George Mañalac
T
o most people Novem‐ ber 11, 2009, was just another day. Nothing beyond the ordinary. It was a work day, a mar‐ ket day, or a day for doing one’s daily rou‐ tine. But not to retiree Eduardo S. Alcaraz (Eddie/ Ed). He felt light when he woke up early that morning. There was sprightliness in his body. That morning Ed was kaibigan ng mundo. And for good ‐ unusually good ‐ reason. On Nov. 11, 2009, Ed marked his 50th year of continued service to Unilab. Truly a privilege, a rare achievement, unreached by most employees. Ed was formally retired in December 2000, but man‐ agement asked him to stay on and continue serv‐ ing the company through the PR agency he’d put up. Apparently management believed that with his long experience, his wide, reliable contacts in the public and private sectors, the media in par‐ ticular, and his insight into the public relations work, Ed could still render valuable service to the company, which as with most institutions, faces concerns related to PR on an almost daily basis. Most important of all is his fingertip famili‐ arity with Unilab’s operations, and his trustwor‐ thiness. Public relations managers are usually privy to corporate confidential matters and Unilab could not just entrust this sensitive post to any outsider. There’s something else above all these, some‐ thing implicit in his character: loyalty. Ed’s loy‐ alty to the company is beyond any scale measure. Unilab has been his life. He forsook a potentially lucrative career that usually awaits an Ateneo Law graduate. As a detailman he got swept up in the Unilab bayanihan system of damayan and the close circle of fellow employees who shared his own goals and ideals. Simply put, he loved Unilab “even in his sleep.” He’s still making his regular media rounds to maintain important contacts and sits with them in coffee gatherings, as hedge in case “debts” have to be called in in the future.
Although many of his Ateneo classmates have retired as CA judges, RTC judges, and not a few making senior partners in big law firms, Ed has zero regret about the path he chose. In the early 60s he was sent to Indonesia to help set up the moorings for Unilab’s business in that bustling country, an assignment accom‐ plished after a few back‐breaking months. Ed was to remain at the head of Unilab’s Indonesia marketing operations for 17 years. Busi‐ ness grew rapidly and today, with its large thriving population, Indo‐ nesia is the biggest Unilab market in the region, next only to the state‐ owned pharma company, and bigger than Pfizer, UL’s fierce rival in the Philippines. At 75, Ed looks more like 60, the up‐side of an active life and appetite for seafood and vegetables, a diet common among Cagayanos. In col‐ lege he was a member of the Aquila Legis Law Fraternity and Bayani‐ han Dance Troupe of international acclaim in folk‐dancing. To this day he holds membership in professional organizations. He was elected president of the Rotary Club of Mandaluyong but re‐ turned the compliment to focus on his work. He was a member of Ma‐ nila Overseas Press Club (MOPC) for several years. He has turned down bids to run as president of the Public Relations Society of the Philippines, but acceded to board memberships and high committee posts, including the committee chairmanship of the recently con‐ cluded 45th Annual Anvil Awards. While heading Unilab Corporate Affairs, Ed represented the company in the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines, the Chamber of Filipino Drug Manufacturers and Distributors, and the American Chamber of Commerce. When he returned to Manila in 1990 to head Corporate Affairs as DVP, the first thing he did was to beef up Unilab’s media presence in areas where it was needed most through the help of the CAG staff, networking, and personal contacts. Not too many people in Unilab now ‐ whether from the ranks or occu‐ pying executive positions ‐ know about when Eduardo Sanchez Al‐ caraz, a young, good‐looking mestizo from North walked through the proud portals of Unilab decades ago. That is just the way things are. But Ed is happy with himself, for his humble contributions to the company, and friendships he established in half a century. It just as quickly dawned on him when he woke up that November morning of his 50th Unilab year, that these are just as priceless and meaningful as a pat on the back, a warm handshake, or a few nicely written words on a plaque plated in gold.