Business
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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2016 business@thestandard.com.ph
FILIPINO STUDENT GETS INTO MIT LGO
DOMINIQUE Rustia became the first student from the Philippines to enroll in the prestigious Leaders for Global Operations or LGO Program of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Sloan School of Management in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In the MIT LGO program, Rustia will earn both an MBA from MIT Sloan and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from MIT’s School of Engineering.
Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Peña (right), together with Filipino Inventors Society Producers Cooperative president Francisco ‘Popoy’ Pagayon (center) and FISPC engineering committee head Arjay Munsayac
Dominique Rustia The MIT Sloan School of Management is where smart, independent leaders come together to solve problems, create new organizations and improve the world, according to a statement sent by Jennifer Grady, the media relations specialist at MIT Sloan School of Management. Rustia previously earned a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from De La Salle University in Manila. She graduated cum laude and at the top of her class with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from the same university in June 2012. “With her technical prowess, natural curiosity, and humility, we are fortunate to have Rustia in MIT’s LGO Program, and to be able to attract talent of her caliber from around the world,” says Thomas Roemer, executive director of the MIT LGO Program. “I came to MIT for its focus on action learning, which is reflected in the Institute’s mission of ‘mens et manus’ or ‘mind and hand.’ Students work on hands-on projects to solve real-world issues, applying what they learn in class,” says Rustia. “I also came here because of MIT’s entrepreneurial network, clubs, and labs that provide opportunities to learn from industry leaders and conduct cuttingedge research.” Rustia is from Manila and previously worked for Mondelez International (formerly Kraft Foods Philippines) as part of its Graduate Trainee Program. Rustia also cofounded a recruitment startup called InternMe.
FILIPINO INVENTOR ENDORSES ELECTRIC CANON FIRECRACKERS
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Filipino inventor promotes the use of a canon-type electric firecracker on New Year’s Eve, amid the government’s plan to impose a ban on pyrotechnics nationwide. Francisco ‘Popoy’ Pagayon, president and chief executive of Filipino Inventors Society Producers Cooperative, says the canon-type firecracker is an electric device that should replace traditional pyrotechnics which can be harmful and risky. “With our canon-type electric firecrackers, you can bring the celebration of New Year’s Eve inside your home without any risk to health and property,” says Pagayon. Pagayon says the invention, whose patent was filed with the Intellectual Property Office, is timely as President
Rodrigo Duterte plans to expand the firecracker ban from Davao City to other parts of the country. A ban on pyrotechnics has been enforced in Davao City since 2002. “Our e-firecrackers do not emit toxic smoke and harmful chemicals to the atmosphere. You can celebrate the festive occasion safely by using e-firecrackers that produce similar sounds caused by pyrotechnics,” he says. Arjay Munsayac, head of FISPC’s engineering committee, says the canon-type e-firecrackers provide the same thrill to celebrants, because the users need to light up the trigger before they can produce successive explosive sounds. “This is our innovation, because the thrill of firing up a pyrotechnic is still there. The difference is that it is safe to spark e-firecrackers even inside your homes. It produces rapid explosive sounds, without causing an actual explosion. We use safe materials,” Munsayac says. Munsayac says the canon-type efirecrackers consist of electronics that
load electricity to produce strong sounds, similar to the explosions caused by ‘piccolo’ firecrackers. “With one-time payment, you can produce unlimited number of explosive sounds in many occasions. The good thing about it is that you can use efirecrackers every year during the New Year’s Eve celebration,” says Munsayac. Last year, FISPC also displayed an electric firecracker developed by electronics engineer Jun Meneses. Pagayon says FISPC continues to look for solutions to other problems prevailing in Philippine society. Elektro, a can-like electric firecracker, has an ignition tube, which when lit by fire, starts a sequence of firecracker sounds. “If you want to celebrate New Year’s Eve safely, you can try our Filipino inventions that provide real solutions,” he says. The canon-type e-firecracker is produced by Oral Educational Distributor Media Affairs Inc. and showcased at FISPC Showroom and Business Center at Delta Building along Quezon Ave. corner West Ave.
in Quezon City. Pagayon, who is credited for ‘Probaton’, a truncheon which has armed more than 150,000 policemen and village watchmen across the country, says the canon-type e-firecracker is one of the four innovations introduced by FISPC this year. “Probaton can be used in antidrug campaign, while the canon-type e-firecracker is timely for the New Year’s Eve celebration,” he says. Other innovations introduced by the cooperative are Probiotic for poultry and livestock; traffic cone overland emergency device, a multipurpose road safety and trouble aid for motor vehicles; and D&G Black Seed Soap, which is made from blackseed oil and powder. “We have already filed applications for government patent for these innovations,” says Pagayon. Pagayon says FISPC is open to other Filipino inventors and entrepreneurs who would like to promote their products and reach a bigger market. Roderick T. dela Cruz
JUDO CHAMPION NOW AYALA’S MEDICAL DIRECTOR A FORMER member of the Philippine national judo team now oversees the healthcare unit of Ayala Corp. which aims to build the largest network of medical clinics and drugstores in the country. “We are committing 1,000 Generika drugstores and 100 FamilyDoc clinics by 2020,” says Dr. Michael Laurente Santos, the medical director of Ayala Healthcare Holdings Inc. Ayala Healthcare was established in June 2015 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ayala Corp., reviving the conglomerate’s healthcare business which began with Botica Zobel 180 years ago. Santos, who obtained a bachelor’s degree in Sport Science from the University of the Philippines-Diliman in 2001 and a doctor’s degree in medicine from Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila in 2009, was a national judo champion and MVP for judo during the 59th season of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines. He trained for four months in Japan and could perform various disciplines such as Nage-no-kata, Kime-no-kata and Ju-no-kata. Santos was also a track and field varsity player at UP and a member of the national powerlifting team. He was a national open powerlifting champion in the 67.5-kilogram weight division and national open bench press champion in the same weight division. Santos is also an expert rescue scuba diver, skin dive instructor, surfer/skim boarder and mountaineer. He was also a TV production assistant, a live clips operator and event producer. “That was a long time ago. I had a weird childhood,” he says.
From left: GE Healthcare Philippines government affairs and policy leader Martin Crisostomo, Ayala Healthcare Holdings Inc. medical director Michael Santos, Asian Development Bank health specialist Eduardo Banzon and GE Healthcare Philippines country manager Ivan Alexi Arota.
Santos still believes that fitness and lifestyle have important role in healthcare. “We always advocate, not only personally but with FamilyDoc as well, that before anything else, lifestyle change is the best form of management that we could get,” he says. “If you exercise and you get to eat healthier, your body becomes better. Of course maintenance medicine is important. But if you don’t change as a person, medicine is not enough,” says Santos. As the medical director of Ayala Healthcare, Santos is in charge of expanding the chain of FamilyDoc clinics and Generika drugstores. He says FamilyDoc is a three-in-one communitybased primary care clinic offering outpatient services, a diagnostic facility and a pharmacy under one roof. “We opened the first two clinics in Las Piñas and Cavite last year. We now have six. Starting April next year, we will open 30 clinics. The target is to have 100 clinics by 2020,” he says. Santos says from more than 600 outlets, the goal is to have 1,000 Generika drugstores by 2020, offering quality, yet affordable generic medicines. He says a typical FamilyDoc Clinic is managed by two doctors, a pharmacist and three to four nurses, depending on the patient volume. The clinics have Xray and ultrasound equipment provided by GE Healthcare. “Our price points are very attractive for the broad C and D [income groups] It is more affordable,” he says. Santos says more FamilyDoc clinics will rise outside the central business districts but “in the fringes of Metro Manila where employees live.” “By early 2018, we will already be the
largest [chain of clinics],” he says, adding that Ayala Corp. is investing in the healthcare sector to meet the needs of the people. “We feel that there is an unmet need. The market is unable to deliver adequate service. There are a lot of things we can do in terms of consolidation and integration. Healthcare is actually a commodity,” he says. Santos says while profit is a goal for any business, Ayala Healthcare focuses on making it sustainable first. “We are hoping to become profitable. But it has to be sustainable first. The business has to make sense. Our aim more than profit is sustainability,” he says. Santos says Ayala Healthcare tapped GE Healthcare to avail of its quality and affordable medical equipment. “Our partnership with GE started out in the early stages of FamilyDoc. We were looking for quality and affordable equipment. They are a very good supplier. Aside from that, they have been helping us with international best practice, education and a lot of things,” says Santos. GE Healthcare Philippines country manager Ivan Alexi Arota says the multinational company is committed to providing affordable medical equipment to emerging markets such as the Philippines. “Our company has committed $300 million to develop solutions geared towards emerging markets,” says Arota. Arota says GE Healthcare introduced an affordable CT scan machine in the Philippines this year to help secondary hospitals meet the needs of patients. He says these machines from India are about 40 percent cheaper than other brands. Roderick T. dela Cruz