"If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together." This African proverb just about sums up the motivation behind the phenomenal advances that the Association of Young Filipino-Chinese Entrepreneurs (Anvil Business Club) has accomplished for its first-ever, Team Building Session at the Anvaya Cove Beach and Nature Club last October 2 to 4, 2015.Graced by more than fifty members who either took a rainy, three-hour chartered bus ride (sponsored by the Club's dynamic Vice-President for Internal Affairs Hubert Henry Chua), or drove with their own private vehicles, the three-day, two-night session showcased the extraordinary creativity and laser-like precision of the Project Committee, led by Director for Cultural Affairs Jayson Sze, Chairperson Val Ang, and Co-Chairperson Zel Chua who left no stone unturned in ensuring that the participants leave with an explosively awesome experience.
Under the creative direction of Committee Head for Programs, Richmond Co and buttressed by the dynamic husband-and-wife tandem of Ben Ching and Larraine Chuacokiong Ching, the delegates immediately warmed up to each other through their various icebreakers, such as the "Hunter, Fire, and Earthquake" game – where members bunch up in threes, with two of them holding their hands (forming and "shelter") over the third player. The two players with the joint hands are called "trees" and the third player stooping between them are called "squirrels." When the command “Hunter” is shouted, the squirrels must move out of their trees move to another tree. When the command “Fire” is shouted, the “trees” must move out of their spot and move to another squirrel. When the command “Earthquake” is shouted, the “trees” and “squirrels” must move out of their spot; this where you have a complete pandemonium, where a “tree” can become a “squirrel” and vice-versa.
Another is the "Rubber and Glue" game – where participants form around in a circle and two members at the opposite ends of the circle are given two neckties; one fastens a single knot and passes it to the person next to him/her, while the other bands a double knot and also passes it to the person beside him/her. The one who gets to hold two neckties ends up losing the game. Still another is the "Pass the Message" game – where the players should pass a message given by the facilitator from one end of the line to the other using only facial gestures.
Another engaging set of activities was the "Amazing Race" series relay games. The first in the series, the "Over and Under" game, saw participants divided into three equal teams, each lined up in parallel lines. The first person from each line has a bucket of water and needs to take out the water from the bucket using two plastic cups to pour water to a waiting set of cups simultaneously – one over the head and another between their legs – to the person behind them and passes the water to the next person, and so forth in the same "Over-under" pattern. The second event in the series, "Swimming Relay," had players paddle, run, or wade towards a waiting canoe some ten meters off-shore. The first team to have its members individually touch the canoe and run back to shore wins the competition.
For many, however, the most memorable team-building activity of the entire session remains to be the "Mystery Box" game – loosely patterned after the increasingly popular "Escape Room" and "Breakout" game, where a team of 7 to 8 people are locked in a room with other participants and have to use elements in their surroundings to solve a series of puzzles, find clues, and escape the area within a set time limit. Absolutely interactive and immersive, the puzzle game was littered with riddles, gadgets, and mind tricks. Armed only with just one micro-LED flashlight per team amid pitch black surroundings, participants desperately try to solve the puzzles as quickly as possible as problem-solving abilities, creativity, and resourcefulness prove to be critical skills to win the game. Even Anvil's most-recognized erudite George Siy (Chairman Emeritus) and Peter Mangasing (Chairman) could not help but scratch their heads at some of the most troublesome brain-teasers they have ever come across.
Other interesting undertakings included, "The Monopoly Trade" game and "The President and Bomber" game. The former is a card game derived from the board-game Monopoly, where teams attempt to collect six different complete sets of cards (i.e. oil, coal, gold, wood, steel, bomb), either by playing them directly, stealing them from other players, or trading them for other cards they already own. The latter is a social deduction/hidden role game for six or more players – where two teams, the Red Team and the Blue Team – compete against each other. The Blue Team has a President. The Red Team has a Bomber. Players are equally distributed between two rooms (i.e., separate playing areas). The game consists of five timed rounds. At the end of each round, some players will be swapped into opposing rooms. If the Red Team's Bomber is in the same room as the President at the end of the game, then the Red Team wins; otherwise the Blue Team wins. Lying was encouraged.
But, while the three-day affair was primarily meant to engender closer camaraderie, not everything was fun and games. True to its nature of being a business club, the committee invited no less than the magnetic Atty. Arnel Cassanova, the youngest president of The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) who successfully transformed a former army camp into a beautifully master-planned central business district we now call the Bonifacio Global City (BGC); as well as the longest and most modern toll-way in the Philippines, the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway among other projects that stirred development in the country.
Cutting short his function with President Benigno Aquino III just to be with the Anvil Business Club members, the enigmatic administrator broke bread with the delegates during a satiating dinner at the Sambali Lounge and later proceeded to lay out his far-reaching vision for Clark City: "The Green City," the biggest and most ambitious project under BCDA's sleeves. According to Atty. Cassanova, "The Green City will be an intelligent city (technologically wired, connected by internet) and a sustainable city with its lot of spaces." He believes that there is a need to create another metropolitan city that will ease the congestion in Manila and provide economic activity in Central Luzon. "And this is exactly the mandate of BCDA, to create opportunities, spur development and add to the value generation of the country as we continue to grow economically," he added.
In-between breaks, members were given the opportunity to take advantage of Anvaya Cove's unique "mountains-meet-the-sea" topography, where distinctive environments are set against stunning views of the mountains of the Bataan range and the waters of Subic Bay. Member-participants had a field day enjoying the resort's various water playground facilities, its luxurious infinity pools, Seahorse Kiddie Village and Massage Salas; while some just decided to enjoy the respite away from the Metro Manila urban jungle by simply having a well-deserved nap in one of their assigned "casitas," among many others.
The final evening was to be the most exciting, as Ayala Land Premier's Rafael and Tracey Nieto treated the Anvil delegates to a sumptuous, two-set, five-course smorgasbord, while presenting a wide range of Ayala Land Premier's on-going residential and commercial projects for possible investment opportunities. They were even given a wide screen projector to cheer for the Gilas Pilipinas Team in their exciting (albeit losing) match versus the Chinese contingent. The official schedule ended with a cozy bonfire nightcap, where the tired but happy members traded war stories under bottles of wine, whiskey, toasted marshmallows and hotdogs.
As the group headed back to Manila the following day, everyone couldn't stop heaping praise-after-praise to the Anvaya Committee for a job exceptionally done. The torrential rains of Typhoon "Kabayan" only served to lift the spirits of the participants that they were already planning for the next out-of-town trip even before they reached the city-destination.
Indeed, we only have the entire Committee to thank for in bringing such a perfectly rewarding weekend to an indelibly memorable conclusion.
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