia, has

beyond profit. This is our purpose.

been diagnosed with giant intracranial aneurism.

She is a survivor and a fighter. And this has

I exist today because of this purpose. And my

transformed our family, and the way we live our

purpose is not to become a stationary dot but rather

lives since then. This has shifted my perspective to

a functional wheel ready to serve the Lord in

look up and seek the Lord. We are grateful that I

transforming our business and the communities one

have joined BCBP before this incident as this has

at a time. This has transformed the way we do things

prepared my family to be steadfast in faith. The Lord

at ALC Holdings, from a limited view of profitability

has been magnified. I accepted Him fully in my life.

to an inclusive view of sustainability; from being

He made me realize that my view as an individual

socially reactive to becoming socially proactive; from

dot in a white blank page is a perspective that has

being an efficient supplier/customer to becoming a

been blinded by the greatness of my potential

responsible business partner; from customer-centric

impact as a humble dot to the community as a

to community-centric; from a corporate citizen to a

whole. And I am starting with my organization.

nation-builder.

As a group, as we were reflecting on how we

This shift in mindset has transformed our

envision the organization to move forward and grow

organizational setup as a whole. Before, we used to

for the future, I am astounded to hear that the

call it Corporate Social Responsibility. This setup

common aspiration amongst everyone is to be in the

today, we call it Creating Shared Value. From CSR to

growing business of touching and transforming lives.

CSV! Together with my purpose-driven team, we

And that in doing so, together we realized it has to

foster a win-win platform for sustainable growth for

be in a sustainable model of shared value –

the community we operate in as a whole. This is our

mutually beneficial to the community and to the

way to honor and praise the Lord! Matthew 25:40, "I

business. The team is onboard! I looked up to the

tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the

heavens and it was as if the Lord talked to me and

least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did

said, “I have already prepared and equipped your

for Me."

army and you, as captain, to fulfill your purpose.”

Let me share with you how we put this in practice.

And so here am I with my team – day by day, we are

Our situation is this. We live in a country that is

creating shared value. This has magnified what is

disaster-prone. We are geographically positioned

inside me as a humble dot. He has blessed me with

highly susceptible to the effects of climate change.

the capacity to be Excellent. He has equipped me

According to the United Nations Office for Disaster

with the insight to be innovative. And He has

Risk Reduction (UNISDR), our country is fourth in the

anointed my hands to be a steward of his creations.

world among countries hit by the highest number of disasters over the past 20 years. From 1995 – 2015,

I exist because God has anchored me to these values

there were a total of 274 disasters recorded in the

– same values that have enabled me to grow my

Philippines, trailing the United States (472), China

business all through the years. With the realization

(441), and India (288).

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Something has to be done. During tropical storm

Kawayanihan leads to the mitigation of the effects

Ondoy in 2009, God ministered to me the power of

of climate change. On the other hand, communities

the bamboo to survive and remain steadfast amidst

may harvest this bamboo then process them for

the devastation of a strong typhoon. And this

varied products, providing them a sustainable source

inspired us to further study how the bamboo is as a

of livelihood and income.

blessing to humanity. Did you know that the bamboo, with its net-like roots, creates an effective

This project we call Bamboohay (Bamboo +

mechanism for watershed protection? Bamboo is an

Hanapbuhay). Bamboohay also organizes

eco-friendly material for many everyday products. Its

communities through Community-Based Bamboo

high-yield capability and sustainability means it is a

Nursery (CBN) and develops into Barangay

good cash crop for income generation. The list goes

Cooperatives nationwide The global potential of

on about the awesomeness of bamboo.

bamboo is huge! Allow me to show you these examples. Applications from architecture,

Thus, we launched Project K -- “Kawayan para sa

engineering, construction, furniture, and so many

Kalikasan, Kaligtasan at Kabuhayan.” Project K aims

possible products.

to plant bamboo all over the Philippines, on riverbanks, mountainside in any open and available

According to the International Network for Bamboo

space to create green, safe, liveable, resilient and

and Rattan (INBAR), the global trend for bamboo is

empowered communities through bamboo growing

said to reach $10 billion in 2010, $20 billion in 2018

and propagation while developing and providing for

and $60 billion in 2020. Taking huge chunk of this

alternative community-based livelihood.

opportunity is China and India. ALC Foundation would like to take part of such potential. Currently,

Under Project K are two flagship Initiatives -

we have over 7 planting sites in Luzon. But we won't

Kawayanihan and Bamboohay First we have

stop here. We want to be bigger. Brothers and

Kawayanihan (Kawayan + Bayanihan), is a Bamboo

Sisters, I invite you to please join us in this crusade

planting initiative that directly impacts the

towards a greener nation and make the Philippines

environment. Under this program, we provide

the bamboo capital of the world. We are bold to

technical skills transfer to communities on how to

impact change and make a difference. We are not

propagate and grow bamboo. Saplings are then sold

afraid to revolutionize the playing field. We are

by the communities to a wide array of partners, such

determined because our end-goal is clear – our

as NGOs, Corporate Citizens and many other

purpose is Christ-driven.

institutions. These partners in turn plant these saplings via their community development programs

To end, I would like to share this video… 2.5 million

to varied areas where watershed protection is

dots to come-up with this finished product. Of all

necessary.

the billions of dots, each one of us is God’s masterpiece. And each one of us fits perfectly in

Through Bamboo Planting, we encourage the

God’s ultimate masterplan. 2 Corinthians 3:18, "And

participation as well as drive environmental

we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the

protection awareness among communities , LGU’s,

Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image

academic institutions, organizations and other

with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the

corporate partners This initiative also aims for the

Lord, who is the Spirit." Who do you choose to be

re-greening and reforestation along the riverbanks,

today? Be that dot in this vast white space or be one

mountainsides, shorelines and any open or available

of these millions of humble dots contributing impact

space. This will serve as added protection against

and relevance in the big picture. The difference

flooding and soil erosion, not to mention its

between these two choices is PURPOSE. Let us seek

contribution to improve biodiversity; Hence, overall,

God and have that purpose revealed today.

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Beyond CSR: The SPIRIT of Business Transformation

By Dr. CECILIO K. PEDRO. Chairman, Lamoiyan Corporation Are you Hapee? Or are you Colgate? What a privilege. Akala ko ang kausap ko mga 200 people. Ang dami pala. More than 5,000. I am so happy that there is now hope for this country because of people like you who are willing to work to transform the workplace and bring the Lord Jesus Christ to the workplace.

My talk is based on the core values of Lamoiyan

inclusive society."

Corporation. And the word we use as an acronym is SPIRIT. The SPIRIT of Lamoiyan, the foundation of

Inclusive means it includes all, especially those who

Lamoiyan. S-P-I-R-I-T. S is for social responsibility. P

need help the most. In the Bible, Jesus said,

is about pursuing excellence. I stands for integrity. R

"Whatever you do to the least of My brethren, you

is for respect for the individual The other I is is for

do it unto Me." Who is the least of our brothers? In

innovation. And T is teamwork. We have the biggest

the case of Lamoiyan Corporation, it is the hearing

team in this place. 5,000. If we can work together,

impaired. If you work in Lamoiyan Corporation, you

we can change the world.

know na tahimik po sa amin. Walang tsismis. We teach our people sign language. You know sign

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair once said,

language? You use your hand to sign. We help other

"The emphasis placed by more and more companies

handicapped people, the lame, the blind. Even

on Corporate Social Responsibility symbolizes the

supposedly normal people are handicapped. Take

recognition that prosperity is best achieved in an

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in basketball, I am handicapped. Maliit ako eh. So in

My God, your God, is so good. 2002 He sent an angel

college, I joined swimming.

from Unilever, Elmer Buntag, the best Filipino scientist of Unilever. I asked him, "Can you help us?"

So let us go to SPIRIT. S- Social responsibility. This is

And he said, "By all means." So he completely

a huge, huge challenge for companies today. The

changed our formulation. changed our entire

number one challenge of listed companies is to

process. Anong ginamit niya? Eh di Close Up. So he

make profits. Puro profits ang pinag-uusapan. No

changed our formulation to gel. Then the idea came:

compromise. If you fail to meet your targets,

Palitan natin yung flavor to give it the Pinoy taste.

investors will bring your price down. I like to see companies pay attention to profits and social

In 2005, God took away Elmer Buntag from us. He

responsibility. Ramon del Rosario of PHINMA knows

passed away. But that year, God sent another angel,

this. kasi may Jaycees training. Service to humanity is

this time from Colgate. Zeny Soriano, the chief

the best work in life. The emphasis of more and

scientist of Colgate. At that time, Colgate transferred

more companies now is inclusiveness -- helping

their factory to Thailand. Tanggal din siya. Sabi ko sa

those in the peripherals. One third of our workforce

kanya, "Zeny, we have lost Elmer, your friend. Will

is composed of the hearing impared. We have 3

you help us?" Sabi niya, "I know you, I know your

schools for the deaf, one of them, in Nueva Ecija, is

company, I would love to help you."

from grade school to high school. We introduce the Gospel of Jesus Christ for them to know God. We

So she came over, changed our formulation. Anong

have to help the people in the periphery, especially

formulation? Colgate! She changed our formulation

the hearing impaired.

for white. So yung Hapee white is basically Colgate.

Pero lasang Pinoy. So we have the best quality, the

P -- Pursuit of excellence. "Excellence is never an

best process, from the best people who worked for

accident. It is always the result of high intention,

these wonderful companies, my competitors. We

sincere effort, and intelligent execution," said

have to excel. More so because we are believers. God

Aristotle, the Greek philosopher. We have to excel.

calls us to be the best for His glory.

Hindi pupuwede yung puwede na. Bawal sa amin sa company na puwede na. Mediocre ang puwede na.

I-Intergrity. W. Clement Stone once said, "Have the

Pag sinabi sa akin na puwede na, it means you can

courage to say no. Have the courage to face the

still do more. Nowadays, our competition is no

truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are

longer among us Filipinos. We now compete with

the magic keys to living your life with integrity."

the Chinese. If we are not excellent, then we will not

This is a big challenge for businessmen. All of us

have a chance. Your benchmark should be the best.

face the same challenge, the same concern. We tend to challenge our own integrity. If you don't practice

In our case, we had to pick. Colgate or Close Up? Yan

integrity, it will be very hard for you to train the next

lang ang alam ko eh. In 2002, we were 30 percent

generation to have integrity. You want the kids to

cheaper than Colgate, they decided to lower their

have integrity when dealing with you? You must

price. Binagsak nila yung presyo to fight us, to make

practice integrity. Masakit po. Pay your taxes

sure that we won't grow anymore. Sabi ko sa mga

correctly. Deal with people with integrity. Pag sinabi

board members ng company namin, perhaps it is

mong 10 o'clock, kailangan nandito ka ng 10 o'clock.

about time that we go head-on. We have to compete

The courage to do the right thing. It is what's needed

in quality. I went to the Lord. I asked God, "How can I

today, in the workplace, in the factory, and outside of

compete with giants in this industry? I don't have the

the company.

people. I don't have the know-how. I don't have the resources."

R-Respect for the individual. "If you want to be a - 2 2 -

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great leader, remember to treat all people with

became my inspiration. I told God, maybe you want

respect at all times. For one, because you never

me to be the William Colgate of the Philippines.

know when you’ll need their help. And two, because it is a sign you respect people, which all great

So I went on to produce my own toothpaste. Of the 4

leaders do." -- Simon Sinek, Start With Why.

P's of marketing, the only thing I had was "price" because I could make the product cheaper since I

You have to respect people to earn their respect. You

made my own tubes. But I did not have a product. So

want to be respected, start respecting people.

I sold my toothpaste at cost -- at half the price of

Walang shortcut dyan. It's just like going to heaven,

Colgate. Filipinos tried our product because of

there is no shortcut. In the morning, when I go to the

necessity.

office, the first person I meet is the janitor. I say, "Good morning. How are you today?" Tuwang-tuwa

So in 2003, they cut their price. So we had to

yung bata. So when he sees my car coming in,

innovate. God sent an angel, David Salvador, the

magwawalis yan. Laging malinis ang factory namin.

country manager of Johnson & Johnson. He joined us.

Our CR is also very clean, puwede kayo kumain dun.

We competed in sachets. Colgate came out with a

We see to it that our CR is as clean as that in a 5-star

sachet with P7. So we fought by coming out with 2

hotel. And we respect those people who clean the

sachets at P5. They responded and matched our

CR. The security guards, we also respect them and

price. So we came out with 3 sachets for P5. Hindi na

we train them to be respectful. Treat them well.

sila sumunod. God is good. He sustains all of us. If

Respect them and they will respect anyone who

your desire is to help, He will help you.

comes to the office.

Do you remember our Kiddie Toothpaste? We came Respect must also be always present at home.

out with 7 flavors, and the bestseller was the tutti

Husbands must respect their wives, and vice versa. If

frutti. Mothers thanked us because it made their

respect is there, then the children will respect their

children brush their teeth automatically. But some

parents. I am against divorce. No to divorce. But if

said their children even used our toothpaste as

there is no respect, then kahit walang divorce aalis

sandwich spread. Masarap eh!

yan.

T - Teamwork. "Great things in business are never I - Innovation. "There is a way to do it better? Find

done by one person, they are done by a team of

it." -- Tomas Edison, the greatest inventor ever. Sabi

people." Everybody knows Steve Jobs. It's not about

niya if there is a way to do it better then we must

one person. It's about the team. It's about people

find it.

working with you or for you. It's about coming together.

When I started, I made aluminum tubes for toothpaste. But my customer changed from

I was in Huawei recently, and I was told that the

aluminum tubes to plastic. Sabi ko, anong gagawin

innovation in the company is being handled by a

ko sa mga makina ko? Sabi nila, "Problema mo na

team of 200,000 scientists. How much is the budget?

yan." I cried. The inspiration to come out with my

172 billion dollars, bigger than our national budget.

own toothpaste came from a guy named William. He

They are now experimenting with robots. And that is

came from a poor family in England, went to

because of their team. Tayo, saan tayo?

Pennsylvania to work in a soap factory. He was a

If you want to compete, empower your team. I am

good Christian and his first salary he gave to the

here because of my team. Nobody ever succeeded

Church. So he became successful. Eventually, he was

alone. it's always because of a team. God is providing

able to own that soap factory and began to produce

you with angels. But you must work with them as a

toothpaste. His name was William Colgate. He

team.

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Putting Faith into Action: The Institute for Business Transformation

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teaching tracks from the International Christian Union of Business Executives (Uniapac) in its Formation process.

The Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals (BCBP) has been synonymous with Marketplace Evangelization since its birth in 1980.

The BCBP continues to fulfill its vision and mission through the Institute of Business Transformation (IBT). The IBT is an arm of the BCBP that aims to promote Business as a Vocation. It will unite, guide, and mold business leaders, challenging them to aspire for a greater meaning in life -- eventually sending them out to their marketplaces to win other businessmen for Christ.

For Action Teams -- The IBT will bring together executives with similar hearts and minds in small cluster teams. They will engage in prayer, Bible study, and sharing of best practices in business.

For Public Fora -- The IBT will gather businessmen and professionals per industry as well as government and civil society leaders and engage them in meaningful discussions about business transformation.

The IBT will focus on Good Products and Services, Good Work, and Good Wealth to transform businesses into noble vocations. It believes businessmen are searching for "meaning" and the IBT wants to help them work for the common good -- for God's greater glory.

For Consultancies -- The IBT will provide mentoring and business coaching services to corporations through certified Business Transformation coaches who will work with the corporations for an agreed package fee for 3, 6, or 12 months, depending on the need.

The IBT will offer the following services:

For more information about the Institute for Business Transformation, please contact: Joey Avellana +63 918-927-8424; Roy Calleja +63 917796-2690; Serge dela Fuente +63 917-883-4599.

For Formation -- The IBT will combine BCBP modules, social teachings, Papal encyclicals, and

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