Thursday, April 28, 2005

Anvil attends Red Cross Donors Dinner April 26

The Anvil Business Club (ABC) was invited to Phil National Red Cross donors' dinner held last April 26, at the NBC Tent, The Fort. Anvil was represented by Past Chairman and incumbent Director Bernard Go and Vice President Kenneth Hung, and myself. PNRC Chairman Senator Richard Gordon thanked our organization for our support. Among the other peple who attended include Megaweorld boss Andrew Tan, McDo boss George Yang, and Lapanday boss Cito Lorenzo.
Anvil Business Club (ABC) is concerned not only about business and professional success, we also promote civic consciousness which is part of East Asia's ancient and timeless Confucian moral values... concern for the community, for the public welfare more than for self or family interests.

Anvil supports Math Trainers Guild, Phil (MTGP)

April 27, Thursday night, Anvil Business Club (ABC) Past Chairman and incumbent Director Berbard Go and his wife hosted a sumptuous dinner at Good Earth Restaurant in The Fort for officers of Mathematics Trainers' Guild, Philippines (MTGP) led by President Dr. Simon L. Chua and VP Dr. Eduardo de la Cruz, Jr. They're organizing the first ever math international Olympics for elementary and high school students in Bohol island province!
We support this great project, because math leads to precision, better engineering and sciences, better business too!
Chairman George Siy and Wilson Lee Flores also expressed enthusiastic support, offering several suggestions to ensure the success of the intl math olympiad next month.
If you are interested in the group and would want to support them, they can be reached through:
Math Trainers Guild Phil President Dr. Simon L. Chua
Telefax: (62) 9923045 in Zamboanga City.
Text or cellphone 0917-8479525.
Email simon_i_chua@yahoo.com
Thanks Bernard Go for the great dinner, and for bringing this exceptional group together w/ Anvil Business Club (ABC).

Monday, April 18, 2005

Anvil Exchange with Alfonso Uy

The Anvil Exchange Forum will have Mr. Alfonso Uy as its guest speaker this Thursday, April 21 at 7:30 PM, Cafe Carrera, PGA Cars/Audi, Edsa, Mandaluyong (across Corinthian Gardens).
Mr. Alfonso Uy is a remarkable business and Chinese community leader. He is not only successful in business, he is extremely humble, unassuming and a good man. He is engineering board exam topnotcher, summa cum laude, also very proficient in Mandarin and Chinese history, as well as fluent in Ilonggo, also former acting Mayor of country's third biggest city of Iloilo, Chairman of a major university in the Visayas, patron of major Chinese schools, a Christian philanthropist. Among his diverse businesses include the country's second biggest flour mill (next to San Miguel/Purefoods), shipping, sugar mills, sugar plantations, hotels, shopping mall, banking, piggery, feeds, etc. Our Guest Speaker's eldest child Aileen Uygongco-Ongkauko is our former Director in the earliest years of Anvil.

Wednesday, April 6, 2005

DBP President Reynaldo G. David Bullish on the Economy

President David expressed optimism about the socio-economic growth prospects of the country during the monthly Exchange Forum of the Anvil Business Club, an association of young Filipino-Chinese entrepreneurs and professionals. The well-attended forum was held recently at the Executive Staff Room with President David as main speaker.
He particularly cited the market’s reaction to the recent ratings downgrade on the Philippines by Moody’s as a basis for such optimism. “On the same day (the downgrade happened), the market reacted. You saw the peso strengthening. You saw the market up. And predictably, the exchange rate, immediately weakened. The market said that the downgrade shouldn’t have happened.”
President David also pointed out improvements in tax collections as another factor influencing his positive projection on the economy. “Commissioner Parayno has done very well — extremely well — that collections are coming in. We have all the laws, it’s a matter of execution. If you’ve heard Sec. Purisima, his statement has always been, we have everything we need, all we need now is execution. And he’s right,” the President explained.
He added that the strengthening of the peso signals improved investors’ confidence. “The peso is very strong. Why is that so? Because investments are coming in. There’s foreign exchange coming in,” he explained.
Value Added Tax
President David also shared his views on the Value Added Tax (VAT) law during the discussion. “The credit ratings people are watching us. Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s, and Fitch. They want to see whether the fiscal discipline is there, whether the wherewithal and the political will is there to make sure that the VAT is passed. Hopefully, it is. If it does, then this country will rise from the ashes.”
He further expounded on the proposed tax measure as a necessary fiscal measure, as he stated: “We’re paying more for our debts today than if the ratings are to improve. You pass the VAT, our ratings will improve, our costs will go down. We can go to 12 percent and bring it back to 10 percent within a certain period. It’s like saying we recognize the problem, we want to help, but make sure that once the help is there, once we have accomplished it, we go back. That’s a good way of doing it.”
“Grab the opportunities”
During the forum, President David presented the Bank’s priority programs, credit facilities, and plans for the year. He also urged the Filipino-Chinese businessmen to support and participate in DBP’s development initiatives.
“I am very glad for this opportunity to show what we in DBP are doing in promoting entrepreneurship, stimulating economic activity, and energizing Philippine development as a whole... If you have the projects in health care, education, housing, community development, production infrastructure, distribution infrastructure, please see us,” he told the group.
President David particularly invited the businessmen to take advantage of the Bank’s environmental management programs, particularly in areas where the tourism industry is flourishing.
“Boracay has a sewage problem. This is an opportunity for you. If you could have a barge that will move the waste from Boracay and from Caticlan, and have it transported to a proper landfill in Aklan, we’re willing to finance that,” he stressed. President David added that business establishments operating in the area such as hotels and resorts will likely support pro-environment initiatives.
“They will have to hook up with you and pay since the environment is their lifeblood. They will not kill the environment that they’re generating their income from,” he noted.
President David also stressed: “Our good financial performance and accomplishments last year have provided us with a huge, critical mass of financial resources, and the strength to sustain our development initiatives in the areas of infrastructure development and environmental protection.”
He announced that the Marketplace for SME Receivables Purchases (M4SME-RP), an electronic trading facility for the auction of SME receivables, is scheduled to operate this year. Explaining the processes of the program, President David assured the transparency and competitiveness of the M4SME-RP, and that it will give entrepreneurs the best possible source of working capital.
“Our M4SME-RP is transparent, market-based, and competitive,” he said. He also identified the various medium-scale industries that the Bank has assisted through its factoring facility, which could be of interest to the Filipino-Chinese business community. Our factoring facility can help SMEs in their cash flow requirements,” he noted.
President David also emphasized: “Our priority is development financing. We want to make sure that we can provide power and water, that we protect the environment, that we build hospitals and schools.”
In the end, he stressed that the Bank’s developmental projects would not only benefit Filipino-Chinese businessmen, but the country in general. “We have a lot of programs. The good thing about these programs is that they rest on the 10-point legacy of the administration. And a lot of these rest on our dreams. We want to fulfill these dreams,” he concluded.
The Anvil Business Club was founded in 1991 with the objective of promoting entrepreneurial courage, professional excellence, leadership, and civic consciousness among its members. Its monthly Anvil Exchange Forum has featured top international and local tycoons, government leaders, scholars, and other achievers as resource speakers.
Article taken from the Development Bank of the Philippines website.