Top 10 Bicol Stuffs
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Washington SyCip is worried about his e-mail. At a sprightly 80 years of age, with twinkling eyes and a mind sharp enough to put inferior ones half his age to shame, the retired founding chairman of SyCip, Gorres, Velayo (SGV) & Co. was in his office at 7 a.m. on the day of this interview to catch up on his electronic paperwork. He usually has to, he explains, when he's in town. He may have retired as chairman in 1996, but since then SyCip has been asked to sit on the board of several of the company's clients. And when you're the country's premiere group of auditors and management consultants with operations throughout East Asia, those board meetings can have you constantly on the road; SyCip was out of the country on 24 trips for 144 days (in the year 2000). "I may have retired form the firm, but I didn't retire from work."
In the last few weeks, however, his attention was focused on the firm he founded in 1946, which marked its 55th anniversary last June 22 (2001). SGV & Co. also chose the occasion to honor SyCip for his birthday. SyCip is quick to point out that the company has been ably managed by partners in the last few years. "The only thing I would be concerned about was succession. I would ask every new managing partner: If you are run over six-by-six truck, the next day, who will step in your shoes? That's your responsibility. In a professional firm like ours, human resources are only our asset."
At the time the firm was founded, first as W. SyCip and Company, foreign companies dominated the practice of accounting in this country, SyCip recalls. "They were pre-war firms with the ridiculous policy of not having someone from this country run the company. As for local firms, they were kept in the family. In both cases, you have discrimination by color of skin or blood."
SyCip, "Wash" to friends, is unanimously credited with professionalizing the industry in the Philippines by turning it into a "complete meritocracy," as he describes it. "I made it a point to ask my children to start out on their own rather than come here. I wanted to make sure nobody would think I was building the practice of having another SyCip waiting to take over." Today, he considers this professionalization the greatest accomplishment of SGV. "We developed the Filipino profession of accounting, not just here but for work abroad, and many of the other firms here are headed by SGV alumni. You get a lot of satisfaction when you meet company EVPs and they say they got their training from us."
Training was something SyCip and his siblings received much of at the hands of his father, respected lawyer and banker Albino SyCip. Achievement seems to run in the family; "He was going to study medicine," SyCip says of his father with a chuckle, "but he saw a cadaver and said, 'That's not for me,' so he went into law school." Their father was a spartan man, he recalls. "When other kids would have birthday parties with ice cream and all, in our case he would just let us know he deposited so much in our savings accounts. Of course, at that age, you wanted the ice cream, but now you look back and you realize what a sound decision it was."
Albino SyCip also did something which his son wanted to continue, but could not. "At that time, the children of a Chinese banker went to ethnic Chinese or top private schools. But my father said, 'You're going to live in this country, so you're going to public schools.' He wouldn't even let us ride in a car to get to school, because our average classmate didn't have a car and we would be pasikat."
Thus the SyCip children walked or took the trolley buses to the Burgos Elementary School and later, the V. Mapa High School. "At that time, a graduate of Mapa could compete with graduates of La Salle or Ateneo. Unfortunately our public schooling has deteriorated. If I had sent my children to public schools, they would not have been able to compete." SyCip went on to study commerce and graduate summa cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas (UST), and to earn his master's degree at Columbia University in New York.
The problem of education is one which SyCip, a 1992 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for International Understanding, is perpetually trying to help solve. In his view, the reasons for the deterioration are clear. "The upper income group is not paying the proper income tax, and there is no effective family planning, so the population has jumped up so much so that more and more money has to be raised to subsidize education. It would help faster growth if we had more unity of purpose, and that often means sacrificing the interest of the upper income group in favor of the lower income group. But then, the legislative process is controlled by the upper income group, so that's not going to happen."
Although SyCip is the first to admit that politics is not his field of expertise, his economic stature has undoubtedly lent him more than his desired share of political clout. When he and fellow business leaders including Vicente Paterno and Jaime Zobel de Ayala quit former president Joseph Estrada's economic advisory board last year, it was viewed as a withdrawal of support by the Philippine business community. "The people Erap had asked were all quite respected, and we felt it was our responsibility and duty to help out," he recalls of how the group was formed. "Of course, when all these things started coming out, it was really his private life that created a problem. The advice needed by the administration at that point was no longer economic but political. But we did realize that if we resigned, it would have some effect on the thinking of many people."
He always been optimistic about the country, but SyCip has no illusions about the need for deep-seated reforms. "I think we have a lot of problems, and to solve those problems our political process, our thinking and our structure have to be change. Unfortunately, I started this practice long before you were born, and I saw then that we were ahead of the other countries in Asia. My question is, why did we gradually fall behind? I think we used the wrong model, which has always been the US. The economic setting is completely different, and on the stage of its economic development. If you have so much freedom from the beginning, it's hard to get unity in terms of economic drive."
Thus, a limping economy will give you a political system that's wanting. "Democracy assumes that everyone has a right to vote and will exercise that right independently and intelligently, and that you won't sell your vote. If you do, it's not democracy, but the democracy of the people with the money to buy your vote." SyCip's extensive travels and close association with political and economic leaders all over the world-the week before this interview, he had breakfast with reelected British Prime Minister Tony Blair-have confirmed his observations. "All the other developing countries I have seen had a lot of economic freedom at the beginning, but not political freedom. The latter came only after they reached a certain income level. We have to review the whole process. Of our last four presidents, we had to get rid of two by means that are not normal, which means we made the wrong choice. A developed nation can afford the same mistakes. Tokyo and Osaka, for example, once voted in a comedian and radio announcer as mayors, and they were completely unsuccessful. But in our case, can we afford these mistakes?"
Does this mean that the Filipino is not ready to handle democracy? "We may have a premature democracy," SyCip offers. "We have to see what the purpose of government is. The upper group does not need any assistance; they can survive in any society. It's the bottom group that has to be brought up so that their standard of living can improve. When I'm ever faced with a situation where I can no longer get domestic helpers here, that will be good, because that means they now have their own lives and jobs, and the country is doing well. Singapore, for example, has to get its domestic helpers from here."
A main solution, SyCip believes, is in taxation-a stance which, he admits, may make him unpopular with many of his friends in his very own socio-economic class. "But then again, when you're my age, you don't mind people calling you an SOB anymore," he laughs. How can we more effectively collect taxes when it's clear that the upper income group s not paying their proper share? SyCip bristles at a friend's story about a wealthy doctor who was bragging about how he was able to get away with declaring so little on his tax form. "To my mind, we have to tax when money is spent, since we are rather conspicuous consumers. I would tax heavily property and real estate, I would tax heavily the evidence of wealth-put a graduated tax on real estate, jewelry, cars, country clubs. We should tax queridas, but that would be hard to find out and collect!" SyCip adds with a chuckle. "You see, I've studied the expenditure patterns of many of my friends."
Also to be taxed: travel, sending children to study abroad. "It's ironic that the upper income groups are the ones who can buy property abroad, while the lower income groups are the ones who become OCWs and send money back into the country." He is happy that Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has declared poverty a top priority. "She has an excellent opportunity to do something about it. we have a nation of extremes, rich and poor. We have to narrow the gap."
Does that mean that the Pinoy should forget about globalization until he cleans his backyard? "In many cases, I don't agree with globalization, but I think we have to live with it. but we have to advocate further globalization in terms of movement of people. Developed countries want freedom of movement of capital, of communications, of investments, to benefit the consumer in the end, so he can get cheaper goods. Right now 60 percent of our exports are electronics-so if we have no electronics, we would be in trouble. We have to get into certain niche areas where we have the advantage. We have to adjust our thinking, know what our national interest is, and try to fight for it."
To his credit, SyCip is practising what he preaches, and how. Five years ago, he and SGV partner Fred Velayo built an auditorium for the students of their alma mater, the Burgos Elementary School. He and Velayo are likewise helping the Ateneo with a study on how to improve public education standards. Recently struck by the fact that even people who can afford to pay full rates are benefiting from the subsidized tuition at the University of the Philippines (UP), he made a donation of P10 million to the university, "One million for each SyCip who studied there and abused the system," he says, only half in jest. "I know I'm being controversial here, but if a thousand other graduates from UP would do the same thing-and there are many more than a thousand who can afford it-then UP could easily use that for poor students."
But then again, this businessman, renowned for his integrity, has always had a remarkable sense of what's right. "If I can change the minds of some people that's enough," SyCip says of his gadfly role. Last year, when David Rockefeller visited Manila as a representative of the Chase Manhattan Bank, on whose international advisory board SyCip sits, SyCip asked the renowned banker to talk about philantrophy instead of profit, and many of the top movers who were present were visibly moved themselves. "He actually said you should have fun giving away your money," SyCip says, "but you must study who you're giving it to."
As with the e-mail, SyCip likes to keep abreast of new ideas and pick the brains of young people, which he does during regular lunches with his two granddaughters, identical twins who are both practising lawyers. "Oh, they don't ask me for advice-I ask them!" he laughs. "They have very open minds, but they were also well brought up and quite conservative, so we're not afraid of drugs or whatever," he adds, obviously proud of all five of his grandkids.
Work is fun for him, SyCip says, so he still enjoys discovering new ideas and trying to solve business problems. On a recent relaxing weekend trip-SyCip's idea of an indulgence-to colleague O.V. Espiritu's house in Punta Fuego, Batangas, the group had lunch at Sonia's Garden in Tagaytay, and SyCip was genuinely fascinated with the garden restaurant's concept of having the same single meal on the menu, all the time. "The woman is a genius!" he exclaims. "Costs and administration will be so easy to control." Now he's bugging his daughter, who maintains her own Tagaytay home, to introduce him to Sonia herself.
He keeps healthy by "walking around all those airports" and watching what he eats. "That's easier to do here, where I can choose what to eat or not, but when you're being hosted and someone baked a cake just for you, it's very hard to be impolite." He enjoys reading and watching movies, and was recently struck by the film "Sweet November," where the lead character, a harried account executive, is able to completely change his lifestyle for a month. "The thought that you can get away like that-the world will be the same when you get back, but you would have changed and learned so many things. Maybe if I saw that film 10 years ago, I might have tried it!"
In the end, it is apparent that the world would be a much better place if its movers and shakers, like Washington SyCip, had their heart in the right place. "I never considered living anywhere else. Like I tell my children, I'm doing my part. You can criticize this country for so many things, but in the end I did have the opportunity to have a good life here. And I must give back what I can."
(Taken with some revisions from the Sunday Inquirer Magazine
Volume 14 No. 17, July 1, 2001 issue, pages 8-9)
According to the survey conducted by the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL), there are 171 languages in the Philippines-164 belong to the Austronesian family; five are foreign languages (Chinese Mandarin, Chinese Min Nan, Chinese Yue which all belong to the Sino-Tibetan family, and English and Spanish which belong to Indo-European language; one language is a "creole"-Chavacano; and the Philippine Sign Language which is used by over 100,000 mutes. (The latest update on this survey was done on February 1998, according to the Internet information.
1. Tagalog--------------------------------------------------17 M
2. Cebuano--------------------------------------------------15.23 M
3. Ilocano----------------------------------------------------8 M
4. Hiligaynon-----------------------------------------------7 M
5. Bicol------------------------------------------------------4 M
6. Waray-waray-------------------------------------------3 M
7. Pampango-----------------------------------------------2 M
8. Pangasinan----------------------------------------------2 M
9. Maguindanao--------------------------------------------1 M
10. Tausug--------------------------------------------------0.830 M
11. Maranao------------------------------------------------0.60 M
12. Ibanag---------------------------------------------------0.5 M
In relation to this, four Philippine languages are included in the "Top 100 Languages by Population" in the whole world. These are Tagalog (57th), Cebuano (61st), Ilocano (91st), and Hiligaynon (100th).
(from Mga Babasahin sa Agham Panlipunan I
by Marilu Cardenas et. al.
Quezon City: University of the Philippines-Surian ng Wikang Filipino, 1999.)
"Konti kita, dami benta."
Entrepreneur and inventor Edgardo "Gary" Vazquez said this has been the family's mantra ever since his father started Vazquez Gravel and Sand shop in the 1950s.
Vazquez says he learned this philosophy first hand from the frequent trips he made with his father (who acted as driver and salesman in the first few years of the business) in Gandara in Quiapo in the 1950s scouring for cheap, construction materials.
'We beat the Chinese traders in their own game by using their strategy. We grew to become one of the biggest suppliers and not a few were Filipinos," Vazquez says.
Elizabeth V. Legasto, Vazquez's sister, says their parents' efforts soon paid dividends as the business flourished in a industry which is traditionally a Chinese domain.
"We practically contributed to the construction of major landmarks in Metro Manila."
Vazquez and his siblings carried on the low margin, high volume philosophy when they branched out in the 1970s.
From gravel and sand, the Vazquez family expanded to the production of other construction materials, particularly bricks and Tegula concrete tiles, building modular housing themselves through an innovative construction technology which won Vazquez recognition from the World Intellectual Property Organization.
Dubbed the Vazbuilt system, houses would be put from prefabricated columns, panels, trusses and roof tiles in as little as 30 days with only eight laborers and at substantially lower costs compared to the traditional construction scheme using hollow blocks, steel bars and concrete.
Vazquez says his invention was stoked by the chronic housing backlog in the country.
"All Filipinos from all walks of life yearn to have a house they could proudly call their own. Not all Filipinos have houses because they are expensive to build and the few that managed to save enough money had to make do with inferior structures," Vazquez said.
He said he designed the Vazbuilt houses to meet the Filipinos' "3M criteria."
"They want a house that is mura (affordable), maganda (beautiful), and mura. We feel the Vazbuilt system satisfies all of their demands," he stresses.
Vazquez adds that the key to keeping down building costs was to use prefabricated materials to enjoy economies of scale by producing materials in bulk. Not only are the materials cheaper, building them requires fewer manpower and shorter schedule.
Not unlike the Lego building blocks, Vazquez says Vazbuilt's prefabricated materials could be assembled, disassembled and transferred to other locations relatively with ease. Vazbuilt houses are also expandable since owners need only buy compatible materials to add an attic or expand the kitchen space.
Vazquez says Vazbuilt system is flexible enough to incorporate the tastes and preferences of homebuyers.
Some of the country's leading architects, such as Recio+Casas and Palafox & Associates, felt that the Vazbuilt system would help solve the country's housing problem, so they agreed to lower their fees and come up with a designer series exclusively for Vazbuilt.
Vazquez says the Vazbuilt materials have undergone rigorous testing for earthquake and fire risks as well as termites and it offers buyers 15-year guarantee on structural works.
Among the developers that were impressed by the Vazbuilt system and used it in their projects were First Centro Holdings of Megaworld, Antel Property Holdings, Jardine Land, CarmelRay, Robinsons Homes, Jaka Properties and Laguna Properties Holdings Inc., a subsidiary of Ayala Land.
Nearly a half century since its modest beginnings in Quiapo, Legasto says Vazbuilt has come full circle as it starts offering development projects on its own to make more houses affordable to a greater number of Filipinos.
"We cut building costs by building prefabricated materials ourselves. Now, we are putting up our real estate projects that would erase the need for middlemen," he says.
Vazbuilt has established a one-stop shop for homebuyers and lot owners who want to build their houses. Legasto said these one-stop shops, strategically located in shopping malls and other bustling areas in Metro Manila, would take care of all the hassles of house building, from getting permits to financing to overseeing construction.
Vazbuilt is also keen on taking partners that would put up factories in the provinces to produce prefabricated materials under their specification. Vazbuilt is also close to making its Vazbuilt system materials available for retail on shelves, allowing consumers to build their homes on their own.
But Vazquez' dream is still to put a decent roof on all Filipinos and this is why Vazbuilt has been expanding its product portfolio in recent years to serve the mass housing segment.
"I'm still chasing after my dream to have Vazbuilt homes from Aparri to Jolo. I want to say to my friends that this is a house that Vazquez built," he says.
(Philippine Daily Inquirer)
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·LONG-DISTANCE WRITER
·STRETCHING IT
·"BENEFITS" OF SMOKING
·WORD ALERT!
A single No. 2 pencil can draw a 35-mile line before running out of lead.
The skin of an average person measures about 20 square feet, and it accounts for about 20 percent of a person's total body weight.-American Health
Did you know that people who smoke actually save the world money? In one study in the US, it was found that each pack smoked saved that country $1.19 in pension and social security payments and another 22 cents in nursing home expenses. Why? Because the average smoker dies younger than everyone else.-Newsweek
*Between the ages of one and 18 we learn new words at the rate of one word every 90 minutes.
*The average high school graduate has a vocabulary of 60,000 words, but the number of words in Shakespeare's writings is only about 15,000.-Psychology Today
·SAD ADMISSION
In one survey, about one in five individuals said that if they received a copy of an important test before it was given, instead of returning it they would use it to cheat.--Macleans
·PRECIOUS AND FEW
Before the invention of the printing press, people had to copy the Bible by hand. It was a painfully slow process; it could take 20 scribes an entire year to make just one Bible. -A History of Christianity
·WHAT DOES "PENTIUM" MEAN?
Nothing. Lexicon Naming, Inc., a company that makes up new names for businesses, invented the name. The first part of the name for the latest computer chip means "five" in Greek, and the last part refers to chemical elements. But the computer maker chose it just because it sounded scientific.-New York Times Regional Newspapers
·Follicle Facts
Most people have about 100,000 hairs on their head. Dogs, however, have up to 60,000 hairs per square inch. And sea otters have up to 1 million hairs per square inch!
--National Geographic
·Bible trivia
*The Protestant Bible contains 66 books: 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New.
*Number of verses in the King James Version: 30,442-22,485 in the Old Testament and 7,957 in the New.
*Number of words in the King James Version (approximately): 845,000-647,000 in the Old Testament and 198,000 in the New.
*Time it takes to read the entire Bible aloud: 70 hours, 40 minutes.
*Longest verse in the Bible: Esther 8:9. Shortest verse: John 11:35. Longest chapter: Psalm 119. Shortest chapter: Psalm 117.
*Jesus quoted from 22 Old Testament books.
*The Bible contains 8,810 promises, 7,487 given by God to human beings. One in eight of these promises are in the New Testament.
*As of December 31, 1993, the Bible had been translated into 2,062 languages. It is complete in 337 of these languages, 799 have the complete New Testament, and the rest have one or more books. (Statistics supplied by the American Bible Society.)
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