C1
SUNDAY, JULY 16, 2017
Business
Ray S. Eñano, Editor / Roderick dela Cruz, Issue Editor business@manilastandard.net
DROPOUT SENDS SCHOLARS TO PRESTIGIOUS UNIVERSITIES RISE OF THE HAPPY COWS
H
E dropped out of college in 1992 to start working, yet he now supports dozens of scholars who are enrolled in prestigious universities.
Scan this icon to view the PDF
His alma mater acknowledged him one of its most outstanding alumni in 2013, while a state university conferred on him an honorary doctorate degree in 2016 for his business insights and various charitable activities. Elmer Ngo, 46, is a co-owner and the president of Mileage Asia Corp., a company that provides high-quality roofs to Filipino families and played a crucial role in the rehabilitation of homes in Samar and Leyte which were destroyed by typhoon Yolanda in 2013. The company’s tagline is galvanizing the industry with Sumo GI sheets and roofing the nation with Cherrylume, referring to its two brands. Ngo is funding the education of several poor students at private institutions such as St. Scholastica’s College, San Beda College, University of Santo Tomas and De La SalleCollege of Saint Benilde. On why he is supporting these scholars, Ngo says: “This is a part of my frustration, because I did not finish my course in the university. Now that I have my own business, I want to give something back to the nation.”
By Joyce Pangco Pañares
Mileage Asia Corp. president Elmer Ngo is conferred Doctor of Humanities (honoris causa) by Polytechnic University of the Philippines. From Facebook page of PUP
Mileage Asia, his company, imports, distributes and produces roofing materials such as galvanized iron sheets. It has a market share of nearly 70 percent in the CD income segment, the largest in the housing sector. Ngo says he allows his scholars to choose the schools and courses they like, including prestigious private universities. His only condition is that the students should come from poor families. Some of these students were the first in their families to reach tertiary education. The tuition of some of Ngo’s scholars even exceeds those of his two children who are studying at Chiang Kai Shek College. Ngo is also a supporter of sports, with Cherrylume being a major sponsor of the women’s volleyball team of the University of the East where he studied mechanical engineering. The Cherrylume Iron Lady Warriors are now a professional team playing in the Philippine Super Liga. Ngo was in his third year as a mechanical engineering student at UE when he dropped out at the age of 22 in order to start working. “My father, who retired from his business early, said I had to begin working at that time,” says Ngo, who is the youngest of seven siblings. “I started working on May 1, 1992 as a dealer of GI sheets.”
SPONSOR
Mileage Asia Corp. president Elmer Ngo
The family felt a financial crunch when their mother died, and they had to resort to borrowing money to help finance the funeral expenses. Ngo says while they had several properties, they were not liquid at that time. His father was into trading plywood, but retired from the business early. With liquidity running out, Ngo and his brother Erwin had to earn money on their own and established Mileage Asia Marketing Co. to distribute GI sheets produced by Tower Steel Corp. and later Apo Puyat Steel Corp., PhilSteel Holdings Corp., Rizal Steel and other companies. Ngo says the business has flourished because of diskarte and pakikisama—two Filipino concepts with no exact English translation. After a few years of distributing and importing GI sheets, they decided to produce roofing materials on their own. “We distributed a number of local and international brands which became popular in the provinces. But we felt we needed to introduce quality products in the roofing sector, so we took the opportunity to partner with companies from Japan and Australia,” says Ngo. “We want to offer products that will benefit the people, particularly the CD market. When a Japanese company approached us in 2006
and invited us to become a dealer of Sumo, we grabbed the opportunity,” he says. Another partner from Australia introduced the best roofing technology, while a company from China exemplified its production capacity at affordable cost. Armed with this technical know-how, Mileage Asia decided to put up manufacturing plants. The company now employs 100 people in three production sites in Quezon City, Meycauayan and Davao City. Both Sumo and Cherrylume are known for their superior quality. Sumo is popular for roof, wall, mufflers, car body and appliances parts while the midpriced Cherrylume GI sheet is now preferred because of its aluminum and zinc coating that toughens the roofing material. “I can attest to our products. Houses with Cherrylume roof can last six to seven years without being painted. After being painted in the seventh year, it can last another 15 years,” says Ngo. He says to protect the brands, Mileage Asia is selective of its dealers, distributors and hardware stores. “We don’t pick distributors who also sell low-quality products,” says Ngo. “Our price is competitive, but not too low. But quality-wise and longevity-wise, we guarantee Turn to C2
SUN LIFE INTRODUCES ESTATE PLANNING FOR RETIREES By Katrina Delos Santos and Jamie Turalba SUN Life Financial, an international financial services organization, introduces estate planning in the Philippines with its Living and Leaving a Legacy campaign. The insurance company which has been in the Philippines for 122 years offers a new segment from Sun Smarter Life. Sun Smarter Life is an insurance product which targets clients who are retired and those who want to enjoy their retirement. The product offers double life insurance coverage to the client up until he/she reaches 100 years of age. “Our mission is really to provide lifetime
Sun Life Financial Philippines chief marketing officer Mylene Daez-Lopa, brand ambassador Charo Santos-Concio and head of distribution support Jenny Del Mundo
financial security for Filipinos. In other words, we want Filipinos to have money
in every need that they have as they go through the different stages of their lives,” says Sun Life Financial Philippines chief marketing officer Mylene Lopa. The new segment of the product is focused on estate planning by providing the beneficiaries insurance proceeds which can be used to settle estate taxes. “We have come up with this campaign to ensure that whatever they [client] worked for during their working years, they can pass on to the next generation and to their loved ones,” says Lopa. Lopa says estate planning is for those “who want to make sure that their family or loved ones are provided for adequately.”
“It is essential for those who want to control the disposition of their assets after their death and settle the tax imposed by the government on the estate,” she says. Lopa cites the importance of Sun Life focusing on the retirement stage and addressing the needs of those who are on their golden age. The insurance product is available in two variants: Classic and Elite. The two variants offer life insurance coverage until age 100 and an option to include supplementary benefits for accident, disability and illness. Only the Elite variant provides guaranteed cash benefits at the end of the 6th year and to the succeeding years.
“AUSTRALIAN cows are happy cows,” said Natasha Monks, trade commissioner of the Australian Embassy in the Philippines, as she happily dug into the Thai beef salad served at New World Hotel Makati, one of the several stops in this year’s Australian grass-fed beef “culinary trail.” “About 97 percent of cattle in Australia is grass-fed. One cow is allocated an entire hectare of land to graze,” she said. Australia exported 74 percent of its total beef and veal production to 84 countries. It was the world’s largest beef exporter in 2015, accounting for around 3 percent of the world cattle and buffalo inventory, with India, Brazil and China taking the top three places. As of last year, Australia accounted for 40 percent of the Philippines’ total beef imports, or 37.76 million kilograms out of 93.72 million kg, data from the Bureau of Animal Industry showed. Monks said the volume was expected to increase this year as Australia sought to export more premium cut meat to the Philippines. “Australian beef is gaining more popularity because of it is of premium quality, safe and traceable. Our export volume is going up. For the Philippines, manufactured products such as patties, sausages and meatballs comprise the bulk of imported beef from Australia,” she said. “Australian grass-fed beef is considered the healthier beef as it is naturally low in fat and cholesterol while offering a high level of Omega 3 fatty acids known to lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of certain cancers. It is not as marbled as corn-fed or grain-fed beef, which is sweeter. It tastes the way real beef should taste,” she said. For this year’s “Australian Grassfed Beef on the Menu” promotion, the embassy teamed up with 60 hotels and restaurants across Luzon, Cebu and Davao. Participating restaurants and hotels include Cafe 1228 in New World Makati; Red Ginger and Crystal Dragon in City of Dreams; Flame and Gilarmi Lounge in Discovery Primea; Raging Bull in Shangri-la The Fort; Blackbird; Bondi & Bourke; Chef Jessie Top of the City; Epicurious; Pink ’s; Dean & Deluca; Green Pastures; Abuela’s; Papa Diddi’s; Prime 101; and Vask Tapas Room. A c c o r d i n g t o Pa u l Pe r e z , consultant of the Meat and Livestock Australia, every major premium restaurant in the country carries one or two cuts of Australian grassfed beef. More local restaurants are also now offering a wide range of meat options, from restaurant grade cuts to hamburger patties and corned beef. “We at MLA also work closely w i t h va r i o u s a s s o c i at i o n s o f chefs, restaurateurs and high-end groceries. We give trainings on how to avoid mishandling the beef, especially since we are a tropical country and the meat can become stale if mishandled,” Perez said. Cafe 1228 executive chef Robert Davis said there was a marked difference between grass-fed and grain-fed beef. “Grass-fed cattle is very natural, well-adapted, chemical-free and hormone-free. It can be a little chewy but that is the way beef should be – it should have a little chew, a little bite to it,” he said. “I am sure if Australian cattle can speak English, they would say how happy they are, up until their last day at least,” Davis said in jest.