John Gokongwei inspirational speech on the commencement exercise of Ateneo students.

Good morning.I am John Gokongwei, Jr. I am not an Atenean but I feel at home with you. Today, at least.
Sixty-two years ago, I could not have dreamt of appearing before the Jesuits and their students to tell the story of MY life. I was no more than a student then, at San Carlos University in Cebu, when my father died suddenly. It left me, the eldest, the responsibility of taking care of my mother and five siblings. That was tough for someone who was 13. Creditors had just seized our home and business and I had no experience with earning a living. But here I am - not all on account of my good looks or charming personality - but because I somehow survived. And when I look back, I know now that I did so because I recognized CHANGE when I saw it.

The first change was war. I had turned 15. My mother had already sent my brothers and sister to China where the cost of living was lower. From Cebu, she and I had to make money to send to them. I turned to peddling. My day began at 5 in the morning. I would load my bicycle with soap, thread, and candles, and then bike to neighboring towns to sell my goods. On market days, I would rent a stall, lay out the goods from the bike, and make about 20 pesos a day, enough for me to survive and to buy even more goods for next time. Those days, you might call my BICYCLE AGE. After two years of biking and peddling at, 17, I entered my BATEL AGE.

The batel was a small very utilitarian boat that defied the open sea and would take me farther from Cebu and all the way to Lucena, from where I would take a truck to Manila, with companions twice or thrice my age. The sea trips could take two to three weeks depending on the weather, and the land trips another five to six hours. (I was lighter then, you can imagine.) On the batel, I read books like "Gone with the Wind" under the great blue sky to pass away the time - even if we traders were always in fear of sea pirates and the bad weather. Once, our batel hit a rock and sank. Thank heavens for my rubber tires! Those were the goods I had with me to sell in Manila. Well, we all held on to those tires, which meant I saved all those traders and those traders saved all my tires. At that time, the War was still going on. Ironically, I look back at the War with the fondest of memories. It was the great equalizer. Almost everyone I knew had lost big and small fortunes at the time. This meant we all started at Ground zero. When the war ended, I was 19. Because of the war, thee economy was more dependent than ever on imports. So when I set up Amasia, my first company, it was to import textile remnants, fruits, old newspaper and magazines, and used clothing from the U.S. There was a side benefit to this. I would wear some of my own stock, so I would have different clothes to wear when I went courting Elizabeth, the woman who would be my wife. But at the end of it, I made some money.

The Bicycle Age was over. The TRADING AGE began. By then, my brothers and sister returned from China. Together, we worked in the trading business I had begun - as bodegeros, clerks, warehousemen, cashiers, and collectors. And all this while they were all still going to school; me, I stopped schooling. Like most Chinese-Filipino families, we worked where we lived, and at times, we had to endure the stench of rotten oranges and potatoes filling our two-story apartment. By the early '50s, we were importing cigarettes and whiskey as well. Business was good. But two factors made me change strategies again. First, I saw that trading would in time become a low-margin business BECAUSE we were at the mercy of our suppliers and buyers Second, I saw that the government was working on import-substitution policies to encourage local business. President Quirino wanted to shore up the country's foreign exchange reserves that had been depleted as a result of the high importation of the post-war years. So I decided to enter the AGE of MANUFACTURING.

In 1957, I started a corn milling plant producing glucose and cornstarch. Why cornstarch? Because I thought - and it turned out, correctly - that the unglamorous cornstarch would be in great demand from better known businesses like textiles, paper, ice cream, pharmaceuticals, and beer But there was one problem: I needed capital. This was not easy. I was 30, had no big company success to back me up, and I didn't know any bankers. Thankfully, Dr. Albino Sycip, then chairman of China Bank, and DK Chiong, then president, gave me a clean loan of P500,000 to start my business. He would be asked later why he did that and he said something about knowing a good man when he saw one. (Maybe he knew something I didn't.) Anyway, from there Universal Corn Products, the predecessor of Universal Robina Corporation, was born. Of course, the bigger cornstarch players did not give us an easy time. They engaged us in a price war. That is a nice way of saying they tried to kill us by selling low. But we prevailed, and started to get clients like San Miguel Corporation. It was my first real taste of competition. And I liked it. I think THAT first experience prepared me for the bigger tougher competitors in my future.


By 1961, cornstarch was becoming a commodity, and I saw that there was no future in a business where we had to keep lowering margins to survive. It was time to get into bigger, and riskier, games played by big multinationals like Procter and Gamble and Nestle. I saw that all they did to capture the market was to brand their products, for instance their coffee and their toothpaste. That is, give their coffee and toothpaste a name, a face and an image that customer would instantly recognize - and identify with quality. Me, I dreamt that one day I would be the Philippine Nestle or General Foods. So the Manufacturing Age for me was giving way to the AGE of BRANDS.

So, we put up CFC, and our first successful product was Blend 45, an instant coffee we put out to directly compete with Nestle's Nescafe. We positioned it as "the poor man's coffee," hired top movie star Susan Roces to endorse it, and employed Procter-and-Gamble veterans to sell it. Basically, we took a page out of the multinational book and applied it to our business. We gave our coffee, snack food, candy, and chocolates a name, a face, an image. Today, Jack and Jill, Max candy, and Cloud 9 have become household names.

It was also at this time that I returned to school for an MBA - with all due respect to the Jesuits, at De La Salle University - and a decade later for a 14-week advanced management program at Harvard. Going back to the university for studies which war had interrupted gave me an appreciation, believe me, for the beauty and the breadth of business life. This is something I believe I would never have gained if I had chosen to stop my education.


The success of URC opened up many opportunities for our group. We had the choice to focus on food where we were very successful - or to pursue other businesses. We decided that there were too many good opportunities to pass up, and that remaining in our comfort zone would stunt our growth. So we got into the Age of Expansion.

For the next two decades, we pursued businesses that answered positive on FOUR CRUCIAL QUESTIONS.

First: Is there a market?

Second: Could we compete against both local and foreign players?
Third: Could we find the right people for the job and did we have enough capital to pursue the business
Last and most important: Did we have the stomach for it? That is, could we take the sleepless nights, the cutthroat competition?

We went into textiles, retail, real estate, telecommunications, aviation, banking, and petrochemicals because we said YES to all those questions. Still, in all those industries, we were faced with tough and worthy competitors - the mighty SM Department Stores and Malls, the unbeatable PLDT, the entrenched Philippine Airlines and the powerful San Miguel Corporation. Most pundits expected us to fail. They were wrong. Robinsons Stores and Mall, Digitel, Cebu Pacific Air and Universal Robina Corporation are now market leaders in their respective fields. That's because they offered the public a choice.

Remember the story of David and Goliath? Every industry has its Goliath. But every David knows that all giants have their weaknesses. Every weakness is an opportunity. In a few months, we will launch our mobile services to compete with two giants, Globe and Smart. Our stomachs are churning for sure - but we know that we faced similar challenges before, and we are hopeful we can prove the pundits wrong again. In the past decade, which is one-sixth of my entire business life, the company has tripled in size.

This was the decade when our companies raised money from the global equity and debt markets, brought our companies public, and hired the best professionals to run them. In six decades, we grew from a one-man team to a group with 30,000 employees.

Now I am in what you can probably call the AGE of GLOBALIZATION. I am always asked where I stand on this issue. I say that it does NOT matter where I stand because as sure as the Ateneo Basketball Team will win next year's UAAP championship, global barriers will come crashing down, and we have no choice but to prepare ourselves for that. Still our company will not take globalization sitting down - OUR future and the country's depend on how we act now. JG operates

branded food concerns in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Hongkong, China, and soon, Vietnam. We also sell our snack foods in India, Korea, and Taiwan - one of the few ASEAN companies to do so.
In a few years, when foreign products find their way into OUR shopping carts as they already have, we want Piattos and Chippy to find their way into THEIR shopping carts as well. Our dream is to be the first group to plant the Philippine flag throughout Asia.
As I look back, I ask myself, "What if I had stopped at cornstarch?" I would probably be the owner of the biggest cornstarch group in the country today or just as possibly, be broke. But I chose to live my life unafraid even during times when I WAS afraid. I discovered that opportunities don't find you. You find your opportunities. I found those opportunities when MY FATHER PASSED AWAY, WHEN WAR CAME, THROUGH CHANGES IN PRESIDENTS AND THEIR POLICIES, DURING MARTIAL LAW, DESPITE THE COUPS D' ETAT, PAST ECONOMIC BOOMS AN BUSTS, AND IN THE MIDST OF MARKET SHIFTS AND MOVEMENTS.
Now I 'm 75 and retired. And funny, but I often wonder what ever happened to my first bike! The bike that was my companion during those first years when my family had lost everything. I wonder where it is now. That bike reminds me that success is not necessarily about connections, or cutting corners, or chamba - the three C's of bad business. Call it trite - but, believe me, success CAN BE ACHIEVED through hard work, frugality, integrity, responsiveness to change - and most of all boldness to dream. These have never been just easy slogans for me. I have lived by them.

I hope that many of you in this room will some day choose to be entrepreneurs. Choose to be an entrepreneur because then YOU create value. Choose to be an entrepreneur because the products, services, and jobs you create then become the lifeblood of our nation. But most of all, choose to be an entrepreneur because then you desire a life of adventure, endless challenge, and the opportunity to be your BEST SELF.
Thank you.

jonray at toronto auto show

ha-ha-ha...parang kailan lang...si jonray ay nakasakay dito sa harkley davidson noong 2004



ito naman ang larawan nya noong nakaraang toronto auto show 2009. nakasakay sya sa kaparehong motorbike

kay bilis ng panahon...

parang kailan lang ay toronto auto show (2004)
http://grphcs.com/autoshow2004

ito ang mga larawan namin noong auto show 2009
http://grphcs.com/autoshow2009/

february na naman
at toronto auto show na naman (2010)

tandang tanda ko pa...ang nakaraan...iginuhit ang aking larawan ni rol lampitoc

september 2004, bumisita si rol lampitoc sa bahay kasama ang anak na si rocille dahil inihahanda namin ang mga larawan na dapat ipadala sa isang kompanya na nagkagusto sa painting ni rol. habang abala ako sa computer ay iginuhit ni rol itong larawan na ito para sa akin.

maraming salamat rol at nagkaroon ako ng sining mula sa kamay ng dalubhasang pintor (rol lampitoc sr) http://www.lampitoc.com/

tandang tanda ko pa...ang nakaraan...natutulog si inay

July 2004...tandang tanda ko pa...natutulog si inay...
palit-palitan kaming walong magkakapatid at si tatay na magbantay kay inay tuwing gabi para mayroon s'yang makasama sa ospital. paglabas ko galing sa trabaho ay dumiretso na ako agad sa ospital para s'yang namang makasama ni inay noong gabing iyon.

marami kaming napag-kwentuhan tungkol sa mga masasayang nakaraan sa aming buhay at pilit kong pinalalakas ang kanyang loob dahilan nga sa kanyang sakit na "breast cancer". damang-dama ko ang hirap at sakit na kanyang pinagdaraanan ng mga sandaling iyon. sinubuan ko si inay ng "wanton soup" na binili ko pa sa "spadina" bago ako tumuloy sa pagamutan. gustong gusto n'ya ito kaya't ibinilin n'ya na palagi akong magdala ng soup sa tuwing pupunta ako sa kanya.

may aircon at nakabukas noon ang bentilador ay pinapaypayan ko pa rin s'ya habang kumakain dahil napakainit daw ng kanyang pakiramdam. marahil ay dahil sa mga gamot na inilalagay sa kanyang katawan. makalipas ang maraming oras ng kwentuhan ay nakatulog na kaming pareho. dahil sa pagod ako at galing sa trabaho ay madali akong nakatulog.

kinabukasan ay maagang dumating si tatay sa ospital noon at pagkagising ko ay madali akong nagpaalam sa kanila dahil kailangan kong bumalik sa trabaho at isa sa mga kapatid ko naman ang darating na kahalili para makasama ni inay sa sumunod na gabi.

noong makaalis ako ay ang sabi ni inay ay: "AY NAKU! AY TUTULOG TULOG NAMAN SI TUTOY KAGABI! AT MAS MAHIMBING PA ANG TULOG SA AKIN" - wika ni inay sa aking kapatid :) ha-ha-ha!

dahilan nga sa pagod ako't galing sa trabaho kaya madali akong nakatulog noong sandaling iyon.

dumating na naman ang araw na ako ulit ang nakatakdang makasama n'ya sa ospital. gaya ng dati may dala akong "wanton soup" at sinubuan ko si inay ng mainit na sabaw. nagulat ako dahil napasigaw sya ng "ANG INIT!" ha-ha-ha! sobrang init pala ng soup ha-ha-ha! kaya't pinalamig namin muna ng konti at nang malamig na ay saka sya humigop ulit ng masarap na sabaw.

ng makatulog na si inay ay gumising ako at pinagmasdan ko ang kanyang mukha. dala ko noon ang aking sketch pad at lapis at iginuhit ko ang mahimbing na natutulog mahal na ina. kinabukasan, pagkagising nya at nagdatingan ang aking mga kapatid ay ipinakita ko sa kanila ang larawn ni inay.

"IYAN! SINO ANG TUTULOG TULOG!" ha-ha-ha! napatawa si inay dahil mayroon akong ibidensya na mahimbing ang tulog niya. ha-ha-ha! isa ito sa mga larawan ni inay habang s'ya ay mahimbing na natutulog sa st. joseph hospital - toronto

tandang tanda ko pa...ang nakaraan...natutulog si inay

PUMANAW SI INAY NOONG AUGUST 8, 2004 habang kumakanta kaming lahat ng "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" kasabay ang pagtulo ng aming mga luha. (kaarawan n'ya ay August 16)

tandang tanda ko pa...ang nakaraan...isang maikling kwento ng aking buhay...

magkasama ang mag-ina sa ilalim ng puno ng malaking mangga. si ida ay nagkakayas ng walis tinting habang si tutoy naman ay tahimik na naglalaro sa likoran ng puno. pitong taong gulang pa lamang si tutoy noong panahong 'yon. tandang tanda ko pa...ang nakaraan.

sa hindi kalayuan ay maraming bata ang naliligo sa ilog at ang ilan ay mga kamaganak ni tutoy. habang abalang nagkakayas ng kayakas si ida ay hindi n'ya namamalayan na papalayo na ng papalayo si tutoy na naglalarong mag-isa hanggang sa nakarating ito sa tabing ilog. nakita n'ya kung gaano kasaya ang mga bata na naglalaro at naliligo sa ilog.

nagsisigawan, nagtatawanan, nagtatalunan ang mga bata na nasa malalim na bahagi ng ilog. bagama't bata ay sinubukan ni tutoy na maligo sa mababang bahagi ng tubig at habang naglalaro sa mababaw na umaagos na tubig ay hindi n'ya namalayan na s'ya pala ay inaagos dahan-dahan ng tubig sa malalim na bahagi na hanggang sa s'ya ay lumubog lumutang. noong una ay walang nakakita sa kanya hanggang nagsigawan ang mga bata...nalulunod!!! nalulunod!!!

mabuti na lang at nakita ng isang binatilyong pinsan ni tutoy at nakilala s'ya kaya't lakas loob itong tumalon at s'ya ay sinagip. maraming salamat kuya ang tugon niya sa binatilyong pinsan. agad nagbihis si tutoy ay nagmamadaling bumalik sa kinaroroonan ng kanyang inang walang kamalay malay sa nangyari.

saan ka galing? ang tanong ni ida. d'yan lang po sa tabi-tabi. naglaro po ang pagod na sagot ni tutoy at hindi namalayan takot at kabang dinaramdam ng bata dahil sa nangyari. gaya ng dati, taminik lang s'yang naglaro sa paligid ng ina at hindi n'ya sinabi ang nangyari dahil alam n'yang maari s'yang pagalitan kaya't nanahimik na lang ang bata.

lumipas ang ilang sandali ay nag-uwian na ang mga bata mula sa ilog at ang iba ay napagawi sa kinaroroonan ng mag-ina. habang naglalaro si tutoy ay nakita siya ng mga batang nagbubulungan..."HINDI BA'T 'YUN YUNG BATANG KAMUNTIK NG NALUNOD?" OO NGA! bulungan ng mga batang naglalakad na s'ya namang narinig ni ida. ano?!!! tutoyyy!!! kamuntik ka ng nalunod ha!!! ha!!! sigaw ni na ida sa tahimik na naglalarong bata na ang akala ay hindi malalaman ng ina ang nangyari.

ha-ha-ha!!! kawawang bata!!!

abangan ang mga susunod pang maikling kwento...
tandang tanda ko pa...ang nakaraan.

lumabas ang kidney stone ko!!!

ika-walo ng umaga at naglakad lang ako patungo sa pagamutan na may limang daang metro mula sa bahay (sa kabilang bloke lang). hindi masyadong malamig ang simoy ng hangin at nasisimula pa lamang dumami ang mga sasakyang patungo sa kanikanilang trabaho kaya't madaling nakatawid ng kalsada patungo sa pagamutan.

tatlumpong minuto pang naghintay sa ibaba ng gusali dahil medyo napaaga ang aking pagdating para makipagkita sa dalubhasang manggagamot. dala-dala ko ang lumabas na bato mula sa aking pag-ihi (9mm x 6mm).

pagsapit ng tamang oras ay pumasok ako at nagsulat ng mga detalye tungkol sa pribado kong manggagamot (dr pasricha at dr chan) na syang nagrekomenda sa akin para makipag kita sa espesyalitang aking katagpo sa araw na ito (dr dicostanzo).

ayon sa espesyalista ay mabuti at kusang lumabas ang bato mula sa kaliwa kong "kidney". normal na nangyayari ito kapagka bumaba ang bato sa "bladder" at nakita raw niya sa CT scan na nakapusisyon ito sa ibaba ng blabber kaya't posible talagang lumabas ito ng kusa. kinumpirma nya na malinis na ang kaliwa kong kidney.

kaya nga lang ay binigyan nya ako ng babala na mayroong kasing laki ng lumabas na bato ang sa ngayon ay may 1-inch ang layo sa ibaba ng kanang kidney. sa ngayon ay hindi ko pa ito mararamdaman dahil malayo pa sa ihian. ayon sa kanya ay humigit kumulang ay bibilang pa ng taon bago ito bumaba at magdulot ng matinding sakit gaya ng aking naramdaman noon sa kaliwa kong kidney.

ang lahat ng aming napagusapan ay kanyang isinadukumento at kanyang ipapadala sa aking pribadong manggagamot. kinuha rin nya ang bato na lumabas sa akin at kanya raw itong ipapadala sa laborotoryo upang suriin ang mga namumuong kemikal. sinabi nya rin na normal lang daw ang aking kidney at ang daloy ng dugo at wala akong dapat ipag-alala. subalit kung sakaling kikirot ang kanan kong kidney ay sinabi nyang huwag akong magatubili na tumawag ng madaliang tulong o di kaya ay tumakbo na agad sa pagamutan para mabigyan ng nararapat na lunas.

malaki ang aking pagpapasalamat at ang lahat ay naging maayos at sa ngayon ay alam ko na ang mga dapat gawin kung sakaling mauulit ang nangyari noong nakaraang taon.

Jhun Ciolo Diamante

Jhun Ciolo Diamante, who signs his paintings "DiamanteJhun" is the man behind the http://www.philippineartists.com/, a FREE Virtual Gallery for all Filipino Artists around the world and The Official website of The Philippine Artists Group of Canada (PAG).


Early life and education
Jhun was born in San Pablo City, Laguna, Philippines on February 1967. He is the third eldest of eight children. As a child, he always amazed his classmates in drawing cartoons and animals like carabaoes, goats, pigs, popeye the sailor man, mang kepweng, voltes five, machingercy...etc.

Jhun's first exposure and discovery of the arts happened when he joined the on-the-spot drawing contest and win the first place in the elementary division. Since then he always join and win the on-the-spot drawing contest in San Pablo City. Jhun received several medals and recognition at his early age.

In 1982, Jhun won another Gold medal in one of the major competition sponsored by the Rotary Club of San Pablo City – the “on-the-spot at the park” he painted the statue of Dr. Jose Rizal at the main plaza of the city, it was participated by hundreds of city’s talented artists.

Jhun went on to study a Bachelor of Science in Architecture, where he explored his talent in arts. During his college life, he was recognized with his artistic talent in colour rendering and illustrations of buildings and designs. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Architecture in 1989.

Family
Jhun met Judy Mercado Romero in 1989 while working as graphic artist in Makati through recommendation from a close friend and officemate - Noemi. After 1 year of working in Bahrain, he eventually married her in 1991. Then the couple decided to stay in Bahrain, where their two sons were born. The eldest, Joshuanimrod, was born in 1992 and Janbonjov was born in 1993. They spent seven and half years in Bahrain and decided to migrate to Toronto, Canada in 1997 where the youngest son, Jonray was born in 2000.

The Bahrain Years
Jhun's first years as a painter in Bahrain were very exciting. He met a lot of Filipino Artists in the country. Majority of the artists in advertising agencies in downtown “Manama” were Filipinos.

They formed a Group of Filipino Artists and had several group art exhibits in the country. Their art shows were recognized by the Shaikhs and royal family members. Also during his stay in Bahrain, he joined the international arts exhibits participated by hundreds of artists from different part of the world held at the Bahrain National Museum.

During his last exhibit before he migrated to Toronto, Jhun was interviewed and featured in the Bahrain TV together with some of his fellow Filipino Artists.


Life in Canada
In 1997, Jhun brought his family to Canada where he continued to work as graphic artist with a corporate company and at the same time he was hired as a web designer by another company to create customized automotive websites.

Jhun is an extremely detail oriented individual and has a proven ability to manage large and varied workloads with minimal supervision. He possesses strong technical and analytical skills, and won the Bell Action Recognition Program of "SPEED" on November 2001. Jhun has also demonstrated first-rate communication and interpersonal skills. He deals directly with sales department and works happily and productively in a team environment.

He produced work of the highest quality for numerous high profile companies and has gained recognition as a dynamic creative designer for automotive website.

The Philippine Artists Group of Canada
At work, he met a fellow artist and founding member of the Philippine Artists Group of Canada (PAG) – Romi MananQuil. This led to his joining the group and became the first of several young talents that brought more vigour to the PAG.

Steadfastly, Jhun became an invaluable member and was elected as its secretary for two years. However, his mastery of the modern computer and creative web designing made him the group's computer guru and permanent webmaster of the internationally acclaimed website: http://www.philippineartists.com/, a FREE virtual gallery for all Filipino artists around the world. This multi-talented artist continues to awe people for his wizardry in using the computer as a digital canvas when not indulging in his outdoor painting.

At present he is working on his nude painting series with a professional canadian model (STAY TUNE!!!....MORE PAINTINGS TO COME!!!)

Also visit: http://filipinoartists.com/convergence/ HAVE FUN!!!
To learn more about Jhun, please visit his personal website http://jhun.ca/

lumabas ang kidney stone ko!!!

ngayong araw na 'to ika-11 ng enero, 11:46 ng tanghali ay umihi ako at may bigla na lang lumabas na malaking bato. nagulat ako at biglang tumalsik sa ihian na parang may nambato. kokonti lang ang lumabas na ihi pero isang malaking bato (9mm x 6mm) ang tumalsik at isang maliit (2mm x 2mm).

mabuti at kokonti naman ang lumabas na ihi sa akin kaya tuyo pa yung ihian at pinulot ko yung dalawang bato na kinuhanan ko ng larawan at inilagay ko ito sa isang lalagyan para maipakita sa aking doctor. tamang tama at magkikita kami ng aking doctor ngayon huwebes para nga tangalin sana itong malaking bato na nakita nila sa CT scan noong nakaraang disyembre 2009.

ang hindi ko lang sigurado ay kung wala na ba itong ibang kasama dahil mayroon pa rin akong nararamdaman na kumikirot-kirot sa aking kidney.