Exciting Anvil Exchange w/ PNP Chief General Lomibao

The sixth major event of Anvil Business Club this year 2005 was the successful March 30 Anvil Exchange Forum with Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Arturo Lomibao at the Cafe Carrera of PGA Cars/Porsche, Edsa, Mandaluyong. Despite the attack of NPA Communist rebels that afternoon in Bulacan, General Lomibao still came and delivered an eloquent speech about the national security situation, his reform plans for the PNP and prospects for better peace and order. The Open Forum went smoothly, with a lot of candid questions on diverse topics from members and officers. General Lomibao was very honest and direct to the point in his replies, logical, forthright and effective in bringing across his ideas.
General Lomibao humbly admitted that a recent survey showed that the PNP is considered the most corrupt agency or institution in the Philippine government, and he expressed determination to change thi anomalous situation as his No. 1 challenge. General Lomibao lauded the Filipino Chinese community for being the No. 1 source of moral, material and even logistical support to the under-manned and inadequately-armed PNP. He said there are now 115,000 police nationwide in our republic of 84 million people, but the ideal number of police based on our population and international standards of 1 police for 500 people, the PNP still lacks 50,000 police. General Lomibao said funds are not enough. He said that his monthly salary as PNP chief is P30,000 per month, while the new police private gets take home pay of only P 10,000 per month. He said that the PNP will maximize its limited resources and help secure Philippine society.
General Lomibao advised people to have faith in the Philippine future and the PNP. Among his replies to Open Forum questions included his advice that there's no need to open the trunk of a car at a checkpoint, because that would require a search warrant order. He said that the biggest security threat in our republic is still the Communist rebels. He said that he does not have vices, no alcoholic drinks, no smoking, no womanizing or carousing in bars, no gambling, that he prefers to spend time in a bookstore. He said he admires the leadership style of British Prime Miniter Winston Churchill. It was an exciting, free-wheeling exchange of ideas and informations. At the end of the session, General Lomibao remarked that he enjoyed himelf very much and look forward to another meeting with Anvil just over dinner. General Lomibao expressed admiration for Anvil Business Club, its lofty objectives of promoting business or professional success, entrepreneurial courage, Confucian values, leadership and civic conciousness. He thanked Anvil Business Club for our expression of support to the PNP's war against crimes. His speech before Anvil Business Club is very memorable for him, because he was just promoted as PNP chief exactly 16 days ago last March 14. We had confirmed 50 people, but a total of 69 Anvil members and officers attended including past Chairmen Bernard Go, Michael G. Tan and Past President Jeffrey Cobankiat. Special guests who accompanied General Lomibao were his Philippine military Academy (PMA) batch 1972 buddies Major General Torch de la Torre (who is now the PNP Comptroller) and Colonel Alejandro Flores (Harvard graduate and former Vice-President for lending of AFP-RSBS).
Among our many new recruits for members who attended include Bryan Ang Chua (eldest son of Federation of Fililipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce & Industry, Inc. incoming President Francis Chua), the children of Sterling Paper's Henry Lim Bon Liong, the son of Arch. Gilbert Yu, Pinnacle Healthpointe Gym/Spa owner Nelson Sy and others. Past Director Jeffrey Lao brought copies of "Business Week" magazine for free distribution to all Anvil members, while past Director Solon Sy wowed the crowd by leading the singing of the national anthem with his sublime voice. VP Alvin Uy did well making the announcements of Anvil projects this year. Smart Telecom also gave our Guest Speaker a free Infinity cellphone. The choice of Cafe Carrera at PGA Cars/Porsche was a bright idea of Ronald Alan Ko, Anvil Exchange Forum Chairman. EVP Roy Chua invited several new recruits for members and his Anvil Badminton Tuesday project was announced. VP Kenneth Hung's China industrial tour project was also announced. VP William Villanueva asked one of the best questions about what legacy General Lomibao hopes to leave behind as PNP chief. After the whole affair, our active Anvil member Peter Dee invited us officers led by Chairman George Siy, Kenneth Hung, Ronald Alan Ko, I and others to his Foot Zone reflexology center at 17 Annapolis Street, Greenhills, San Juan where he treated us to free massage. Surprisingly, discussions on the night' successful event and other new projects were discussed non-stop from Foot Zone to Gloriamaris Wilson Street up to 2:00 AM. Among the projects discussed were the Induction of Officers, the proposed Anvil Prize, the Anvil Yearbook project under VP Alvin Uy, and many other topics. Anvil Business Club invited General Lomibao as our Guest Speaker not only because he is the country's top Cop with a lot of power and ideas, but because he is an upright leader whom we sincerely respect and support. We hope that the success ethic, leadership attributes and honesty of General Arturo Lomibao will inspire all our Anvil members to become even more successful in all our respective fields.

Despedida for Anvil member Edgar Uy Madrazo, migrating

Last March 19, a group of Anvil friends led by past Chairman & Director Bernard Go, past President & Director Jeffrey Ng & wife Vi, William Villanueva, Alvin Uy, Ronald Alan Ko, Chairman George T. Siy and I hosted an intimate dinner despedida for our longtime Anvil Business Club stalwart and member Edgar Uy Madrazo of New Life Supermarket and his wife and two sons. It was held at the second floor of David's Teahouse along Timog Avenue, Quezon City.
The Madrazo family will migrate to Toronto, Canada in the first week of April (No, this is not an April's Day joke in advance.....). Edgar is a graduate of Grace Christian High school and Mapua Institute of Technology, his wife Elaine is from Cebu Eastern College of Cebu City, their two boys Louie and Chester are honor students at Jubillee Christian Academy.
Edgar has for years provided Anvil Business Club and members lots of brilliant ideas, sharp socio-political analyses, unvarnished economic commentaries, inspiring Christian messages and sincere friendship. Recently, the Jubilee Christian Church Fellowship invited our Anvil member Edgar Uy Madrazo to be its Speaker on the Socio-Political and Economic Conditions of Philippine Society today, and they all were jolted with his common sense ideas and laughed a lot to his jokes. His migration to Canada is not only a big loss to Anvil, but also to the Philippines! This despedida dinner was the idea of George and was well coordinated by Ronald, THANKS!!!
Chairman George Siy said he will organize another lunch or dinner near their departure date after the Holy Week, so please kindly coordinate with George for further details.
In behalf of the other officers and members of Anvil Business Club, we sincerely appreciate the wholehearted and enthusiastic support of our good friend Edgar Uy Madrazo and his wife Elaine since the early days of our organization 14 years ago. We will certainly miss his sardonic and wise comments on the topsy-turvy state of the nation, his sincere friendship, his exuberant humor, and above all, his shining example of humility and Christian devotion.
We wish Edgar Madrazo and his family not only success and happiness in Canada, but also lots of fun and fulfillment. Before we all forget, we shall call on Edgar one year from now and collect on his pledge last March 19, 2005 (Saturday night at David's Teahouse, QC) that he shall endeavor to establish the first international chapter of Anvil Business Club in the east coast of Canada as part of our over-all long-range vision to encircle the globe with our unique brand of camaraderie, business/professional ideas and Anvil sense of fun!!!
Before he leaves, you can still text or contact Edgar Uy Madrazo at New Life Supermarket in Quezon Avenue corner West Avenue, Quezon City or 0922--5344953 for free text/calls 24/7 or 0917--5334954. You can also request him to text you his inimitable text jokes!

Anvil Business Club visits DBP, CEO Rey David urges

Anvil Executive Club, the business organization of young Filipino Chinese entrepreneurs and professionals, recently held its monthly Anvil Exchange Forum at the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) head office in the Philippines' financial district of Makati City with DBP President & CEO Reynaldo David as Guest Speaker. 78 Anvil officers and members heard David’s speech and held a lively one-hour Open Forum on wide-ranging economic, finance and development economic issues concerning the Philippines. In his speech, former Citibank New York Vice-President/Treasurer David cited Anvil Business Club as a training ground for the country’s future business leaders and urged them to be idealistic catalysts of progress in the Philippines. He shared the priority goals of DBP and how this institution hopes to help stimulate socio-economic and environmental development nationwide. David encouraged the Anvil members and the country’s young entrepreneurs to be “our active partners in nation-building and economic development”.
The official channel for World Bank, Asian Development Bank loans and other official development assistance (ODA) funds, DBP has total assets of P157 billion pesos, has P54.9 billion pesos now available for lending, plus additional P 42.66 billion pesos available in tranches in 2005. David described the total P97 billion pesos available for lending as “the total stock market dealings of the Philippines in the last three years”. David predicted strong economic growth momentum this year for the Philippines and the success of the government’s fiscal and tax reforms. David challenged the Anvil members and the private sector to go into vital rural infrastructure development, power projects, environmental projects, agro-industrial, education, health care, community development and other ventures which shall help accelerate Philippine progress. Three biggest international credit ratings agencies had recently downgraded the Philippines, but David said fiscal reforms and economic recovery will soon change that.
Anvil Business Club was founded in 1991 as the "Anvil Executive Club" and was formally launched in Malacañang Palace with then President Corazon C. Aquino as Guest Speaker. Among the speakers in its prestigious Anvil Exchange Forum every month included top international and local tycoons, all Philippine Presidents, various government leaders, scholars and other achievers.
Anvil Business Club seeks to promote entrepreneurial courage, professional excellence, leadership and civic consciousness. Anvil Business Club strongly advocates the promotion of a strong entrepreneurial culture nationwide, in order to reduce mass poverty, social injustice and to ensure that the country’s economy will be truly globally competitive.
The first project of the new 2005 Anvil Business Club Board of Directors was to cancel the annual 2004 Christmas dinner reception and all officers pledged personal funds which were all donated to Quezon/Aurora typhoon victims, which were turned over in a formal ceremony through Philippine National Red Cross Chairman and Senator Richard Gordon.
Anvil Business Club officers and members represent the cream of the crop of the ethnic Chinese minority of the Philippines, which has been described by international media as "the most entrepreneurial sector of Philippine society". Unofficial estimates state that the ethnic Chinese comprise no more than two percent of the total Philippine population of 84 million people. The Philippines and Indonesia have the smallest proportion of ethnic Chinese in their national populations, in contrast to Chinese-majority Singapore, as well as Malaysia and Thailand which also have substantial Chinese populations. In fact, Prime Minister Thaksin Sinawatra is a fourth-generation ethnic Chinese and a telecommunications billionaire, while his two most immediate predecessor Prime Ministers were also ethnic Chinese.