10 Things You Didn't Know About John Gokongwei Jr.

By Robina Gokongwei-Pe and By Lisa Gokongwei-Cheng

1. John is very proud that he is the oldest son of the oldest son of the Go patriarch who came to the Philippines from Kendong Village in Jinjiang, China in the late 19th century. The patriarch, Pedro Gotiaoco, was born June 30, 1856. Pedro’s oldest son was Go Chiong Ut, whose oldest son was John Gokongwei Sr., whose oldest son was John Gokongwei Jr., whose oldest and only son is Lance. John reveres his ancestors so much that this year, when the Chinese government decided to exhume the remains of his great grandfather Pedro who was buried in Jinjiang, John had the remains transferred to the family mausoleum at Manila Memorial Park, along with the remains of his father John Sr., who was then buried in Cebu. Last June 26, 2010, 150 descendants of Pedro Gotiaoco attended the re-internment rites for Pedro and John Sr.

2. His favorite dishes are adobong pig’s ears and sautéed pig’s kidneys with chocolate as dessert, which are all forbidden at home but he manages to eat them in his office.
He was upset at his 80th birthday party because in the beginning we tried to be fancy and didn’t order lechon and roasted baka, his second favorite dishes.
His waistline is 46 inches but he tells people it is only 40.
He enjoys shopping at the Big and Tall Store in the U.S. because his size there is “small.”

3. For his suits, he goes to a tailor, Ah Man Hing Chong, at the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong.
He can’t do without pockets to put in his pens, documents, newspapers and magazines. His tailor has been complaining that all the stuff in his pockets ruins the form of his suits. He refuses to throw away his old suits thinking he can go back to his former size eventually.

4. He doesn’t mind if his children and grandchildren are litterbugs, because when he was a child, he was not allowed by his mother to be a litterbug—everything had to be kept in place.

5. When he turned 70, he found himself with only one grandchild when his contemporaries had dozens. He got so desperate he promised his children that they’d get two cars for every male grandchild and one car for every female child. Because it took so long for the second one, everyone forgot about the offer.

6. He believes so much in China’s future that he hired a lady from Shanghai to teach his grandchildren Mandarin. The irony was that when he was a child, he didn’t want to listen to his Mandarin teacher so he placed thumbtacks on her chair and got punished.

7. When he courted our Mom and our mom rejected him initially, he got hives.
That’s when he realized Mom was the one.

8. His favorite people in history are Genghis Khan, Napoleon Bonaparte and Alexander the Great.
He loves listening to classical music and his favorite composer is Tchaikovsky.
Because of his love of classical music, he forced all his six children to take piano lessons but the teachers gave up on all six, and that’s when he realized there was not an ounce of musical talent in his family.

9. He stopped smoking the day Ninoy Aquino got shot.
He got so shocked while watching TV that he forgot to light the cigar he was holding. From that moment on, he never lit a cigar or cigarette again.

10. Just say that his grandsons look like him, and you will be his friend

*just some additional things I want to share with you, if you did not laugh at least once, then I don't know what's funny for you! :D

take care and God bless...

Here's how Mr. John peddled soap, thread and candles at 15, and acquired an airline at 7

By Lance Y. Gokongwei (philstar.com) Updated July 28, 2010 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - 1. Mr. John began peddling soap, thread and candles at age 15. His day began at five in the morning — he biked to neighboring towns to sell his goods. On market days, he rented a stall, laid out the goods from the bike, and made about P20 a day, enough for him to survive and to buy even more goods for next time. He called those days his Bicycle Age.

2. After two years of biking and peddling, at 17, he entered his Batel Age. The batel was a small, very utilitarian boat that defied the open sea and took him farther from Cebu, all the way to Lucena, from where he took a truck to Manila, with companions twice or thrice his age. The sea trips took two to three weeks depending on the weather, and the land trips another five to six hours. On the batel, he read books like Gone with the Wind under the great blue sky to pass the time. Traders were always in fear of sea pirates and the bad weather. Once, the batel hit a rock and sank. Mr. John’s goods then were rubber tires — everyone in the batel held on to those tires, which meant he saved all those traders and those traders saved all his tires.

3. Mr. John put up his first company, Amasia Trading, when he was in his 20s. Mr. John converted a two-floor building on Borromeo street in Cebu into a residential apartment which became their office, warehouse and place of residence. He and his siblings worked as bodegeros, clerks, delivery boys, cashiers and collectors while pursuing their degrees. This period proved to be the beginning of a very successful collaboration between the siblings.

4. Mr. John has very clear priorities in life: his family and his business. Although he spent a lot of hours at work, he never failed to set aside time for dinner with the family. Every night, he came home straight from work to have dinner with us. On Saturdays, he brought his kids with him to his office. We stayed outside and played while waiting for him to finish his work. Sunday afternoons were always spent with the family in Makati Supermarket, eating spaghetti and hamburger — only spaghetti and hamburger — until the waiter said to Mr. John: “Hamburger again?” We also rode those small mechanical horses that bobbed up and down when you drop in a coin. Before merienda, we were dropped off in the books section to choose books while Mr. John checked the display of his URC products. Mr. John never spoiled his children but when it came to books, we could have anything we wanted. He would take all of us to the bookstore and we could buy as many books as we wanted. His focus was always on education and self-improvement.

5. Mr. John has a mini library everywhere: his den, his bedroom, his office. He starts reading all the local papers and the Asian Wall Street Journal during breakfast. He continues reading while on his treadmill and while watching CNBC. He pores over books on history and science. At night, he reads Business Week, Fortune, The Economist, Time, Newsweek, Forbes, Financial Times and other such publications, as well as research from investment banks and 200 annual reports of local and foreign companies. He used to keep all of these categorized in his library until the doctor advised him to get rid of it. The dust they collected gave him an allergy.

6. Mr. John’s children all bear either his name or his wife’s name. Robina comes from his name, John Robinson. Then myself, John Lance; and Lisa, from Elisabeth; Faith and Hope because there was a lot of trouble in the country at the time they were born, which was in 1970 during the First Quarter Storm, so Mr. John thought of naming the twins Faith and Hope; and Marcia was born on Martial Law day.

7. Mr. John and former Bangko Sentral Governor Gabriel Singson used to play golf at Wack Wack Country Club regularly on Sunday afternoons. Every time Mr. John would hit the ball, he roared loudly: “See? See that Gabby… what a good shot!” His voice was so loud that it frightened the other golfers putting on the green ahead of them, normally over 300 yards away. After golf, the two would have a snack at the clubhouse, their favorite pancit lomi, which at that time was only P30. They ordered only one bowl and split it equally. The Gov once said: “When the Governor of BSP and the top businessman in the country share a P30 bowl of pancit lomi, then this country can be a tiger economy, if only for its austerity.”

8. This incident happened during a flight to Davao on a competitor airline (this was before Cebu Pacific started servicing Davao). The flight was delayed and Mr. John waited for an hour in the pre-departure area. When it was time to board, he humbly stood up and went to the aircraft, only to find out that the flight could not take off yet. Everybody was angry. A poor stewardess was the shock absorber of the crisis. When a foreign passenger insulted the stewardess, Mr. John interfered and told him that if he didn’t like the country, he was free to leave. After a moment, the foreigner kept quiet. Mr. John earned the admiration of the airline staff.

9. Mr. John dropped by my office one day and excitedly told me that he had acquired an airline franchise, Cebu Air. I reminded him of a quote attributed to Richard Branson of Virgin Atlantic fame: when he was asked, “What is the quickest way to become a millionaire?” Mr. Branson answered: “Start as a billionaire and put up an airline.” I also told him about an article I read on the airline industry, which said that if you added up all the profits of the airline industry since the invention of the first airplane by the Wright brothers, you would end up with a negative number. My father, the perpetual bright-eyed entrepreneur that he is, told me that I shouldn’t listen to what other people say and be more optimistic. Plus, he had already signed a contract to acquire four planes for the new airline. As he was leaving the room, he asked me if I wanted to run the airline. I didn’t think I had too much of a choice, so I accepted.

10. A few years back, Mr. John was traveling through Asia, when he came upon a very interesting product in China: brewed tea, in ready-to-drink bottles. With his diverse line of businesses, he visited supermarkets, convenience stores, and factories throughout the country. And everywhere he went, he saw the ever-present tea. Though this had been widely available throughout China and Japan, he had never seen this product in the Philippines. Intrigued, he gave the URC management team his marching orders in May of 2004 — URC would get two PET production lines to launch a green tea product within six months. Initially, the situation looked grim, but again, relying on the same business acumen and foresight he used before, Mr. John had seen an opportunity. The winds were changing, and throughout his travels he had seen that wellness was becoming a worldwide trend. He believed that even here in the Philippines, people would start focusing on improving their health. URC was tasked to bring C2 to the market by October 2004. And after only three years in the Philippines, C2 became the runaway market leader, single-handedly driving the growth of the RTD Tea market.

***funny and inspiring isn't it??***

reference: http://www.philstar.com/microsite/2010-feature/the-philippine-STAR-24th-anniversary/article.aspx?articleId=597175&publicationSubCategoryId=515

take care and God bless...

inspi pics

this was the skyline last July 1... :) hope you will be inspired!

take care and God bless...

2010 State of The Nation Address

July 26, 2010, Batasan Pambansa Complex, Quezon City

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte; Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile; Vice President Jejomar Binay; Chief Justice Renato Corona; Former Presidents Fidel Valdez Ramos and Joseph Ejercito Estrada; members of the House of Representatives and the Senate; distinguished members of the diplomatic corps; my fellow workers in government;

Mga minamahal kong kababayan:

Sa bawat sandali po ng pamamahala ay nahaharap tayo sa isang sangandaan.

Sa isang banda po ay ang pagpili para sa ikabubuti ng taumbayan. Ang pagtanaw sa interes ng nakakarami; at pagkapit sa prinsipyo; at ang pagiging tapat sa sinumpaan nating tungkulin bilang lingkod-bayan. Ito po ang tuwid na daan.

Sa kabilang banda ay ang pag-una sa pansariling interes. Ang pagpapaalipin sa pulitikal na konsiderasyon, at pagsasakripisyo ng kapakanan ng taumbayan. Ito po ang baluktot na daan.

Matagal pong naligaw ang pamahalaan sa daang baluktot. Araw-araw po, lalong lumilinaw sa akin ang lawak ng problemang ating namana. Damang-dama ko ang bigat ng aking responsibilidad.

Sa unang tatlong linggo ng aming panunungkulan, marami po kaming natuklasan. Nais ko pong ipahayag sa inyo ang iilan lamang sa mga namana nating suliranin at ang ginagawa naming hakbang para lutasin ang mga ito.

Sulyap lamang po ito; hindi pa ito ang lahat ng problemang haharapin natin. Inilihim at sadyang iniligaw ang sambayanan sa totoong kalagayan ng ating bansa.

Sa unang anim na buwan ng taon, mas malaki ang ginastos ng gobyerno kaysa sa pumasok na kita. Lalong lumaki ang deficit natin, na umakyat na sa 196.7 billion pesos. Sa target na kuleksyon, kinapos tayo ng 23.8 billion pesos; ang tinataya namang gastos, nalagpasan lang natin ng 45.1 billion pesos.

Ang budget po sa 2010 ay 1.54 trillion pesos.

Nasa isandaang bilyong piso o anim at kalahating porsyento na lang ng kabuuan ang malaya nating magagamit para sa nalalabing anim na buwan ng taong ito.

Halos isang porsyento na lang po ng kabuuang budget ang natitira para sa bawat buwan.

Saan naman po dinala ang pera?

Naglaan ng dalawang bilyong piso na Calamity Fund bilang paghahanda para sa mga kalamidad na hindi pa nangyayari. Napakaliit na nga ng pondong ito, ngunit kapapasok pa lang natin sa panahon ng baha at bagyo, 1.4 billion pesos o sitenta porsyento (70%) na ang nagastos.

Sa kabuuan ng 108 million pesos para sa lalawigan ng Pampanga, 105 million pesos nito ay napunta sa iisang distrito lamang.

Samantala, ang lalawigan ng Pangasinan na sinalanta ng Pepeng ay nakatanggap ng limang milyong piso (P5M) lamang para sa pinsalang idinulot ng bagyong Cosme, na nangyari noong 2008 pa.

Ibinigay po ang pondo ng Pampanga sa buwan ng eleksyon, pitong buwan pagkatapos ng Ondoy at Pepeng. Paano kung bumagyo bukas? Inubos na ang pondo nito para sa bagyong nangyari noong isang taon pa. Pagbabayaran ng kinabukasan ang kasakiman ng nakaraan.

Ganyan din po ang nangyari sa pondo ng MWSS. Kamakailan lamang, pumipila ang mga tao para lang makakuha ng tubig. Sa kabila nito, minabuti pa ng liderato ng MWSS na magbigay ng gantimpala sa sarili kahit hindi pa nababayaran ang pensyon ng mga retiradong empleyado.

Noong 2009, ang buong payroll ng MWSS ay 51.4 million pesos. Pero hindi lang naman po ito ang sahod nila; may mga additional allowances at benefits pa sila na aabot sa 160.1 million pesos.

Sa madaling sabi, nakatanggap sila ng 211.5 million pesos noong nakaraang taon.

Beinte-kuwatro porsyento (24%) lang nito ang normal na sahod, at sitenta'y sais porsyento ang dagdag.

Ang karaniwang manggagawa hanggang 13th month pay plus cash gift lang ang nakukuha.

Sa MWSS, aabot sa katumbas ng mahigit sa tatlumpung buwan ang sahod kasama na ang lahat ng mga bonuses at allowances na nakuha nila.

Mas matindi po ang natuklasan natin sa pasahod ng kanilang Board of Trustees. Tingnan po natin ang mga allowances na tinatanggap nila:

Umupo ka lang sa Board of Trustees at Board Committee meeting, katorse mil na. Aabot ng nobenta'y otso mil ito kada buwan. May grocery incentive pa sila na otsenta mil kada taon.

Hindi lang iyon: may mid-year bonus, productivity bonus, anniversary bonus, year-end bonus, at Financial Assistance. May Christmas bonus na, may Additional Christmas Package pa. Kada isa sa mga ito, nobenta'y otso mil.

Sa suma total po, aabot ang lahat ng dalawa't kalahating milyong piso kada taon sa bawat miyembro ng Board maliban sa pakotse, technical assistance, at pautang. Uulitin ko po. Lahat ng ito ay ibinibigay nila sa kanilang mga sarili habang hindi pa nababayaran ang mga pensyon ng kanilang mga retirees.

Pati po ang La Mesa Watershed ay hindi nila pinatawad. Para magkaroon ng tamang supply ng tubig, kailangang alagaan ang mga watershed. Sa watershed, puno ang kailangan.

Pati po iyon na dapat puno ang nakatayo, tinayuan nila ng bahay para sa matataas na opisyal ng MWSS.

Hindi naman sila agad maaalis sa puwesto dahil kabilang sila sa mga Midnight Appointees ni dating Pangulong Arroyo.

Iniimbestigahan na natin ang lahat nang ito. Kung mayroon pa silang kahit kaunting hiya na natitira - sana kusa na lang silang magbitiw sa puwesto.

Pag-usapan naman po natin ang pondo para sa imprastruktura. Tumukoy ang DPWH ng dalawandaan apatnapu't anim na priority safety projects na popondohan ng Motor Vehicle Users Charge. Mangangailangan po ito ng budget na 425 million pesos.

Ang pinondohan po, dalawampu't walong proyekto lang. Kinalimutan po ang dalawandaan at labing walong proyekto at pinalitan ng pitumpung proyekto na wala naman sa plano. Ang hininging 425 million pesos, naging 480 million pesos pa, lumaki lalo dahil sa mga proyektong sa piling-piling mga benepisyaryo lang napunta.

Mga proyekto po itong walang saysay, hindi pinag-aralan at hindi pinaghandaan, kaya parang kabuteng sumusulpot.

Tapos na po ang panahon para dito. Sa administrasyon po natin, walang kota-kota, walang tongpats, ang pera ng taumbayan ay gagastusin para sa taumbayan lamang.

Meron pa po tayong natuklasan. Limang araw bago matapos ang termino ng nakaraang administrasyon, nagpautos silang maglabas ng 3.5 billion pesos para sa rehabilitasyon ng mga nasalanta nina Ondoy at Pepeng.

Walumpu't anim na proyekto ang paglalaanan dapat nito na hindi na sana idadaan sa public bidding. Labingsiyam sa mga ito na nagkakahalaga ng 981 million pesos ang muntik nang makalusot. Hindi pa nailalabas ang Special Allotment Release Order ay pirmado na ang mga kontrata.

Buti na lang po ay natuklasan at pinigilan ito ni Secretary Rogelio Singson ng DPWH. Ngayon po ay dadaan na ang kabuuan ng 3.5 billion pesos sa tapat na bidding, at magagamit na ang pondo na ito sa pagbibigay ng lingap sa mga nawalan ng tahanan dahil kina Ondoy at Pepeng.

Pag-usapan naman natin ang nangyari sa NAPOCOR. Noong 2001 hanggang 2004, pinilit ng gobyerno ang NAPOCOR na magbenta ng kuryente nang palugi para hindi tumaas ang presyo. Tila ang dahilan: pinaghahandaan na nila ang eleksyon.

Dahil dito, noong 2004, sumagad ang pagkakabaon sa utang ng NAPOCOR. Napilitan ang pambansang gobyerno na sagutin ang dalawandaang bilyong pisong utang nito.

Ang inakala ng taumbayan na natipid nila sa kuryente ay binabayaran din natin mula sa kaban ng bayan. May gastos na tayo sa kuryente, binabayaran pa natin ang dagdag na pagkakautang ng gobyerno.

Kung naging matino ang pag-utang, sana'y nadagdagan ang ating kasiguruhan sa supply ng kuryente. Pero ang desisyon ay ibinatay sa maling pulitika, at hindi sa pangangailangan ng taumbayan. Ang taumbayan, matapos pinagsakripisyo ay lalo pang pinahihirapan.

Ganito rin po ang nangyari sa MRT. Sinubukan na namang bilhin ang ating pagmamahal. Pinilit ang operator na panatilihing mababa ang pamasahe.

Hindi tuloy nagampanan ang garantiyang ibinigay sa operator na mababawi nila ang kanilang puhunan. Dahil dito, inutusan ang Landbank at Development Bank of the Philippines na bilhin ang MRT.

Ang pera ng taumbayan, ipinagpalit sa isang naluluging operasyon.

Dumako naman po tayo sa pondo ng NFA.

Noong 2004: 117,000 metric tons ang pagkukulang ng supply ng Pilipinas. Ang binili nila, 900,000 metric tons. Kahit ulitin mo pa ng mahigit pitong beses ang pagkukulang, sobra pa rin ang binili nila.

Noong 2007: 589,000 metric tons ang pagkukulang ng supply sa Pilipinas. Ang binili nila, 1.827 million metric tons. Kahit ulitin mo pa ng mahigit tatlong beses ang pagkukulang, sobra na naman ang binili nila.

Ang masakit nito, dahil sobra-sobra ang binibili nila taun-taon, nabubulok lang pala sa mga kamalig ang bigas, kagaya ng nangyari noong 2008.

Hindi po ba krimen ito, na hinahayaan nilang mabulok ang bigas, sa kabila ng apat na milyong Pilipinong hindi kumakain ng tatlong beses sa isang araw?

Ang resulta nito, umabot na sa 171.6 billion pesos ang utang ng NFA noong Mayo ng taong ito.

Ang tinapon na ito, halos puwede na sanang pondohan ang mga sumusunod:

Ang budget ng buong Hudikatura, na 12.7 billion pesos sa taong ito.

Ang Conditional Cash Transfers para sa susunod na taon, na nagkakahalaga ng 29.6 billion pesos.

Ang lahat ng classroom na kailangan ng ating bansa, na nagkakahalaga ng 130 billion pesos.

Kasuklam-suklam ang kalakarang ito. Pera na, naging bato pa.

Narinig po ninyo kung paano nilustay ang kaban ng bayan. Ang malinaw po sa ngayon: ang anumang pagbabago ay magmumula sa pagsiguro natin na magwawakas na ang pagiging maluho at pagwawaldas.

Kaya nga po mula ngayon: ititigil na natin ang paglulustay sa salapi ng bayan.

Tatanggalin natin ang mga proyektong mali.

Ito po ang punto ng tinatawag nating zero-based approach sa ating budget. Ang naging kalakaran po, taun-taon ay inuulit lamang ang budget na puno ng tagas. Dadagdagan lang nang konti, puwede na.

Sa susunod na buwan ay maghahain tayo ng budget na kumikilala nang tama sa mga problema, at magtutuon din ng pansin sa tamang solusyon.

Ilan lang ito sa mga natuklasan nating problema. Heto naman po ang ilang halimbawa ng mga hakbang na ginagawa natin.

Nandiyan po ang kaso ng isang may-ari ng sanglaan. Bumili siya ng sasakyang tinatayang nasa dalawampu't anim na milyong piso ang halaga.

Kung kaya mong bumili ng Lamborghini, bakit hindi mo kayang magbayad ng buwis?

Nasampahan na po ito ng kaso. Sa pangunguna nina Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, BIR Commissioner Kim Henares at Customs Commissioner Lito Alvarez, bawat linggo po ay may bago tayong kasong isinasampa kontra sa mga smuggler at sa mga hindi nagbabayad ng tamang buwis.

Natukoy na rin po ang salarin sa mga kaso nina Francisco Baldomero, Jose Daguio at Miguel Belen, tatlo sa anim na insidente ng extralegal killings mula nang umupo tayo.

Singkuwenta porsyento po ng mga insidente ng extralegal killings na nangyari sa maikling taon ng ating panunungkulan ang patungo na sa kanilang resolusyon.

Ang natitira pong kalahati ay hindi natin tatantanan ang pag-usig hanggang makamit ang katarungan.

Pananagutin natin ang mga mamamatay-tao. Pananagutin din natin ang mga corrupt sa gobyerno.

Nagsimula nang mabuo ang ating Truth Commission, sa pangunguna ni dating Chief Justice Hilario Davide. Hahanapin natin ang katotohanan sa mga nangyari diumanong katiwalian noong nakaraang siyam na taon.

Sa loob ng linggong ito, pipirmahan ko ang kauna-unahang Executive Order na nagtatalaga sa pagbuo nitong Truth Commission.

Kung ang sagot sa kawalan ng katarungan ay pananagutan, ang sagot naman sa kakulangan natin sa pondo ay mga makabago at malikhaing paraan para tugunan ang mga pagkatagal-tagal nang problema.

Napakarami po ng ating pangangailangan: mula sa edukasyon, imprastruktura, pangkalusugan, pangangailangan ng militar at kapulisan, at marami pang iba. Hindi kakasya ang pondo para mapunan ang lahat ng ito.

Kahit gaano po kalaki ang kakulangan para mapunuan ang mga listahan ng ating pangangailangan, ganado pa rin ako dahil marami nang nagpakita ng panibagong interes at kumpyansa sa Pilipinas.

Ito ang magiging solusyon: mga Public-Private Partnerships. Kahit wala pa pong pirmahang nangyayari dito, masasabi kong maganda ang magiging bunga ng maraming usapin (ukol ditto).

May mga nagpakita na po ng interes, gustong magtayo ng expressway na mula Maynila, tatahak ng Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, hanggang sa dulo ng Cagayan Valley nang hindi gugugol ang estado kahit na po piso.

Sa larangan ng ating Sandatahang Lakas:

Mayroon po tayong 36,000 nautical miles na baybayin. Ang mayroon lamang tayo: tatlumpu't dalawang barko. Itong mga barkong ito, panahon pa ni General MacArthur.

May nagmungkahi sa atin, ito ang proposisyon: uupahan po nila ang headquarters ng Navy sa Roxas Boulevard at ang Naval Station sa Fort Bonifacio.

Sagot po nila ang paglipat ng Navy Headquarters sa Camp Aguinaldo. Agaran, bibigyan tayo ng isandaang milyong dolyar. At dagdag pa sa lahat nang iyan, magsusubi pa sila sa atin ng kita mula sa mga negosyong itatayo nila sa uupahan nilang lupa.

Sa madali pong sabi: Makukuha natin ang kailangan natin, hindi tatayo gagastos, kikita pa tayo.

Marami na pong nag-alok at nagmungkahi sa atin, mula lokal hanggang dayuhang negosyante, na magpuno ng iba't ibang pangangailangan.

Mula sa mga public-private partnerships na ito, lalago ang ating ekonomiya, at bawat Pilipino makikinabang. Napakaraming sektor na matutulungan nito.

Maipapatayo na po ang imprastrukturang kailangan natin para palaguin ang turismo.

Sa agrikultura, makapagtatayo na tayo ng mga grains terminals, refrigeration facilities, maayos na road networks at post-harvest facilities.

Kung maisasaayos natin ang ating food supply chain sa tulong ng pribadong sektor, sa halip na mag-angkat tayo ay maari na sana tayong mangarap na mag-supply sa pandaigdigang merkado.

Kung maitatayo ang minumungkahi sa ating mga railway system, bababa ang presyo ng bilihin. Mas mura, mas mabilis, mas maginhawa, at makakaiwas pa sa kotong cops at mga kumokotong na rebelde ang mga bumibiyahe.

Paalala lang po: una sa ating plataporma ang paglikha ng mga trabaho, at nanggagaling ang trabaho sa paglago ng industriya. Lalago lamang ang industriya kung gagawin nating mas malinis, mas mabilis, at mas maginhawa ang proseso para sa mga gustong magnegosyo.

Pabibilisin natin ang proseso ng mga proyektong sumasailalim sa Build-Operate-Transfer. Sa tulong ng lahat ng sangay ng gobyerno at ng mga mamamayan, pabababain natin sa anim na buwan ang proseso na noon ay inaabot ng taon kung hindi dekada.

May mga hakbang na rin pong sinisimulan ang DTI, sa pamumuno ni Secretary Gregory Domingo:

Ang walang-katapusang pabalik-balik sa proseso ng pagrehistro ng pangalan ng kumpanya, na kada dalaw ay umaabot ng apat hanggang walong oras, ibababa na natin sa labinlimang minuto.

Ang dating listahan ng tatlumpu't anim na dokumento, ibababa natin sa anim. Ang dating walong pahinang application form, ibababa natin sa isang pahina.

Nananawagan ako sa ating mga LGUs. Habang naghahanap tayo ng paraan para gawing mas mabilis ang pagbubukas ng mga negosyo, pag-aralan din sana nila ang kanilang mga proseso. Kailangan itong gawing mas mabilis, at kailangan itong itugma sa mga sinisumulan nating reporma.

Negosyante, sundalo, rebelde, at karaniwang Pilipino, lahat po makikinabang dito. Basta po hindi dehado ang Pilipino, papasukin po natin lahat iyan.

Kailangan na po nating simulan ang pagtutulungan para makamit ito. Huwag nating pahirapan ang isa't isa.

Parating na po ang panahon na hindi na natin kailangang mamili sa pagitan ng seguridad ng ating mamamayan o sa kinabukasan ng inyong mga anak.

Oras na maipatupad ang public-private partnerships na ito, mapopondohan ang mga serbisyong panlipunan, alinsunod sa ating plataporma.

Magkakapondo na po para maipatupad ang mga plano natin sa edukasyon.

Mapapalawak natin ang basic education cycle mula sa napakaikling sampung taon tungo sa global standard na labindalawang taon.

Madadagdagan natin ang mga classroom. Mapopondohan natin ang service contracting sa ilalim ng GASTPE.

Pati ang conditional cash transfers, na magbabawas ng pabigat sa bulsa ng mga pamilya, madadagdan na rin ng pondo.

Maipapatupad ang plano natin sa PhilHealth.

Una, tutukuyin natin ang tunay na bilang ng mga nangangailangan nito. Sa ngayon, hindi magkakatugma ang datos. Sabi ng PhilHealth sa isang bibig, walumpu't pitong porsyento na raw ang merong coverage. Sa kabilang bibig naman, singkuwenta'y tres porsyento. Ayon naman sa National Statistics Office, tatlumpu't walong porsyento ang may coverage.

Ngayon pa lang, kumikilos na si Secretary Dinky Soliman at ang DSWD upang ipatupad ang National Household Targetting System, na magtutukoy sa mga pamilyang higit na nagangailangan ng tulong. Tinatayang siyam na bilyon ang kailangan para mabigyan ng PhilHealth ang limang milyong pinakamaralitang pamilyang Pilipino.

Napakaganda po ng hinaharap natin. Kasama na po natin ang pribadong sektor, at kasama na rin natin ang League of Provinces, sa pangunguna nina Governor Alfonso Umali kasama sina Governor L-Ray Villafuerte at Governor Icot Petilla. Handa na pong makipagtulungan para makibahagi sa pagtustos ng mga gastusin. Alam ko rin pong hindi magpapahuli ang League of Cities sa pangunguna ni Mayor Oscar Rodriguez.

Kung ang mga gobyernong lokal ay nakikiramay na sa ating mga adhikain, ang Kongreso namang pinanggalingan ko, siguro naman maasahan ko din.

Nagpakitang-gilas na po ang gabinete sa pagtukoy ng ating mga problema at sa paglulunsad ng mga solusyon sa loob lamang ng tatlong linggo.

Nang bagyo pong Basyang, ang sabi sa atin ng mga may prangkisa sa kuryente, apat na araw na walang kuryente. Dahil sa mabilis na pagkilos ni Secretary Rene Almendras at ng Department of Energy, naibalik ang kuryente sa halos lahat sa loob lamang ng beinte-kwatro oras.

Ito pong sinasabing kakulangan sa tubig sa Metro Manila, kinilusan agad ni Secretary Rogelio Singson at ng DPWH. Hindi na siya naghintay ng utos, kaya nabawasan ang perwisyo.

Nakita na rin natin ang gilas ng mga hinirang nating makatulong sa Gabinete. Makatuwiran naman po sigurong umasa na hindi na sila padadaanin sa butas ng karayom para makumpirma ng Commission on Appointments. Kung mangyayari po ito, marami pa sa mga mahuhusay na Pilipino ang maeengganyong magsilbi sa gobyerno.

Sa lalong madaling panahon po, uupo na tayo sa LEDAC at pag-uusapan ang mga mahahalagang batas na kailangan nating ipasa. Makakaasa kayo na mananatiling bukas ang aking isipan, at ang ating ugnayan ay mananatiling tapat.

Isinusulong po natin ang Fiscal Responsibility Bill, kung saan hindi tayo magpapasa ng batas na mangangailangan ng pondo kung hindi pa natukoy ang panggagalingan nito. May 104.1 billion pesos tayong kailangan para pondohan ang mga batas na naipasa na, ngunit hindi maipatupad.

Kailangan din nating isaayos ang mga insentibong piskal na ibinigay noong nakaraan. Ngayong naghihigpit tayo ng sinturon, kailangang balikan kung alin sa mga ito ang dapat manatili at kung ano ang dapat nang itigil.

Huwag po tayong pumayag na magkaroon ng isa pang NBN-ZTE. Sa lokal man o dayuhan manggagaling ang pondo, dapat dumaan ito sa tamang proseso. Hinihingi ko po ang tulong ninyo upang amiyendahan ang ating Procurement Law.

Ayon po sa Saligang Batas, tungkulin ng estado ang siguruhing walang lamangan sa merkado. Bawal ang monopolya, bawal ang mga cartel na sasakal sa kumpetisyon. Kailangan po natin ng isang Anti-Trust Law na magbibigay-buhay sa mga prinsipyong ito. Ito ang magbibigay ng pagkakataon sa mga Small- at Medium-scale Enterprises na makilahok at tumulong sa paglago ng ating ekonomiya.

Ipasa na po natin ang National Land Use Bill.

Una rin pong naging batas ng Commonwealth ang National Defense Act, na ipinasa noon pang 1935. Kailangan nang palitan ito ng batas na tutugon sa pangangailangan ng pambansang seguridad sa kasalukuyan.

Nakikiusap po akong isulong ang Whistleblower's Bill upang patuloy nang iwaksi ang kultura ng takot at pananahimik.

Palalakasin pa lalo ang Witness Protection Program. Alalahanin po natin na noong taong 2009 hanggang 2010, may nahatulan sa 95% ng mga kaso kung saan may witness na sumailalim sa programang ito.
Kailangang repasuhin ang ating mga batas. Nanawagan po akong umpisahan na ang rekodipikasyon ng ating mga batas, upang siguruhing magkakatugma sila at hindi salu-salungat.

Ito pong mga batas na ito ang batayan ng kaayusan, ngunit ang pundasyon ng lahat ng ginagawa natin ay ang prinsipyong wala tayong mararating kung walang kapayapaan at katahimikan.

Dalawa ang hinaharap nating suliranin sa usapin ng kapayapaan: ang situwasyon sa Mindanao, at ang patuloy na pag-aaklas ng CPP-NPA-NDF.

Tungkol sa situwasyon sa Mindanao: Hindi po nagbabago ang ating pananaw. Mararating lamang ang kapayapaan at katahimikan kung mag-uusap ang lahat ng apektado: Moro, Lumad, at Kristiyano. Inatasan na natin si Dean Marvic Leonen na mangasiwa sa ginagawa nating pakikipag-usap sa MILF.

Iiwasan natin ang mga pagkakamaling nangyari sa nakaraang administrasyon, kung saan binulaga na lang ang mga mamamayan ng Mindanao. Hindi tayo puwedeng magbulag-bulagan sa mga dudang may kulay ng pulitika ang proseso, at hindi ang kapakanan ng taumbayan ang tanging interes.

Kinikilala natin ang mga hakbang na ginagawa ng MILF sa pamamagitan ng pagdidisplina sa kanilang hanay. Inaasahan natin na muling magsisimula ang negosasyon pagkatapos ng Ramadan.

Tungkol naman po sa CPP-NPA-NDF: handa na ba kayong maglaan ng kongkretong mungkahi, sa halip na pawang batikos lamang?

Kung kapayapaan din ang hangad ninyo, handa po kami sa malawakang tigil-putukan. Kayo po ba ay handa na din? Mag-usap tayo.

Mahirap magsimula ang usapan habang mayroon pang amoy ng pulbura sa hangin. Nananawagan ako: huwag po natin hayaang masayang ang napakagandang pagkakataong ito upang magtipon sa ilalim ng iisang adhikain.

Kapayapaan at katahimikan po ang pundasyon ng kaunlaran. Habang nagpapatuloy ang barilan, patuloy din ang pagkakagapos natin sa kahirapan.

Dapat din po nating mabatid: ito ay panahon ng sakripisyo. At ang sakripisyong ito ay magiging puhunan para sa ating kinabukasan. Kaakibat ng ating mga karapatan at kalayaan ay ang tungkulin natin sa kapwa at sa bayan.

Inaasahan ko po ang ating mga kaibigan sa media, lalo na sa radyo at sa print, sa mga nagbablock-time, at sa community newspapers, kayo na po mismo ang magbantay sa inyong hanay.

Mabigyang-buhay sana ang mga batayang prinsipyo ng inyong bokasyon: ang magbigay-linaw sa mahahalagang isyu; ang maging patas at makatotohanan, at ang itaas ang antas ng pampublikong diskurso.

Tungkulin po ng bawat Pilipino na tutukan ang mga pinunong tayo rin naman ang nagluklok sa puwesto. Humakbang mula sa pakikialam tungo sa pakikilahok. Dahil ang nakikialam, walang-hanggan ang reklamo.

Ang nakikilahok, nakikibahagi sa solusyon.

Napakatagal na pong namamayani ang pananaw na ang susi sa asenso ay ang intindihin ang sarili kaysa intindihin ang kapwa. Malinaw po sa akin: paano tayo aasenso habang nilalamangan ang kapwa?

Ang hindi nabigyan ng pagkakataong mag-aral, paanong makakakuha ng trabaho? Kung walang trabaho, paanong magiging konsumer? Paanong mag-iimpok sa bangko?

Ngunit kung babaliktarin natin ang pananaw-kung iisipin nating "Dadagdagan ko ang kakayahan ng aking kapwa"-magbubunga po ito, at ang lahat ay magkakaroon ng pagkakataon.

Maganda na po ang nasimulan natin. At mas lalong maganda po ang mararating natin. Ngunit huwag nating kalimutan na mayroong mga nagnanasang hindi tayo magtagumpay. Dahil kapag hindi tayo
nagtagumpay, makakabalik na naman sila sa kapangyarihan, at sa pagsasamantala sa taumbayan.

Akin pong paniwala na Diyos at taumbayan ang nagdala sa ating kinalalagyan ngayon. Habang nakatutok tayo sa kapakanan ng ating kapwa, bendisyon at patnubay ay tiyak na maaasahan natin sa Poong Maykapal. At kapag nanalig tayo na ang kasangga natin ay ang Diyos, mayroon ba tayong hindi kakayanin?

Ang mandato nating nakuha sa huling eleksyon ay patunay na umaasa pa rin ang Pilipino sa pagbabago. Iba na talaga ang situwasyon. Puwede na muling mangarap. Tayo nang tumungo sa katuparan ng ating mga pinangarap.

Maraming salamat po.

source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/07/26/10/state-nation-address-pres-benigno-s-aquino-iii

take care and God bless...

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

I was able to watch this movie yesterday and all I can say is that the movie was great! BUT if you have watched the trailers, then you might not find the movie punchlines that funny anymore, most of it were already showed in the trailer. BUT again, there are also a lot of scenes that were a surprise for me, even the first part was unexpected. Out of 5 stars I give it a 4.5?? haha.. It's not that perfect for me. The actors were great especially the three protagonists. ^^, Jay Baruchel was so cool that even though I never heard of him, I instantly liked him... Nicolas Cage was also good but when I watched National Treasure last night at Studio 23, I liked him there more than in this movie... The effects were clean-cut and awesome at the same time. So my verdict is.. I do recommend you to watch this Disney film and enjoy every second of it! :D

The next films I want to watch are: Despicable Me, Salt, Eat Love Pray, Chloe, and many more.. haha

take care and God bless...

remember this?

Remember my promise that I will post the recipe for this? Well, here it is then... enjoy!

"Pinoy-Style" Herbed Pork Cutlets

Ingredients:
1 1/2 kilo pork steak cut (pork chop)
1 pack Japanese breadcrumbs
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup salt
2 Tbsp black pepper
50 grams spring onion
15 grams ginger
10 grams parsley (finely chopped)
250 grams carrots
250 grams leeks
150 grams white onions
1 1/2 cup flour
4 pcs eggs
4 pcs red bell pepper
cooking oil for deep frying
cornstarch
1 Tbsp paprika
1 can San Miguel light beer

Procedure:
*For the pork cutlets:
1. Clean and pat dry pork cutlets.
2. Season with salt, pepper and dredge with flour.
3. Dip in beaten eggs
4. Coat with breadcrumbs and chopped parsley. (to give variation and color ^^,)
5. Deep fry in hot oil over medium heat.
6. Cook until golden brown.
7. Remove excess oil using paper towels.

*For the teriyaki sauce:
1.Saute carrots, leeks an celery over medium heat.
2. Add ginger and soy sauce and beer.
3. Stir in brown sugar and chicken stock.
4. Simmer sauce for 10 minutes.
5. Season to taste.
6. Add cornstarch diluted in water to thicken the sauce.
7. Strain.

*For the vegetables
1. Wash veggies under cold running water.
2. Cut into strips. Set aside.
3. In a pan, saute garlic, onions and the other vegetables.
4. Season with salt and pepper.

I truly hope that you will be inspired enough to try this recipe. I myself am excited to cook this but as of this moment, school comes in the way and is my top priority... Here is something you should not miss!! World Food Expo 2010! It will be held this coming August 4-7! There are TWO venues for this event. One will be at World Trade Center at Pasay and The SMX Convention Center also located at Pasay City and is near the famous SM Mall of Asia! Unlike the MAFBEX last June, WOFEX will cover a wider range of scope and will have more shows and events! My friends in FEU have already marked our calendars ever since June and you should too! haha.. See you there??

take care and God bless...

The Lost Symbol

Just want to share with you that The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown is now available in paperback version and it is sold for Php 255 in National Bookstore! Now that it is more affordable, I will surely have a copy of it soon.. I still don't have a book to read for the month of July and the month is already about to end so maybe I might read two book for August! :) So here, just a simple shout out for everyone! I will blog soon again, just have to finish my studying for the exam week I am currently having :)

take care and God bless...

L____p!

I'm still here but I really have a lot of school works to do, one of which is a concept paper also known as thesis paper.. :( It's exhausting but life is good.. Everything's okay and I am really happy these past few days even if I don't even have one percent of excitement in me or one percent of willingness to study :)) There is just one big news I want to tell everyone :) I HAVE A NEW LAPTOP!! Thanks to Auntie Shirley, I now have an Asus eee pc 1000 series.. ^^, And though I am not currently using it, I'm just glad that I can finally do homeworks on coffee shops. I can also avail of free WiFi when I am at Coffee Bean and elsewhere actually.. haha.. That is all I can say right now. I am actually in a bit of hurry right now :))

take care and God bless..

Just got back from Hong Kong and I am so tired! I will post about my travel in the coming days :) But for now I'm bound for school works..

take care and God bless!

BB cream craze contest!

These past few days, I have always wanted to buy myself any moisturizer/powder/foundation for my face and it seems that I can't find the one product that I am truly contented with. And as I was surfing and looking through the blogs I am interested in, I came across Ajay's Blog (Ajay's Writing on the Wall) where she is giving out Dr. Jart BB creams and all you have to do is to spread the word about this contest! :) It's really easy and it won't hurt if you try. :) I have been hearing about BB creams a lot these days and it seems like it will be the next substitute for concealers and foundations since its an all-in cream! :) So what are you waiting for? Join the contest, and you just might win Dr. Jart's BB creams! :) HURRY! :D

take care and God bless...

Eclipse

I told myself that I would not watch the Twilight Saga: Eclipse movie on its first week of screening but in the end I did. And as usual, I am disappointed with how the movie was translated to film. If you haven't read the book series then you might get lost with the happenings in it. All I wanted during the film was Jacob Black, hahaha.. He trully has changed from the first and second sequel... But I do recommend you guys to watch the film for the sake of watching what the world has anticipated for a year. :) There are rumors that the last installment of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn will be split to two films for two years! : For profit?? You be the judge! :) IF you are going to watch Eclipse, I would recommend you to not watch it in high-end cinema because it's really not that worth-it :)

take care and God bless...

Its July -- finally!

June sure did went by slowly, that I am glad its already July!!!

Ever since my last post, a lot of things has happened to me and I am once again glad that I have all the energy and enthusiasm to write about it! :) Let us start with the last two weeks... During the last two weeks I have watched two movies namely, Letters to Juliet starring Amanda Seyfried and Knight and Day starring Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise... Both movies were good movies but I was very much disappointed with Letters to Juliet because I thought that it would be a great one and in the end, I enjoyed Knight and Day more than that of Letters to Juliet... :| I also think that Knight and Day will be having a part2 or I wish it will have a second installment! :) Looking forward, the next movies I want to watch will be The Twilight Saga Eclipse, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Toy Story 3!! And many many more and I just can't seem to remember it at this time :)

Aside from movies, there is a new great chinese TV show that I am watching, the title is "Hero Daddy" (帶子英雄). It just started airing last June 22 by CTS (if you have global destiny cable connection, it is at CH58). I got hooked to it because of the story it tells and because of the cute girl who plays the daughter of the single father. :) It airs at CTS (CH58) from 8:00pm to 10:00pm from Mondays through Thursdays. The main story or idea behind this series is about a single father raising her child along with different adversities. I love it because it's much more realistic than the other show I used to watch during this said time. Simple as that! :D

Next topic: an incident! Last June 26, Saturday, I was almost held-up by a guy along C.M. Recto corner Tomas Mapua! I was riding a jeepney on my way home and since it was a Saturday, it was very traffic or as my tourism teacher will say, the congestion of cars was traffic, and because of that there was this guy who stood or angkas at the entrance of the jeepney and he was playing around like it was a monkey bar. What happened next was unexpected. He said, " Akin na cellphone mo!" (Give me your phone!). At first, I did not really understand what he said because I never expected to be held-up in my whole life, so I did not really mind him and at the same time I was trying to think about what he said and that is when I realized that I was being held-up!!! The next thing I saw was that he was getting his gun which was placed in his tummy?! I mean placed near his tummy, under his pants?! (do you get it? I don't really know how to describe it.) So, that was the time when I knew that he was asking for my phone, I was not yet giving it to him at first but when he said that he will get my whole bag instead of just my phone, I decided that I will just give the phone cause my school bag is a lot more worth it than my phone, and I THANK GOD that as I was getting my phone I accidentally took the phone which was just like the old nokia 3310 and not the one which was colored and had a camera! As I gave it to him, I was trying to haggle with him with regards to my sim card, I kept on asking him if I can get the sim card since I am already willing enough to give him the phone. BUT when he saw my phone he threw it back to my lap and said, "Ayoko niyan!" (I don't want that) and he immediately went down the jeepney and stared at me while I was also staring him in shock that he gave back my phone and DID NOT take ANYTHING from me at all (considering that I had a family size pizza on my lap)... The end! I really thank God that nothing happened to me and the other 6 passengers in the jeepney. I thank God that the guy's hand was not out of control, cause who knows? Maybe if he got irritated I was just one shot away! :/ So I am really really thankful for God's care not only during that time but every single second of my life!!! :) To the readers! Please be careful when commuting or even when walking in less populated streets.. please...

Now that I am done with that part, let's continue on with the happy stuff!!! ^^, These past few months I have discovered quite a lot of new places which I want to try eating at or coffee shops that I want to spend some time in with my friends chatting and catching up with each other, BUT there are two things that hinders me and my friends in doing so. One: MONEY! Two: TIME! Yup, we don't even have the 2 most essential things needed to be able to do these things!! :( And since we can't do it, I will be glad to just write about it and maybe you can try it and tell me about it! :)) The top of the list will be Noriter... I have already blogged about this before and until now, my friend, Abi and I just can't find the right time to get together and try this coffee shop :\ Noriter is a Korean-based coffee shop and it has only one branch here in Metro Manila and it is in Taft Avenue, in front of De La Salle University. I basically just want to try this coffee shop because I am a little bit crazy about Korean stuff and if there is something interesting and Koreany about it, then I would really be glad to try it! ^^,

Another restaurant that I want to try is Sakae Sushi which is basically a Japanese restaurant but is Singapore-based. The interesting part of the restaurant is the revolving conveyer that has colored plates in it with sushi revolving around, and each color has its own price, ranging from Php 39 to Php 79. They also have bentos which is sold separately from the colored plates. :) Oh! They also have buffets from 2pm to 6pm for Php 399 and Php 299 for senior citizens and Php 199 for children... While I was trying to look for their website I stumbled upon a lot of blogs sharing their experiences in Sakae Sushi most of it were good but one of it was bad. Here are the links and you be the judge of it :)
*Blog # 1 (good review) *Blog # 2 (good review)
*Blog # 3 (good review) *Blog # 4 (bad review)

I almost forgot to post the most memorable thing that happened in June and also the memorable thing for the first day of July!! Philippines has a new president!(15th President) His excellency, Mr. Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Cojuangco Aquino III... Even though I did not vote for him, I do believe that he is what the Filipino people needs and he can bring that "change" we are aspiring for in the next 6 years... Congratulations po and God bless! :)

Whoah! It's been 4 hours since I started writing this post! haha!! It always takes me hours to post something especially if its about food, life and stuff I am really interested in and when I want to share it with you guys :) There are still more to come! I will try to post something about the MAFBEX I went to last June and share with you a recipe I got at MAFBEX that I am dying to try but never have the chance to... I am also going to share with you next time about WOFEX 2010! :) But for now, here is a treat or a picture of the dish I am dying to cook soon... :D

take care and God bless...