ASIAN PEARL JOURNALAPJ

The Official Newsletter of theJunior Chamber International ManilaJuly 28, 2015

2 NEWS COVER STORY

The Asian Pearl Journal is published by the Junior Chamber International of Manila, Inc. with address at Arquiza St. Cor. Jaycee way, Ermita, Manila Philippines 1000

No contents of this newsletter may be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission from the publisher. Likewise, any and all like materials forwarded to the Asian Pearl Journal become property of the same. Opinions expressed in the Asian Pearl Journal are solely those of the writer and are not necessarily endorsed by the Junior Chamber International of Manila, Inc.

Missed a copy of the APJ: www.jcimanila.org/publications

APJ

Message from the EditorGreetings my fellow JCI Manila has once again be crowned the best Local Organization in Asia-Pacific during the 2015 ASPAC. True to the slogan of “Be Better”, watch out for when our beloved chapter goes for best in the world! As the best LO in Asia-Pacific, oof the many reasons JCI Manila is the best is the quality of its members. For this issue, we only have one featured member who more than makes up for it with his accomplishments and stature: Past Senate President Reggie Yu. Turn to the backpage now for Sen. Reggie’s generous insights into his family business. Of course, no issue is complete without a sports update. Aside from basketball, read up also on the recently concluded Ryder Cup. Louie2015 APJ Editor In Chief

I’ts been weeks since some of our JCI Manila Brothers attended the 2015 Asia Pacific Conference. It was an outrageous adventure that happened in Kota Kinabalu and we fondly call it “ Quota in Kota”. The following is a recap:

June 10 Wednesday

Delegates from JCI Manila arrived at Kota Kinabalu around 11:45 AM. We were warmly greeted by NVP Jeff Lu and President Brandon Tang from our JCI Kota Kinabalu sister chapter.

For dinner, the delegates had dinner at Welcome Seafood Restaurant with our local sister chapters JCI Macajalar 24K, JCI Makati Princess Urduja, JCI Iloilo Ilang Ilang, JCI Zugbuana, JCI Marilao Marilag, and JCI Marikina Marikit. The sumptuous dinner was hosted by Past President Boydee Dizon III.

JCI Kota Kinabalu then invited us to a late night welcome party at the BeerNest along the waterfront. Also in attendance were delegates from JCI Singapore Orchid and JCI Hong Kong Jayceettes.

June 11 Thursday

The 2015 ASPAC officially started with a welcoming ceremony that was held at Likas Stadium, where delegates

from all over the Asia and Pacific were gathered.

After the welcoming ceremony, the delegates continued on to Sabah Trade Centre for the welcome party hosted by JCI Malaysia. Here, the delegates were served Malaysian local delicacies like roti, satay chicken, nasi lemak, and nasi goreng.

The night ended at Lush Bar where JCI Manila hosted the Manila Night. We invited our local sister chapters and national delegates from JCI Philippines for a get together. We also had a chance to socialize with some of our international sister chapters who were also in attendance.

During the day, some also took advantage of the free time to do some recreational activities like white water rafting and island hopping.

June 12 Friday

Some members attended the morning program, where Past JCI Manila President & JCI World EVP Boydee Dizon, was a special guest.

After, the delegates went on to the attend trainings and seminars. Then, JCI Nagoya met with the delegates to discuss the Golden Heart project. After the meeting, others

JCI Manila Attends the 2015 ASPAC in Kota Kinabalu

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from all over the Asia and Pacific were gathered.

After the welcoming ceremony, the delegates continued on to Sabah Trade Centre for the welcome party hosted by JCI Malaysia. Here, the delegates were served Malaysian local delicacies like roti, satay chicken, nasi lemak, and nasi goreng.

The night ended at Lush Bar where JCI Manila hosted the Manila Night. We invited our local sister chapters and national delegates from JCI Philippines for a get together. We also had a chance to socialize with some of our international sister chapters who were also in attendance.

During the day, some also took advantage of the free time to do some recreational activities like white water rafting and island hopping.

June 12 Friday

Some members attended the morning program, where Past JCI Manila President & JCI World EVP Boydee Dizon, was a special guest.

After, the delegates went on to the attend trainings and seminars. Then, JCI Nagoya met with the delegates to discuss the Golden Heart project. After the meeting, others

took the opportunity to do some sight seeing and went on the Klias Wetland River Cruise Safari.

Some members attended the National Parties that night at Sabah Trade Center. Four countries participated in this event, namely, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Taiwan. Each country has set up a kiosk where we can try some of their local food and games

June 13 Saturday

The day started with the delegates attending the scheduled trainings and seminars. Our very own PEVP Lloyd Chao was the trainer for the Networking Course. And despite being his first international training, he delivered a marvelous job!

We had a lunch Meeting with JCI HK Jacyettes at Secret Recipe. We discussed the Golden Heart project and other possible joint projects that we can carry out.

Later that afternoon, we attended the World Debate Championships to show our support for JCI Manila members, Dir. L.A. Sevilla and Dir. Mico Palarca where they had an intense debate with JCI Indonesia on the topic of “Human Activity is Primarily Responsible for Climate Change”

The delegates then attended the Japan Night at Pacific Sutera Tennis Court where they were served a variety of Japanese food and drinks. Then, they went on to Sabah Trade Center for the National Parties hosted by India and Mongolia.

June 14 Sunday

Delegates opted to join a half-day island hopping tour of Sapi and Mamutik Island. Aside from having a lunch buffet, various water sports activities were there for everyone to try – snorkeling, parasailing, and banana boat ride.

After the tour, we started preparing for the JCI Awards Ceremony that will be held later. JCI Manila won two awards that night. First was the BEST LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM for ENTREP NATION. Then, our LO was recognized as the MOST OUTSTANDING LOCAL ORGANIZATION in Asia and the Pacific.

Since this was the last night for the 2015 ASPAC, a Farewell Ball was held as a culmination of all the activities. In celebration of the awards and the overall great experience everyone had in Kota Kinabalu, all the delegates, from Manila to our sister chapters and almost everyone from JCI Philippines, went to Mynt Bar along the waterfront and partied the night away in the last night before the going back home.

JCI Manila Attends the 2015 ASPAC in Kota Kinabalu

4 MEMBER FEATURE

Past Senate President Reginald T. Yu is a very busy person. If he’s not guesting at a local news show, he’s probably holding or hosting a meeting with one of his socio-civic clubs, or being invited by a foreign country to visit them. His career in service is well-known but how does he earn a living? For this issue, APJ talked to Sen. Reggie about his career in the business world. Specifically, he talks to us about their family business, Times Paint Corporation.APJ: Sen. Reggie, the younger generation of Manila Jaycees mostly know you by the fond and respectful testimonials of your peers and friends and of course as a Past Senate President. If you’re not busy being a servant leader whether in JCI Manila, the Senate, or in Anvil Business Club, what takes up your time? What businesses are you involved in? Sen. Reggie: I am involved in running our 65-year-old family business, Times Paint Corporation, the oldest-existing paint manufacturing company in the Philippines, which produces all types of premium, as well as economy-grade decorative and industrial coatings to suit the needs of almost every available paint consumer.

And while a significant amount of time is taken away from me in the service of the organizations I’m part of (JCI, Anvil, Xavier Alumni, etc.), I still find time to manage the day-to-day operations of the company.

And, as I’ve always believed in focusing on our core competency in order to maximize our strengths in the market, I have decided to concentrate my efforts into just our family business.

APJ: Please tell us about these businesses and what makes it great. What products do you carry? What sector do you cater to? What are your competitive advantages that you want your customers to be aware of?

Sen. Reggie: As I’ve indicated earlier, our company is now the country’s oldest operating paint company in the Philippines today. Over the years, it has remained committed to embodying the highest standards of product quality and service to the Filipino consumer. Thus, despite the entry of more than a hundred aggressive paint manufacturers – many of them “backyard” facilities – the company has maintained a special niche in the country’s over-saturated paint market.

Our company’s overarching competitive advantage is our over-sixty years of experience in the business. Having gone through the highs and lows of the Philippine paint market, we are better suited to adapting to its weather conditions, as well as its industry dynamics. And while our main customer base is the industrial consumer (i.e. using paint as a component of the manufacturer’s end-product), I dare say that we can also produce much better paint quality than the leading decorative

paint brands in the market today, because – unlike the competitions’ off-the-shelf orientation (i.e. “take it or leave it” approach) – we can custom-make paints according to the specific needs of every consumer.

Another unique selling proposition is our service and our continuous focus in research and development. Advances in paint technology over the recent years have made it increasingly difficult for the ordinary consumer to distinguish among the various types of paint and coatings line according to their function. That is why we go to great lengths to assist customers by conducting technical seminars on-site or working hand-in-hand with engineers and end-users to ensure that they maximize the usage of our products. For us, there is no big or small customer: we devote the same amount of time and resources to aid a walk-in customer with that of a large, multi-national company or construction firm.

APJ: With regard to trading, whether in hardware or construction materials or whatever, is there any truth to the common belief that the Filipino-Chinese community is the best at this sector? If yes, what do you think makes that so?

Sen. Reggie: The common belief that the Chinese-Filipino community is most adept at the trading business is largely based on historical roots of the Chinese in the Philippines. When the Spanish proclaimed Manila as their capital in 1571, they were able to impose a new social order that shaped the lives of every ethnic group in the Philippines. Within this Spanish political economy, the Chinese fulfilled important economic function as trade intermediaries. The Spanish referred to the Chinese as “Sangley” derived from the Hokkien term for business/trade “Sengli”, 生生 (Shengyi). Although economically useful to the Spanish, the Chinese were perceived as potential threats and competitors. This mixed relationship resulted in alternating policies and attitudes towards the Chinese and was reflected in Spanish attempts to convert, massacre or expel the Chinese from the Philippines.

The Spanish attitude towards the Chinese was also reflected in the physical landscape. The Chinese were to be separated from the Spanish (like the rest of the population) but at the same time to be watched over and be collectively available when new policies were implemented.

It is because of this restrictive context that the Chinese had to be resourceful. There were tough barriers they to overcome to get into the more conventional occupations usually reserved for the locals. They usually had to explore other options and all too often they chose entrepreneurship, since they were then barred from practicing professions such as doctors, lawyers and

engineers. Given this scenario, they had to work doubly hard to survive. The relied on the Confucian values of industry, frugality, self-discipline, and respect for their elders; they came here hardy and ready for hard work. No work was too menial that they wouldn’t take. They did not mind long hours, measly wages, or inhospitable working conditions. Most of all, perhaps, they came here needful. And need is the mother not just of invention but also of the enterprising spirit. When they put up their businesses they were content to begin modestly. The most logical for them to put up, therefore, was trade. They began as small shopkeepers, or as “magbobote,” “magtataho,” “barbero” or “cochero.”

Given this context, you can say that the Chinese-Filipino community is indeed “best” in trading since they have more than a hundred year’s experience, spanning an average of at least three generations, in this kind of business.

APJ: If one of our members were to start a similar business as yours, what would it take? What would you advise them to do and not do?

Sen. Reggie: To be really honest, if I were given the opportunity to choose a business, it will certainly not be in paint manufacturing. There are people who mistakenly assume that for one to be engaged in the manufacture of paints, a big factory of high investment is required. This is simply not true. What you will need is a small mixing machine and that’s it. If we look at the history of the biggest factories in the world, we will see that their owners mostly began so, in the garage of their houses with a small machine and a small space.

The Philippine paint industry is, unfortunately, a sorry mess of hues. A large part of the market share is already dominated by the biggest companies (around 75%), while the rest is being fiercely fought for by more than a hundred or so smaller competitors.

And because the barrier to entry is small, any Pedro, Paulo and Jose with small investment money can build a paint plant; adding more competition. Because of the ease with which “backyard” companies can enter the market, the Philippine decorative paint industry is already too saturated.

For your paint product to gain considerable traction, therefore, you have to contend with razor-thin margins, long payment terms, and protracted investment in marketing to create a small dent in the market. This would mean earmarking expenses to spoon-feed the “gate keepers:” architects, contractors, foremen, and end-users while making sure your quality still falls within expected standards.

Business and Leadership: The Complete Picture of Sen. Reggie Yu

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JCI Manila organized the JCI Philippines Presidents’ Mid-year Academy which was held last May 28-30, 2015 in Privato Hotel and in the Bayanihan Complex. The said event gathered 131 Local Organization Presidents for a total of three nights and four days of leadership training, teambuilding, and fun. It was an impressive turnout and this year’s event is considered to be the largest JCIP President’ Mid-year Academy in the history of JCI Philippines.

With the theme: “RECHARGE! Re-charging the fire and passion for the JCI Movement.” The LO presidents, the movers and shakers of their respective chapters and local communities, were able to re-ignite their passion for JCI as well as learn from different leadership modules facilitated by Organizational Change Consultants International Inc. (OCCI) and JCI Manila trainers. The modules include Personality and Communication Paradigm Shift, Commitment to Excellence, Managing and Communicating Feelings/Conflict Resolution, Empowerment, and Values Formation, and using experiential learning and inductive process as the main training methodologies.

The participants were welcomed by JCI Area 2 Vice President and JCI Manila Sen. Steve Tycangco. The event was also graced by Hon. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III of the JCI Manila Senate and the Philippine Senate and the Hon. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, also of the Philippine Senate. JCI Philippines National President Brian Lim was also present during all the days of the said gathering of the Legacy Presidents.

Over-all, the Presidents enjoyed the event, some even saying that it is among the best experiences that they had in their entire JCI career. The MYA Organizing Team under the leadership of JCI Manila Director JCI Mem. Luis Angelo Sevilla and its Chairman JCI Mem. Dino de Leon, also consider the experience very fulfilling.

They attribute the success of JCI-Manila’s hosting of the MYA to the clear direction of the 2015 National Training Director JCI Mem. Lourdes V. Cheang, hardworking members of the Organizing Committee, the very supportive members of the 2015 JCI Manila Board lead by 2015 President Steve Baltao, and all the JCI Manila members who contributed to the success of the activity, one way or another.

Indeed, JCI-Manila shall continue to be ready to be of service to JCI, sans expecting anything in return. Be better!

JCI Manila Hosts 131 LO Presidents for JCIP Presidents’ Mid-year Academy

FEATUREBusiness and Leadership: The Complete Picture of Sen. Reggie Yu

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“To find a man’s true character, play golf with him.” – P.G. WodehouseJCI Manila loves its sports. Just as the bas-ketball season is in full swing, the other crown jewel of JCI Manila sports, the Ry-der Cup, has just wound down. Emerging as victors is Team Delta Plus, owned by VP Nino Namoco which prevailed with a score of 88 versus 66 for Team Victoria Wave, owned by Past Presidents Boydee and Rod-ney Dizon.

Here is a recap of what happened during the 5th JCI-Manila Ryder Cup:

Draft NightDraft night was held at Wack-Wack Golf & Country Club. Earlier that same afternoon, the golf committee held a rookie camp where first year players were given targets for their shots, specifically at 50, 100, 150, and 200 yards. Team captains and owners looked on analyzing skills of the rookies. Team Delta Plus used their first pick to se-lect Jenz Tecson, while Team Victoria Wave selected Don Padilla as their first pick.

First LegFirst leg was held at Eagleridge Golf and CC – Faldo Course with a Bestball/Four-ball format. The captains strategized and for the most part, paired the more consistent scorer with an inconsistent player. It was a close match as everyone was still warm-ing up during this first leg of the Ryder cup season. Scores ended 16 vs 18 with Team Delta Plus having the early lead.

Second LegSecond leg was held at the Highlands Golf and Country Club with a Scramble format. The beautiful course of Highlands Golf club

is the best example of risk-reward course, as you can easily score a birdie but also score a double bogey in every hole. Course familiarity was really important, as almost all of the Delta Plus players practiced prior to the match and that gave Delta Plus the ultimate advantage against Victoria Wave with the final score ending 23 vs 41 in fa-vor of Delta Plus.

The committee made sure there were a lot of surprises and excitement. First off, they set rules of blind pairings and penalties on punctuality that would put the matches and all the activities on schedule. Second, they invited Ms. Grace Estuesta, a golf pro-fessional, to be their commissioner and to help them draft the rules for years to come. Third, courses were beautifully set up, with a mixture of hard and easy, risk-reward courses. Lastly, the committee divided the participating players into 2 divisions so that each player will be able to contribute to their respective teams.

Third Leg Third Leg was held at Canlubang Golf and Country Club – North Course with a Best-Ball format. This course is exceptionally long - it is a real challenge, especially for the short hitters. Because of the gap in scores, Victoria Wave Players practiced hard and scheduled at least two practice sessions each for the driving range and Canlubang Golf and Country Club. Victoria Wave managed to cut the deficit, winning the 3rd leg 16-14. Scores after the third leg ended 55 vs 39 in favor of Delta Plus.

Fourth LegFourth and final leg was held at Alaba-

Southlinks Golf Club with a Singles format. This was very important as there were still a total of 58 points up for grabs. The Cup was still up in the air.

Despite battling exhaustion from various activities the day before, this being the last and most important leg, everyone had to bring their A-game to the golf course. Once again, Delta Plus simply proved to be the better team as they won the final leg 31-27. Final scores ended 86 vs 66 in favour of Team Delta Plus.

Awarding CeremoniesThe awarding was held at the rooftop of the Acacia Hotel in Alabang. It was a fun night highlighted by good food (especially the steak, courtesy of Melos’s), great com-pany, and best of all, raffle prizes!

It was truly a remarkable feeling, not just to see the competitive nature of the 2 teams on the golf course, but to see them become best of friends after the game. Raffle prizes included: an LED TV, an Iphone, a Samsung S6, an Ipad, a laptop, and many more.

SponsorsThe committee would like to thank the sponsors for the event: Cats Motors – Mer-cedes Benz Philippines, Victoria Wave, Delta Plus, Avery Dennison, PAGCOR, Hotel 101, Sunworld Industrial Group, Monheim group of companies, BMW, San Miguel Properties, Trust Rubber products, Sam-sonite, Broadway, and Control 4.

The Ryder Cup is chaired by MJC Eric Ke and Co-Chaired by Francis Ang.

7

SPORTS8

Team: Delta PlusPPG* FGM FGA FG% PTS REB AST STL BLK TO11 23 60 38.2% 58.7 40.5 10.6 6.4 3.7 13.5 1st 2nd 2nd 4th 2nd 4th 2nd 7th 2nd 3rd

*players per game

STRENGTHS: good member participation, unselfish movement of the ball which leads to a good FG% WEAKNESSES: 13.5 turnovers, only 6.4 steals per game

CONCLUSION: While this team has a young a versatile core of James Lim, Mike Uy and Ger-win Ong, they have crafty veterans to keep the team focused. To take them to the next level, I feel they should maintain that defensive intensity they begin games with, by limiting turno-

vers, and not getting complacent once securing the lead.

Team: Flying V DysonPPG FGM FGA FG% PTS REB AST STL BLK TO10 23 56 40.6% 57.2 42.6 10.3 5.7 2.6 11.4 2nd 2nd 4th 1st 4th 1st 3rd 9th 5th 9th

*players per game

STRENGTHS: The most offensively efficient team this season. Great rebounding big men, good unselfish ball movement, and limited turnovers.

WEAKNESSES: Could use more active hands/energy on the defensive end.CONCLUSION: Hard to agree when you’re on top, but if I could improve this team, I’d focus

on chemistry and stamina. That’ll go a long way when playing younger teams.

Team: OTP QuadcorePPG FGM FGA FG% PTS REB AST STL BLK TO8 21 57 36.7% 53.3 37.5 8.7 6.9 3.9 13.1 4th 3rd 4th 6th 6th 7th 8th 5th 1st 5th

*players per game

STRENGTHS: Quality big men who protect the basket, guards with active hands, limited turnovers, decent FG% and player participation.

WEAKNESSES: A lot of one-on-one basketball, could box out better to secure more rebounds.CONCLUSION: Because they have quality offensive weapons, their strength is also their

weakness, they have to move the ball around to keep the defence guessing.

Team: TOPS BroadwayPPG FGM FGA FG% PTS REB AST STL BLK TO10 20 58 33.9% 49.8 34.8 9.1 7.4 1.6 12.1 2nd 4th 3rd 9th 9th 9th 7th 2nd 9th 8th

*players per game

STRENGTHS: good player participation, great drafting in all 5 positions.WEAKNESSES: turnovers a bit too high, needs more fluidity and consistency.

CONCLUSION: Key players must be consistently available to play, they have to find their rhythm, some games they’re really good, while others leave you wondering if this is the

same group. The dark horse of the league.

U P D A T E S