Benpres Insurance: The 'little' company that could

October 2005

KCFI, AFI win in Asian CSR Awards '05SKYCABLE and the Knowledge Channel Foun-dation Inc. (KCFI) and the ABS-CBN Founda-tion Inc. (AFI) were honored for their outstandingcorporate social responsibility programs at thethird Asian CSR Awards held on September 9,2005 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

SkyCable and KCFI won the top award in theSupport and Improvement of Education category,while the "Bantay Kalikasan" program of AFIemerged runner-up in the Environmental Excel-lence category. KCFI and AFI are members of theLopez Group Foundation Inc. (LGFI).

Benpres Insurance: The‘little’ company that could

By JG Javier

IT may not be huge or glamorous, but Benpres Insurance Agency Inc.(BPIA) may well serve as the Lopez Group’s “poster child” forlongevity: The agency got through Martial Law relatively un-scathed and has shown steady growth since it was established al-most 40 years ago.

A general agent representing different insurance companies, BPIAwas established in 1968 as the life insurance division of the Agricul-ture Fire Insurance Co. (AFISCO) and was incorporated as a separatelife insurance agency called AFISCO Insurance Agency in 1971.The agency—one of only two Lopez companies left untouched dur-

ing theMarcos dictatorship—adopted its present name in 1983 to high-light its relationship with Benpres and its subsidiaries. As BPIA, theerstwhile three-man organization quickly became a force in the life andnonlife insurance industry. It was one of the top general agencies of In-sular Life, and earned the sought-after General Agency Award in 1987.

Today, BPIA is a lean and mean Makati-based organization ofaround 30 people, led by Ma. Margarita Lopez-Lichauco as president

and Manuel “Beaver” L. Lopez Jr. as executive vice-president.They are ably supported by Lopez Group stalwart Ramon

“Mon” A. Sanchez, who, as general manager, overseesthe company’s operations, particularly its finance/admin-istration and marketing divisions.

According to Sanchez—a “second-generation” memberof the Lopez Group as his father, Atty. Domingo Sanchez,was assistant comptroller of Meralco during the time of

Turn to page 6

Turn to page 4

2nd OscarAwards... p.4

(L to R) Dario Pagcaliwagan of Lopez Group Foundation Inc.; Paolo Canivel ofKnowledge Channel Foundation (KCH); Roberto F. del Rosario, AIM president; RinaLopez, KCH president; Carlo Katigbak, Central CATV Inc. chief operating officer;Ramon V. del Rosario Jr.; Dr. Arifin M. Siregar and Felipe Alonso, AFCSR 2005 co-chairs.

Ramon Sanchez,BPIA generalmanager

2 LOPEZLINK October 2005

First Gen nag-file saSEC para sa IPO

Meralco, Haribon renew partnershipMeralco recently renewed its partnership with the Haribon Foundation for the Conservation ofNatural Resources Inc., which covers the "Boto Para Sa Inang Bayan" campaign, "Paraisongpinaka" billboards, the Haribon-Meralco biodiversity information drive and the use of theLopez Building Mini Theater for the Haribon Forum every month. The "Boto Para Sa InangBayan" campaign aims to raise one million signatures to stop illegal logging and mining while"Paraisong pinaka" calls for biodiversity conservation. An education campaign, on the otherhand, will be put in place to support the biodiversity information drive. Signing the memoran-dum of agreement for Meralco were chairman & CEO Manuel M. Lopez, president & COO Je-sus P. Francisco and first vice-president and head of HR and corporate services Leonisa C. dela Llana. Signing for Haribon was president Fr. Jose Mario C. Francisco, SJ, with executive di-rector Anabelle E. Plantilla. (Maite Bueno)

Meralco cuts rates by 23 ctvs per kWh in Sept

’Unfair competition’suit laban sa ABS,ibinasura ng SCIBINASURA ng Supreme Court ang petisyon ngGMA-7 na i-overturn ang pag-dismiss ng lowercourt ng damage suit nito laban sa ABS-CBN atmga kaalyadong cable firms na nagkakahalagang P10 milyon.

Ayon sa September 23 decision ng SC, tamaang Quezon City Regional Trial Court sa rulingnito na ang National TelecommunicationsCommission ang may primary jurisdiction sakaso sa dahilang technical issues ang kailan-gang maresolba.

Dinahilan ng GMA sa lower court na ni-rechan-nel ng ABS-CBN at ng mga kaalyado ang cablebroadcast nito, na naging sanhi ng pagkasira ng sig-nal ng GMA. Nagawa umano ang nasabing pag-rechannel dahil sa “common ownership at inter-locking relationship” ng respondent corporations.

“Ang mga nireklamo ng GMA na ‘wrongfulacts’ na batayan ng hiningi nitong damages aymay kinalaman sa operation at ownership ngmga cable companies. Ang mga ganitong us-apin ay dapat ihain sa NTC at hindi sa regularcourts,” sabi ng SC.

Sa katunayan, may parehong kaso nangpending sa NTC. Wala ring cause of action nasinaad ang GMA laban sa ABS-CBN at saibang respondents, dagdag pa ng SC.

Maliban sa ABS-CBN, ang ibang respon-dents ay ang Central CATV Inc., Pilipino CableCorp. at Philippine Home Cable Holdings Inc.

Drive to exposecable TV thievesgains groundTHE intensified campaign against the prolifera-tion of illegal cable television connections hasgained momentum with full support on the com-munity level.

Subscribers have begun giving informationabout incidents of cable TV signal and subscrip-tion theft, including the identity of individuals whooffer the installation of illegal connections. Actingfrom tips from subscribers tired of getting bad ca-ble signals and virtually paying for the illegal cableconnections of others, cable industry personnel re-cently conducted a series of raids in Makati City.

Residents with illegal connections were invit-ed to the nearest police stations or barangay hallfor interrogation in connection with possiblequalified theft charges to be filed against them.The charge carries a jail term of six to 12 years.

The sweep was the third in a series of raids indifferent cities in Metro Manila. (Rhea Neria)

By Maite Bueno

THE Manila Electric Company (Meralco)reduced its rates by as much as 23 centavosper kilowatt-hour due to the combined ef-fect of the reductions in the generation andsystem loss charge components of the un-bundled bill.

According to Meralco vice-presidentElpi Cuna, the 19.43 centavo-reduction inthe generation charge was due to the in-creased generation of Meralco suppli-ers—the independent power producers(IPPs) and the National Power Corporation

(NPC)—in August.In addition, system loss charge by deliv-

ery voltage also went down. The decreasesranged from 0.33 centavos for 115 kV cus-tomers to 2.57 centavos for residential andother secondary customers. The Power ActReduction, a discount in the residentialbills, slightly improved by 0.36 centavosper kWh from P0.1997 to P0.2033.

The bills of lifeline residential cus-tomers consuming 50 kWh will decreaseby P5.82 or 11.64 centavos per kWh.Those consuming 70 kWh will experiencea P10.52 decrease in their electricity bills

or 15.03 centavos per kWh, while thoseconsuming 100 kWh will get a reductionof P18.41 or 18.41 centavos per kWh. Cus-tomers with consumption beyond the life-line level will have a reduction of 23 cen-tavos per kWh.

“We are beginning to realize the bene-fits of allowing the IPPs to run at contract-ed levels since it brings down generationcosts and eventually the rate of electricityas seen in the reduction in Meralco’sSeptember bills,” Cuna said.

NAG-FILE ang First Gen Corporation ng Reg-istration Statement sa Securities and ExchangeCommission noong Setyembre para sa pag-re-histro ng 151,574,000 hanggang 219,930,900na bagong common shares nito. Gayundin, nag-apply ang kumpanya para sa listing ng naturangcommon shares sa Philippine Stock Exchange.

Ang mga bagong common shares aytinatayang magkakahalaga ng mula P51 hang-gang P74 bawa’t isa.

Inaasahang makakalikom ang First Gen nggross proceeds na P11.216 bilyon mula sa IPO.Ibabawas dito ang lahat ngmga gastusin ng kumpa-nya ukol sa IPO at ang net proceeds ay gagamitinpara sa “general corporate purposes,” sa pagpa-pabuti ng mga facilities ng First Gen at sa pag-in-vest sa pagpapalawig ng capacity nito pati na angpag-develop ng mga bago o greenfield projects.

Ang First Gen ang pinakamalaking Filipino-controlled independent power producer. Angconsolidated capital expenditure nito ay um-abot ng P510 milyon noong 2004, P154 milyonnoong 2003 at P2.2 bilyon in 2002. Noongunang anim na buwan ng 2005, sinabi ng FirstGen na gumastos ito ng P86 milyon (US$1.5milyon) para sa pagbili ng Agusan Mini-HydroPlant.

Nagtabi ang First Gen ng US$12.7 milyonpara sa capex ngayong 2005 hanggang 2006.US$10.7 milyon ng halagang ito ay para sakasalukuyang taon.

Na-incorporate ang First Gen noong 1998 bilangprimary holding company para sa power generationat iba pang energy-related businesses ng LopezGroup. Ito ay magiging panlimang publicly tradedfirm ng Lopez Group.

Pasay todosuporta sa‘tempfacil’project ngMayniladBy Jennifer Casipit

BILANG maagang pamasko sa mga res-idente ng Pasay City, nagpasinaya angMaynilad Water Services Inc. ng bagongproyekto na makapagbibigay ng sapat atmalinis na tubig para sa mga residenteng lugar.

Ang groundbreaking ng nasabingproyekto ay ginanap noong Setyembre16 sa Betty’s Vermillion Academy saPasay, sa pangunguna ni Pasay mayorWenceslao Trinidad, Maynilad presidentFiorello Estuar at Metropolitan Water-works and Sewerage System administra-tor Orlando Hondrade.

Ang “S-2 tempfacil project” ay mag-papalit ng 46 kilometro na lumang linyang tubig sa distrito ng San Roque at SanRafael sa Pasay. Inihayag ni Estuar naang konstruksyon para sa proyekto aymatatapos sa loob ng 120 na arawlamang dahil gagamit ng temporary fa-cilities o “tempfacil” ang Maynilad.

“Inaasahan namin na bago mag-Pas-ko ay maganda at malakas na ang supplyng tubig dito,” ani Estuar.

Hiniling ni Estuar sa mga residenteang kanilang pang-unawa, sa dahilangmakakaapekto sa daloy ng trapiko angpaghuhukay na gagawin sa mga kalyeupang mapalitan ang lumang pipeline salugar.

Tinawag naman ni Mayor Trinidad naisang “landmark project” ang S-2 temp-facil project.

“Ako, kasama ng mga mamamayanng Pasay City, ay nagpapasalamat saMaynilad sa dahilang matagal na nam-ing pangarap na magkaroon ng malakasna supply ng tubig,” sabi ni Trinidad.

Ang S2 t empfac i l p ro j e c t , n anagkakahalaga ng P26.7 milyon, aymagkakabit ng 9,000 house service con-nections. Pag nabuo na ang proyekto,ang Maynilad ay inaasahang makak-abawi ng 46 milyong litro ng tubig kadaaraw, na dati ay nawawala lamang dahilsa mga tagas ng lumang pipelines at samga ilegal na kuneksyon ng tubig.

Ang tubig na mababawi ay maaaringmailipat sa mga lugar na nangangailan-gan ng tubig, tulad ng ibang bahagi ngPasay, Parañaque at Bacoor, Cavite.

3LOPEZLINK October 2005

Get hooked on SkyDSL 192

BayanTel at the forefrontof delivering VoIP service

BayanTel, ABS-CBNnow! power‘Pinoy Big Brother’ on the Internet

US firm designs new Rockwell towersBy Kim Uy

ROCKWELL Land Inc. hastapped American architecturalfirm Arquitectonica Internation-al Corp. to design two residentialtowers along Rockwell Drive.Nestor Omar T. Arce-Igna-

cio, Rockwell Land vice-presi-dent for technical services, saidthat the developer chose the USfirm because it wanted the tow-ers, which will be strategicallysituated at the entrance of theRockwell Community, to be“extraordinary.”The two towers will be pri-

marily residential with theground floors dedicated to re-

tail. An elevated drop-off pointat the second floor of each tow-er will make it more exclusive.Enclosed in all-glass windows,the lobby will provide first-rowseats to the action below.The 45-storey building was

planned to be “terraced” to giveresidents alternative views. Itsseven corners will provideunique lighting to the building.The other tower will be cylindri-cal, allowing an unobstructedview of the surrounding areas.“We wanted a nautical form

that is softer. We sought thecontrast with details in the fa-çade to tie the two together,”said Arquitectonica founder

Bernardo Fort-Brescia.Rockwell officials said that

the residential towers will bepresold by mid-November2005. The towers will be com-pleted in four to four-and-a-halfyears.Arquitectonica, which is

based in Miami and New Yorkwith offices in Hong Kong,Shanghai, Los Angeles, Wash-ington DC, Paris, Lima and SaoPaolo, has developed an inter-national practice recognized forexcellence and innovation. Thefirm is best known for its abilityto design projects with memo-rable imagery and regionalidentity.

Architect Bernardo Fort-Brescia, founder of Arquitectonica, shows Rockwell Landpresident Nestor Padilla a rendition of the new project.

Joya at Rockwell 85% sold

BAYANTEL, a leading providerof affordable and reliable voiceand data services, extends thebenefits of voice over InternetProtocol (VoIP) to regular con-sumers.Sky Internet VoIP is the first

carrier-grade VoIP service tar-geting households as end users.The service runs on VoIP tech-nology, which transmits tele-phone calls over a data networkinstead of the traditional voicenetwork.BayanTel vice-president for

product development JoevelRivera said the company be-lieves the market is ripe for a re-liable VoIP service."BayanTel has been one of

the more aggressive players inproviding DSL services to theresidential market. With widerInternet penetration, there is

greater opportunity to deliverIP-based services to house-holds."According to Rivera, the

most compelling feature ofVoIP is the savings on long dis-tance charges. Calls made viaSky Internet VoIP to the US,Canada and countries in South-east Asia would cost as low asUS$ 6c a minu t e , o r 85%cheaper than standard IDDrates.And depending on the Sky In-

ternet VoIP plan, users can alsoavail of free IDD minutes. Forthe P499 plan a month, users get100 free IDD minutes and forthe P999 plan a month, users get300 free IDD minutes. Under anormal telephone subscription,the user would pay more thanP6,700 on IDD charges alone.(John Rojo)

IT'S here—the most affordable DSL package that evenstudents or up and coming corporate newbies can afford:SkyDSL 192!SkyDSL 192 comes from SkyDSL, the DSL brand of

BayanTel and one of the leading providers of broadbandDSL services.Get the speed of Internet surfing in a 192 kbps (kilo-

bits per second) bandwidth for only P899 a month.For a limited period, SkyDSL is also offering Speed-

on-Demand, which lets you surf the Internet beyond sub-scribed bandwidth without any extra charge. Just log onfrom 12 midnight to 8 a.m. with any of the SkyDSL

packages and surf at speeds of up to 384 kbps during theprescribed period.Plus, for a one-time activation fee of P500, SkyDSL

subscribers get unlimitedWi-Fi access in over 180Wi-Fihotspots nationwide.SkyDSL, which is available in selected areas in Que-

zon City, Manila, Malabon and Valenzuela, is throwing ina free one-month subscription or free installation with theoffer. SkyDSL also offers a money-back guarantee for thefirst 15 days and a 24-Hour Guaranteed Quick Service.For inquiries, call 449-3118 or 449-3293 or visit

www.skydsl.com.ph. (J. Rojo)

BAYANTEL, in collaboration with ABS-CBNnow!, hasbrought the engaging reality of “Pinoy Big Brother” into therealm of cyberspace.BayanTel and ABS-CBNnow! have deployed a streaming

server that will videocast “Pinoy Big Brother” in real time 24hours a day via the Internet.BayanTel vice-president for product development Joevel

Rivera said: “We are excited to partner with ABS-CBNnow!to make ‘Pinoy Big Brother’ accessible to thousands ofbroadband Internet users. This is a significant step to offering

unique locally-developed content to the fast growing broad-band user base in the country.”ABS-CBNnow! sales and marketing director Rowell To-

lentino added: “With this partnership, Sky DSL and BayanTelcustomers across the country will have their own personalwindow to the ‘Pinoy Big Brother’ house and the closest theycan get to becoming housemates themselves.”“Pinoy Big Brother,” the first local show that is video streamed

“live” to the Internet using IP technology, is available in three dif-ferent subscription packages at www.abs-cbnnow.com. (J. Rojo)

ONLY 18 months into the presellingphase, Joya at Rockwell is almost soldout with only 15% of the residential unitsup for grabs. The project, a combinationof bi-level lofts and twin towers, is Rock-well Land Corporation’s latest opus.Lofts are living spaces with high ceil-

ings, large windows and open floor plans.Within eight weeks from the time it

was introduced, all 59 residential loft-type units were sold.“We reviewed the plans to determine if

we could add more. Imagine the excitementwhen we announced that there were 20morelofts available,” Rockwell sales and market-ing assistant vice-president Val Soliven said.

“The introduction of the loft conceptfueled interest in Joya at Rockwell. Whenbuyers came to see what we had to offer,t hey saw tha t the re was so muchmore—boutique shops, outdoor swim-ming pool, a club room, a games and bil-liards room, a two-story gym and fitnesscenter and badminton and multipurposecourts, among others,” added Soliven.Future residents of Joya already have

their own prime piece of Rockwell.Those who are looking for a haven in themidst of an urban jungle still have achance to call Joya their home.Joya Lofts and Towers are scheduled

for completion in 2008. (Vicky Riosa)

Sky Internet VoIP allows subscribers to make calls using their regular phones

for as low as $0.06 per minute.


KCFI, AFI win...from page 1

19 Lopez Group companieshonored in 2nd Oscar AwardsBy Maribel S. Relatado

THE Lopez Group held its sec-ond Business Excellence Awardsand Recognition ceremony at thenew Rockwell Tent on August 30,2005.

The annual ceremony aims torecognize companies that haveparticipated in the Business Excel-lence Programs and achieved mile-stones in their performance. Twohundred thirty-nine Lopez Groupemployees attended the event.

This year's theme, "MaintainingFocus on Business Excellence inChallenging Times," is exempli-fied by the companies that sus-tained their efforts to achieve theirdesired prize, such as the Environ-ment, Safety and Health (ESH)Management Assessment and Rat-ing System (MARS). It indicatedthat these companies were deliber-ate in implementing their ESHManagement System and reapedbenefits from doing so. This year,there are 19 recipients of the ESHMARS, of various distinctionsfrom the different levels.

Other honorees were the ESHRecyclables Events Sponsors,companies that achieved 10 Mil-lionMan-hours with No Lost TimeAccident, Oscars 2004 applicants

and Oscars examiners. To inspirethem to go further in the journey tobusiness excellence, companiesthat achieved certifications in ISO9001, ISO 1400 and OHSAS18001 (Meralco Management andLeadership Development Center)as well as those that have started toimplement their Six Sigma pro-jects (Philippine Electric Corpora-tion, Bayan TelecommunicationsInc. and the Asian Eye Institute)were also recognized.

Meralco chair Manuel M. Lopez askey speaker for the night sharesMeralco's systems and processesthat contribute to Business Excel-lence (right); Rockwell Power PlantMall, President's Award ESH MARS3A (below).

BayanTel—President's Award ESH MARS 2B

Bauang Private Power Corp.—Founder's Award ESH MARS 3C

Lopez Group chair Oscar M. Lopez with Oscar examiners (l-r) Moje R.Aquino, Mark F. Pabon, Ramon T. Pagdagdagan, Maribel S. Relatado,Robin C. Rubina and Lito Yanga

ESH AWARDEESMARS LEVEL AWARD COMPANIESMARS 3C FOUNDER'S • First Gas Power Corp.

• Bauang Private Power Corp.• First Philippine Industrial Park• First Sumiden Circuits, Inc.• Philippine Electric Corp.• First Philippine Industrial Corp.

CHAIRMAN'S • First Balfour (Construction)• First Electro Dynamics Corp.

MARS 3B FOUNDER'S • First Gas Holdings Corp.• First Private Power Corp.

CHAIRMAN'S • First Balfour (Office)• Adtel Inc.

MARS 3A FOUNDER'S • Asian Eye InstituteCHAIRMAN'S • Manila North Tollways Corp.PRESIDENT'S • Rockwell Power Plant Mall

MARS 2B PRESIDENT'S • First Philippine Holdings Corp.• Benpres Holdings Corp.• Bayan Telecommunications, Inc.

MARS 1 FOUNDER'S • Manila Electric Company

ESH SPECIAL CITATIONSEarthday Recyclables Event Sponsors • ABS-CBN

• First Philippine Holdings Corp.• Rockwell

Achieving 10 Million Man-hoursWith No Lost Time Accident

• First Balfour• First Sumiden Circuits

OSCARS APPLICANTS• Philippine Electric Corp• First Electro Dynamics Corporation

KCFI president Rina Lopez-Bautista, SkyCable COO CarloKatigbak and LGFI executivedirector Dario Pagcaliwagan re-ceived the awards on behalf ofthe LGFI member-foundations.Also present at the awardingceremonies were LGFI presi-dent Felipe Alfonso, First Gen'sRey Laguda and KnowledgeChannel's Paolo Canivel.

One hundred and sixty entriesfrom 12 countries and 91 organiza-tions were received for the 2005Asian CSR Awards, the premierawards program on CSR in Asia.Aside from the LGFImembers, theonly other entries from the Philip-pines that won were Shell Philip-pines Exploration, B.V.'s SitioAgusuhin Development Programas runner-up in the Support andImprovement of Education catego-ry, and the Ospital ng MaynilaMedical Center's Department ofSurgery as runner-up in the BestWorkplace Practices category.

Benpres Holdings Corp.—President’s Award MARS 2B (above); andABS-CBN—Special Citation recipient (below)


Racquel Reyes

Rico Barrera Uma Khouny Sam Milby Franzen Macaraeg Chx Alcala Jayson Gainza

Nene Tamayo Bob de la Cruz Say Alonzo Cass Ponti JB Magsaysay

‘Vietnam Rose’ premieres on primetime Chin-Chin championseco crusade in 'MUP'AWARD-winning actressand environmentalistChin-Chin Gutierrez isthe latest kapamilya tojoin ABS-CBN's dailymorning wake-upper,"Magandang Umaga,Pilipinas" with her ownsegment, "Green Patrol."

"I am happy to join‘Magandang Umaga,Pilipinas' with 'GreenPatrol' because it givesme a chance to engageour countrymen to takeaction now. Environmental consciousness is not just amatter of doing good deeds—it is a matter of survival,"said Chin-Chin, who is also vice-chairman of the en-vironmental group Mother Earth Foundation.

Every Thursday, Chin-Chin delivers vital informationon the state of our planet, makes the rounds of barangaysto check on their waste management practices, andshares eco-friendly tips to help households adopt a "zero-waste" lifestyle. Viewers can also write or call in to raiseenvironmental issues pertinent to their communities or tocommend exemplary ecological projects whenever"Green Patrol" goes live on the last week of the month.

"We cannot afford to leave environmental issues togovernment, nongovernment organizations or othersectors anymore. Everyone must do the patrolling,must be aware of each one's irresponsible consump-tion, and assist in bringing back ecological balance be-fore it is too late," Chin-Chin said.

A DIAMOND became a ro s e onSeptember 19 when ABS-CBN pre-miered its long-awaited teleserye “Viet-nam Rose,” starring Diamond Star Mari-cel Soriano.

The story centers on Yeu, a youngVietnamese girl whose life undergoesdevastating changes during the Vietnam

War. Soon, Yeu finds herself pushed outof her homeland along with thousands ofrefugees. Finding herself in the Philip-pines, Yeu is adopted by a Filipino fam-ily and starts rebuilding her life.

In the present day, Yeu has transformedherself into Carina Mojica dela Cerna(Maricel), a successful businesswoman

married to an equally powerful man,Alexander dela Cerna (John). But Carinafeels unsuccessful and unfulfilled—untilshe gets a vision of her mother, who stayedin Vietnam. Carina decides to go to herhomeland, where she finds her mother—butshe also finds a half-sister, Tin (Angelica), astreet-smart young woman who resents thesister who broke her mother’s heart.

“Vietnam Rose” is truly epic televi-sion, with the tandem of Maricel and di-rector Joel Lamangan leading the pro-ject’s roster of talents. The project alsoattracted John Estrada, Jay Manalo, As-sunta de Rossi, Gina Alajar, ChandaRomero, Ricky Davao, Michelle Madri-gal, Joseph Bitangcol, Ms. Rosa Rosaland Angelica Panganiban.

Also appearing in “Vietnam Rose” areJason Abalos, AJ Dee, Ilonah Jean, TonyMabesa, Lollie Mara and Jim Pebangco.Multi-awarded scriptwriter Ricky Lee isthe creative manager, with FelindaBagas handling head writer duties. An-other award-winning talent, Joey Luna,is the production designer.

‘Pinoy Big Brother’ update:

x

Pasaway nahousemates,evicted na!FIRST eviction night, September 10. Nanaig ang kagustuhan niBig Brother nang mapalayas si Rico Barrera, ang hunk ng Olon-gapo, sa unang eviction night na ginanap sa “Pinoy Big Brother”House.

Bawat housemate ay maaring pumili ng dalawang kasamahanna nais niyang ma-evict sa bahay; each first nomination wasequivalent to two points, while the second nomination was worthone point. Racquel got 11 points and Franzen seven points. Hindikasali sa pinagpilian si Rico dahil si Big Brother na mismo angnag-nominate sa kanya. Una siyang napili dahil naging pasawayito sa loob ng tatlong linggong pamamalagi sa bahay.

Second nomination night, Sept. 17. Suki pa rin ng nomina-tion si Racquel, na nakakuha ng nine points. Si JB, ang bad boyng La Union, ang co-nominee ng titser at dating OFW.

Ang pamamaalam ni Jenny. Samantala, kusang lumabas sa“Pinoy Big Brother” House si Jenny Suico pagkatapos ng nasabingnomination night sa dahilang may sakit ang kanyang ama. Anim nabuwan umano ang taning sa buhay ng ama ngunit pumanaw ito ilangaraw pagkatapos umuwi si Jenny sa Olongapo.

Ang bagong housemate. At dahil may umalis, may pumasokna bagong housemate sa bahay ni Kuya—ang poging Fil-Amcommercial model na si Sam Milby ng Surigao.

Second eviction night, Sept. 24. Sinusuwerte pa rin si Rac-quel. Kahit pangalawang nomination na, naisalba pa rin ito ngtext votes. Si JB naman, pinalayas na. Ang third eviction nightay gaganapin sa Oct. 8. Sino ang susunod na uuwi? Abangan!

ABS-CBN statementon MTRCB suspension"THE Movie Television Reviewand Classification Board (MTR-CB), through its chairperson,Consoliza Laguardia and its adju-dication committee, suspended-ABS-CBN’s ‘Pinoy Big Brother’for one episode as penalty for air-ing certain scenes that the Boarddeemed beyond the parentalguidance classification of theshow.

"In our opinion, we have oper-ated within the parameters agreedupon with the Board in the firstmeeting held on August 26, 2005.However, after a discussion withthe board on September 21, 2005,the committee decided to proceed

with the suspension. We com-plied with the MTRCB decision.

"We understand that ‘PinoyBig Brother’ represents a new, un-precedented expression of Filipinoreality, a microcosm of human be-havior that opens valuable studiesand insights into social interac-tion, relationships and discipline.

"We will continue to work withthe MTRCB in producing well-screened episodes given the inher-ently free-form genre of reality TV.We remain committed in offering thebest presentations of ‘Pinoy BigBrother’ to the Filipino audience thathas embraced it as their nightly fa-vorite in television viewing.”

Mahiwagang umagasa ABS-CBN

ANG mga Disney animation ay sadyang malapit sa pu-so ng bawat bata, sa edad at sa puso. Mula sa una natingtinangkilik na “Mickey Mouse and Friends,” hanggangsa inidolo nating mga Disney prince at princess, bawatisa sa atin ay siguradong may kanya-kanyang paboritona maaari pang maipasa hanggang sa ating mga anak.

Sa eksklusibong pagsasama ng Disney at ABS-CBNBroadcasting Corp., ang saya at hiwagang dala ng Dis-ney animations ay mapapanood na sa ating mga bahay.Mapupuno na ng adventure ang ating mga umaga. Angiba’t- ibang Disney features ay hindi lang maghahatid sabuong pamilya ng kasiyahan kundi magtuturo rin ngmabuting asal at pakikisama sa pamilya at kaibigan.

Gawing kaaliw-aliw ang bawat umaga. Manood ng“Disney Adventures,” Lunes hanggang Biyernes, alas-9 ng umaga sa ABS-CBN.

x


Benpres Insurance...from page 1

Meet TeamBPIADon Eugenio H. Lopez —BPIA onlyused to handle the requirements of theLopez Group for life insurance, as non-life insurance was the turf of AFISCO.However, the company responded to thecall of the times by widening its scope toinclude pre-need and nonlife insuranceas well.

BPIA sells individual programs toemployees, a “continuous thing that thecompany has been doing ever since.” Agroup was also organized recently to sellpre-need although the plan has beentemporarily shelved, Sanchez said.Then, three years ago, the different HRdepartments of the Lopez Group compa-nies agreed to consolidate the wholegroup under one program—anothertimely move that ultimately benefitedthe employees.

“We recommended it because with abigger volume, we can ask for a lowerrate for it. Other groups of companies al-so practice it although there are stillsome employees with individual poli-cies,” Sanchez noted.

With BPIA, Lopez Group employeesare assured of the careful handling oftheir various insurance requirements asthe agency takes to heart its mandate tooffer the best comprehensive coverageat the least cost to its clients.

“That’s our responsibility to the LopezGroup,” the GM said. “We have to ad-dress the employees’ insurance needs,and we assure them that, honest to good-ness, we will handle their requirementsproperly. We always go to the market tocheck the rates, and whoever has the bestand the lowest offer, that’s who we get.”

The GM added that BPIA readilyhelps out employees who approach themeven for personal requirements, such asvehicle insurance, or when they havetrouble collecting on a claim from theirprincipal or provider. Cash-strappedcompanies get the same considerate andhelpful treatment from the agency.

“There are companies that are havinga hard time and number one na tinitipidnila, ang (that they scrimp on is their) in-surance premium. So we tell them,‘What’s your budget? We’ll get the bestinsurance for your budget.’ And we de-termine how much they can absorb or tol-erate.”

Such readiness to go the extra mileon the part of Sanchez and his team re-sulted in several employees deciding tomove their business to BPIA.

“The key is good service, you have totake care of your clients. So far, we havebeen able to do that,” the GM noted.

At present, BPIA looks to increasingits "outside business"—currently mak-ing up about 20% of the agency’s mar-ket—despite the fact that the presenteconomic situation makes the job dou-bly hard.

“Groups of companies and even banksalso have their own insurance agenciesnow, so you can’t do any business withthem. The way we see it, our biggest com-petitor is ourselves. We have to conquerour weaknesses and build on ourstrengths. That’s why we constantly trainour people, expose them to the innova-tions in the industry. We have to be updat-ed and it has to be continuous,” Sanchezsaid.

Such perseverance and competence areapparently paying off, for BPIA is weath-ering the ups and downs of the insurancebusiness quite well, thank you. Its GM,too, is pleased by the agency’s slow butsteady upward climb through the years.

“In this business, you can never beassured that you can maintain your bot-tom figure. Your income is proportion-ate to your client’s premium—when itgoes down, your income goes downalong with it; it’s not like other products,whose selling costs just keep rising.

“When I joined BPIA, it was verysmall, its paid up capital was onlyP40,000; now it’s more than P10 mil-lion. You can see that it has really beengrowing—and we look forward to main-taining this growth,” Sanchez said.

BENPRES Insurance Agency Inc. owes its success to the hardworking teamthat ensured its steady rise in the industry. Here, get tomeet the people up close and know what it takes to be part of the BPIA team.

Paolo Q. LagdameoCOO

Lagdameo's main task is to formulate policies and helpdirect the company's operations towards its goal. He is alsoin charge of overseeing the executives who handle variousdepartments and sees to it that the organization's policiesare implemented on a day-to-day basis. He's responsible formonitoring, measuring and reporting on operational issues,opportunities and development plans and achievementswithin agreed formats and time scales. In addition, Lag-dameo is tasked to manage and control the departmentalexpenditure within the set budget.

Francisco A. De TorronteguiVP-Operations

Primarily responsible for the insurance production andattainment of the company's marketing objectives, De Tor-

rontegui is also in charge of the service, training and col-lection, and at the same time, plans, coordinates and super-

vises the account executives. He submits his findings andrecommendations to the chief executive officer.

Roberto C. AngelesVP-Marketing and Business Development

Angeles has direct supervision of the account managers.He is also tasked to prepare and supervise the implementa-tion of the marketing strategies for clients. He conducts riskmanagement surveys and prepares loss control programs forthe clients and most importantly, provides the clients withcost effective insurance programs.

Rafael E. InogAVP-Finance

A certified public accountant, Inog is responsible for thecompany's centralized finance functions and activities. He

prepares, analyzes and interprets financial reports for themanagement. He also supervises the maintenance of files

and records of important documents such as contracts, loanagreements, insurance policies, tax returns, licenses and the

like. Last but not least, Inog makes sure that all taxes duethe government are paid on time.

Graciano A. LopezAVP-Claims

The liaison officer between the company and the client,Lopez regularly conducts investigations to determine liabilities,negotiates the claim and submits his recommendations to thecompany. He also holds policy and claims orientations for theclients to educate them about the terms and conditions of theirexisting policy. As part of his routine, Lopez also regularly vis-its his clients to maintain visibility and at the same time pro-mote a harmonious business relationship. (Lianne Padilla)

Benpres Insurance Agency Inc. at the Erlag Bldg. in Legaspi Village pro-vides a wide range of life and nonlife insurance as well as pre-need andhealth care services to all its sister companies in the Lopez Group thatmay consider its services. Its nonlife programs include:• Fire insurance• Vehicle insurance (private and commercial)• Personal accident insurance• Marine insurance• Aviation insurance• Liability insurance• Bonds• Engineering insurance: Contractor's

all risk and erection all risk• Electronic equipment insurance• Money, security and payroll

robbery• Dishonesty, destruction and

disappearance insurance• Industrial all risk insurance• Special risk insurance

(paintings and other worksof art)

• Property floater insurance


WHENManuel "Beaver" L. Lopez Jr. decidedto take a more active role in Benpres Insur-ance Agency Inc. (BPIA) in late 2002, he im-mediately realized how the company's ser-vices tended to be forgotten or taken for grant-ed by its comembers in the Lopez Group.

BPIA is owned by private holding compa-ny Lopez Inc. and serves many, but not all,Lopez Group companies. "Some of our clientcompanies have not utilized us to our full po-tential," said Lopez.

He first joined BPIA in 1988 as a manage-ment trainee with a monthly allowance ofP1,500. He left BPIA in 1993 and joinedABS-CBN Global (formerly ABS-CBN Inter-

national) in establishing The Filipino Channelin the US. In 1996, Lopez left ABS-CBNGlobal and worked at Skycable, eventuallymoving to Pilipino Cable Corporation (PCC)in 1999 to manage the Camanava (Caloocan,Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela) franchise.When he resigned from PCC-Skycable in2002, he had not planned on returning to BPIAbut fate led him back to the Lopez Group com-pany he started with.

As BPIA executive vice-president, Lopezis now championing the cause of the family-owned agency often forgotten in the midst ofdiverse pressures bearing on the LopezGroup.

Unlike in other conglomerates, the LopezGroup does not require its member companiesto award all insurance contracts to BPIA. ForLopez, all he requests from Lopez Groupcompanies is that BPIA be given the opportu-nity to bid for their insurance needs.

"Often, BPIA is the underdog because wehave no Caucasian delivering a PowerPointpresentation like foreign-affiliated brokers.But when the details of the contract are com-pared, ours turns out to be very competitive.For one, we don't charge service fees, which isin dollars, by the way, when you choose a for-eign-affi l iated broker. Because of ourmalasakit (concern) for our group of compa-nies, we always extend help to them beyondtheir standards or expectations," he said.

But during performance reviews when op-erating companies are behind targets, insur-ance premiums are among the first to be cut.This, along with the already heavy competi-tion in the insurance industry, naturally re-quires BPIA to do a lot of pencil pushing tocome up with competitive offers.

Still, Lopez does not allow the stresses ofhis work and business to affect his family life.Now parenting two boys with wife Jackie, hehas found a balance between these aspects ofhis life by being patient and recognizing thathe "can't solve everything in one day." The ap-proach has helped him take things in stride

and manage stress to healthy levels."I don't expect BPIA to get the contracts

outright with one sales pitch. But at least, weshould be given the chance to present. I firmlybelieve this is the healthiest way to conductsuch an exercise, especially because hugesums are involved. It's in the millions of pesosand sometimes, in the millions of dollars. Andeven if the company eventually chooses an in-surance broker from outside the group, involv-ing BPIA allows the company to know orevaluate if it got a good rate or a good returnon its premiums," said Lopez.

He believes all members of the LopezGroup, companies and workforces, must worktogether and sacrifice some for the commongood.

"We are diversified as a group. But if wecan put aside our differences and work togeth-er, we can return to the 'glory days,' as my fa-ther [Meralco chairman Manuel M. Lopez]puts it. Remember that in times of adversity,there is opportunity. We have to look at the bigpicture and the long term. Acknowledge thatour company is part of the whole. If we showmalasakit for the group, we will make deci-sions that will be good for the entire group andnot just the individual companies. It's an atti-tude we must develop, thinking of the major-ity, instead of just looking after our own turf,"Lopez concluded.

Gerry Cabellon: Ang Meralco fieldman na chess masterBy Raul J. Sol Cruz

NAGSIMULA si Gerardo Cabellon, Gerry sakanyang mga kasamahan, bilang bill collector ngMeralco para sa Malate branch noong 1980s.

Noong 1990s, ang galing niya sa chess ang nagingpuhunan niya upang mapabilang sa prestihiyosongMeralco chess team na nanalo sa Enterprise SportsAssociation of the Philippines or ESAP champi-onship. Sa pagpupursige ni Gerry sa puwesto niya saBoard #1, nanalo ang Meralco ng limang sunud-sun-od na championships mula noong late 1980s hang-gang sa early 1990s.

Nasa Meralco na si Gerry ng siya'y maging Na-tional Master (NM) dahil naabot niya ang Top 10 ngPhilippine championship noong 1990s. Halos puma-sok din siya sa Top 10 ng International FEBTC Openkung saan naglaro ang mga International Grand Mas-ters.

Sa isa pang Philippine championship ay nabiktimaniya ang ngayo'y Grand Master (GM) na si Bue-naventura "Bong" Villamayor na itinuturing ni Gerryna best game of his short-lived chess career. Hindi iy-on ordinaryong panalo dahil ginamit niya angtinatawag na "queen sacrifice," ang ina ng lahat ngsakripisyo sa chess na pinapangarap maipanalo ng la-hat ng chess player.

Noong 1990s tinalo ni Gerry ang mga GMs tuladnina Rogelio Antonio at Villamayor, at maging angmga kasapi ng Philippine team na mga National o In-ternational Masters tulad nina Ben Florez, PetronioRoca at Rey Bancod.

Gayunpaman, pinili ni Gerry na manatili sa Mer-alco sapagka't nakita niya na hindi maganda angkabuhayan sa chess sa Pilipinas.

"Ang chess ay malaking pakikipagsapalaran.Kahit magaling ka, hindi ka pa rin makakabuhay ngpamilya dahil masyadong matindi ang competitionlalo na sa international tournaments. At para ka mag-ing Grand Master ay kailangang lumaro ka sa ibangbansa dahil sa bihira naman ang international tourna-ment dito sa atin. Mas maigi na ang stable job tuladng trabaho ko sa Meralco," pahayag ni Gerry.

"Subali't chess din ang naging puhunan ko sabuhay, dito ako nakapag-aral ng kolehiyo ng libre atito rin ang malaking bagay para makuha ako sa Mer-alco. Ang maipapayo ko sa mga magulang ay turuannila ang kanilang mga anak ng chess. Ang training namade-develop sa pagiging systematic thinker aymalaking tulong sa pag-aaral sa eskwela," dagdagniya.

Ngayo'y 43 anyos na si Gerry at may apat na anak.Ang pamilya Cabellon, kasama ang maybahay na siMary Fe, ay nakatira sa Meralco Village sa Bocaue,Bulacan. Inspector na si Gerry para sa system lossprogram ng Manila sector at dahil sa shifting sched-ule, kulang ang oras niya para sa chess practice atwala siyang makalaro sa mga oras na available siya.

Pero noongMarso 2005, inimbita si Gerry ng Mer-alco Chess Club para mag-simultaneous exhibitionpara sa Family Day kaakibat ng celebration ng Mer-alco Foundation Day. Ito'y isang 15-board simultane-ous play kung saan sabay-sabay naging kalaro ni NM

Gerry ang mga kapwa empleyado, dating empleyadoat kani-kanilang mga anak. Nagtala ng 14-1 win-lossscore si NM Gerry.

Noong Mayo naman, nagkaroon ng chess clinicpara sa mga anak ng Meralco employees at si NMGerry ang naatasang mag-analyze ng laro ng wonderkid ng Pilipinas na si Wesley So, ang 11 anyos na Na-tional Master. Ito ang naging highlight ng naturangchess clinic.

"Hindi naman ako nagsisisi sa hindi ko pagpatuloysa professional chess. Masaya na ako sa marami kongnaging magagandang experience noong nakaraan.Talagang priority ko ang pamilya ko kaya tuloylang ako sa pagsisipag sa Meralco," pagtatapos niGerry.

LITTLE LIVES, BIG DEEDS

EXECUTIVE PROFILE

Manuel ‘Beaver’ L. Lopez Jr.:BBPPIIAA’’ss mmaann oonn aa mmiissssiioonn


Roby Lopez’s legacy:PAAFI sends 5,000 kids to school

Remembering Roby

Roberto Moreno LopezAugust 28, 1950-September26, 1992

First Gen leads coastal cleanup day

FIRST Gen Corporation and its operatingcompanies took part in the celebration ofInternational Coastal Cleanup Day 2005.First Gen’s power plants in Batangas Cityand Bauang, La Union spearheaded thecleanup of coastal areas with members oftheir host communities.

Heavy rains on September 16 did notdeter First Gas employees from cleaningthe shorelines of Sta. Rita Aplaya, Sta.Clara and Cabubulag River with PENROand Southbend Security and InvestigativeAgency, among others.

Almost 100 volunteers from Bauang

Private Power Corp. also trooped to cleanBarangays Payocpoc Sur and Pilar inBauang on Sept. 17, which coincidedwith the international celebration held ev-ery third Saturday of September. Around15 First Gen Volunteers crossed the VerdePassage on Sept. 24 to join the residentsof Barangay San Andres in Isla Verde incleaning up the shores.

International Coastal Cleanup Day isobserved to focus global concern over theworsening marine and coastal pollution.It has evolved into the largest volunteereffort for the environment. (Rey Laguda)

By Vanessa Jane T. Suquila

A TOTAL of 5,607 children from urban poorcommunities have gone to school through thePhil-Asia Assistance Foundation Inc. orPAAFI.

PAAFI is the Philippine counterpart ofSan Francisco, California-based nonprofit or-ganization Philippine International Aid(PIA). With PAAFI headed by Roberto “Ro-by” Moreno Lopez, the youngest son of Eu-genio H. Lopez Sr., until his demise in 1992,

ciety, there are still people who care,” saidRoby about the urban poor children in a PIAnewsletter published in 1987.

Presy Psinakis, Roby’s sister, now chairsPAAFI with Yvonne Yuchengco as president.Psinakis feels that PAAFI was Roby’s baby.She has vowed to help PAAFI continue itswork among urban poor children.

PAAFI has only two full time social work-ers and a handful of volunteer staff, admin-istering scholarship funds for 380 studentsenrolled for school year 2005-2006. The

scholarship requires the children topass the year and show a strong de-sire to be educated.

The children are mostly fromCARITAS Manila, Sta. Cruz Parish,Sto. Niño Parish, Our Lady of Sor-rows Parish, Resurrection of OurLord Parish, Christ the King Parish,and Parokya ng Ina ng Laging Sak-lolo. The scholars send copies oftheir report cards and write regular“thank you” letters to their donorswhom they have come to regard as atito or tita.

Roby’s personal touch lives on inhis vision of PAAFI, which is for thefoundation to be “an active hand inchanging the conditions of the poor

in our society, no matter how small the con-tribution might be.”

PAAFI is not a big foundation, but like theman who started it, it is clear that no grandgestures are needed to make a difference.Yuchengco wrote in the PIA newsletter in1993: “It has never been the same since Ro-by’s death…but at the same time, I feel thathe is watching over us and urging us to con-tinue the work.”

Help PAAFI send more urban poor chil-dren to school. Contact Leah at 0920-5667910.

the PIA-PAAFI partnership worked withCARITAS Manila and metropolitan parishesto identify beneficiaries of the flagship “Offthe Streets, Off to School” scholarship pro-gram.

Since 1986 when PIA head Mona LisaYuchengco asked Roby, a personal friend, toset up and head PAAFI, thousands of childrenof drivers, laundrywomen, carpenters and la-borers, who did not have enough money tosend them to school, have benefited from thePIA-PAAFI program.

“We want to show them that in their so-

WHO was Roby Lopez?His death at the age of 42 de-

prived the younger generation ofLopez family members and LopezGroup employees of the opportuni-ty to know the man known for hislove of the arts and his philan-thropy expressed by his enduringwork at the Lopez Memorial Muse-um and the Phil-Asia AssistanceFoundation Inc. (PAAFI).

Roby took after his father’s in-clination for art and philanthropy.In a 1996 newspaper interview,Lopez Museum consultant Dr.Rod Paras Perez said: “He did notjust collect artworks; he helpednurture the milieu that wouldmake art thrive.” It was during Ro-by’s stint as director of the LopezMemorial Museum that the insti-tution acquired works by contem-porary artists and had various pub-lication projects; he wanted themuseum to be “a vibrant, livingspace.” This vision is being con-tinued by his niece, MercedesLopez-Vargas.

Meanwhile, his work of sendingurban poor children to schoolthrough PAAFI (see related story)is being continued by his sisterPresy Psinakis.

His siblings, niece and friendsfrom school, those who were fortu-nate enough to have known RobyLopez, share their fondest memo-ries of the brother, the uncle, theclassmate who touched their lives:Manuel M. Lopez

“Roby and I were very close.We were the youngest brothers andwe more or less grew up together.He was a very bright boy and hehad plans of serving the country byjoining the Foreign Service. Hestudied Chinese history and hisdream was to be assigned somedayto China. He always obeyed anddid errands for all of us, he nevercomplained. He loved traveling,visiting museums and historicalplaces. He was a very special sonand brother.”

Presy L. Psinakis“Roby had a very sunny disposi-

tion with his round face and smilingeyes. After EDSA 1, I told him, ’Ro-by you’re so bright, you’re probablythe brightest among my brothers.Why don’t you take care of one ofthe businesses?’ And he said, ’If youlet me handle any of the businesses,I’m going to give them away.’ Hewas very generous by nature and nottoo keen about making money. An-other memory I have of him is thatas a 10-year-old boy, he loved play-ing mahjong. After school, he’d sitbehind our mom who would beplaying with her friends. He’d ask,‘Mom, aren’t you tired? Don’t youwant to rest? I can take over.” Hewas always hoping to get Mom offthe table and sit in her place. Thatwas a source of amusement for us-Mom, her friends, everybody.”Cedie Vargas

“His name alone evokes manyvivid memories of his infectiouslaughter, the warmth of his person-ality, his happy disposition, hislove for life and his genuine kind-ness and concern for not just hisfamily but for all those around himas well. He possessed so much loveand joy and shared that limitlesslywith the family. He was totally un-selfish and had the kindest disposi-tion. He was uncle, friend, media-tor and godfather to us all. It washis vision for the Lopez Museum’sart collection to be of equal impor-tance to that of its Filipiniana li-brary holdings. Today, the Museumis recognized by scholars as one ofthe most important repositories ofboth fine Philippine art as well asrare Filipiniana archival material inthe country. He is and always willbe very much alive in our heartsand in our memories.”Gabriel Lopez

Roby was a very private person.We were classmates from Grades 2 to7 at the Ateneo Grade School. Hewould get embarrassed whenever myother classmates teased him, "Anak ka

pala ni Eñing” ("So you’re the son ofEñing”) because he did not like tobroadcast that he was the son of a richman. His concern for the poor wasvery much part of his character. Whatmade him different was that he wasgenuine about helping. I consider Ro-by as the quintessential Jesuit “manfor others.” Handa tumulong (Readyto help) without the publicity.Felipe A. Santillan Jr.

Roby Lopez will always be re-membered as a soft-spoken andwell-mannered gentleman who en-joyed sharing what he had withothers. I will never forget the birth-day party he had at his home some-where in Dewey Boulevard. I re-member the swimming pool, thegood food and the motorized mini-cars. I remember the gift I got evenif it was not my birthday. I also re-member the trip to the Lopez Mu-seum, the nice paintings and otherdisplays. My memories of Robywill always be with me and will al-ways be good.Buddy Firmacion

The last time I saw Roby was atour get-together in a house in SanLorenzo. What I vividly recall ishis great simplicity and humility. Iwas shocked to see him riding in alow-cost Nissan Sentra when hecould very well afford the most ex-pensive cars. I wish more peoplehad his “down-to-earthness” andpureness of heart.

September 17 coastal cleanup with BPPC volunteers in Bauang, La Union

At the Sept. 24 cleanup in Isla Verde

At the Sept. 16 cleanup in Sta. Rita, Batangas


German Month ’05 celebration continues this October

‘Zero-In: Constructs’-A visual feast of genresFirst Gas Holdings Presents

‘HewnTerritories’Until January 2006Gallery, Lopez MemorialMuseum

TRAVEL writer William Least Heat-Moon oncesaid: “Whenever we enter the land, sooner or lat-er we pick up the scent of our own histories.”

Whether this history is long or short, per-sonal or otherwise, traces of it remain in theform of the vegetation we plant, the work wedo on the land and the structures we build,among others. These activities we do alone orin conjunction with others, and affect the waywe see the land.

“Hewn Territories” asserts that we imposeourselves upon the places we behold visually,breathe in, move into and live within. Featured inthis exhibition are works of 19th century Filipinomasters Juan Luna and Felix Resurreccion Hidal-go. This exhibition ties in with the ongoing “Zero-In” exhibition “Juan Arellano: Drawing Space.”

The Lopez Memorial Museum is at theground floor of the Benpres Building, Ex-change Road corner Meralco Avenue, OrtigasCenter, Pasig City. Museum days and hours areMondays through Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.,except Sundays and holidays.

For more information, call 631-2417 oremail [email protected].

“ZERO-IN,” the consortium of thecountry’s leading private museums,presents a series of exhibitions thatrevolve around a term that con-verges conceptually as imagined re-ality (’kän"-str&kt) and imagina-tion made real (k&n-’str&kt).

Strengthening their partnershipby building on each other’s areas ofexpertise, the Lopez Memorial Mu-seum, Ayala Museum, Ateneo ArtGallery and Museo Pambata ngMaynila harness the potential oftheir collections and public programsto create a front that defies social de-volution: Constructing constructswhich form a symbiotic whole.Lopez Museum“Juan Arellano: Drawing Space”October 6, 2005-April 8, 2006“Juan Arellano: Drawing Space”explores the dynamics of space inrelation to memory-making andacts of self-imaging. Threadedthrough by pictorial anecdotes inthe life of the modernist painter-ar-chitect, the show coaxes visitors toconsider Juan Arellano’s (1888-1960) work by summoning inter-sections of relationships betweengeographies of built structure andpsychological terrains visited andthus virtually possessed. It brings

together landscapes and midscapes,which make for disjointed accountsof flight-diaspora and restless habi-tation in pursuit of one Filipino’sconstructed sense of self.Ayala Museum“[IN]VISIBLE”Art installation by Gabriel BarredoOct. 13-November 6, 2005Gabriel Barredo continues his ex-plorations with kinetic sculptureand assemblage with “[IN]VISI-BLE.” The show takes Barredo’ssurrealist juxtapositions from therealm of the uncanny to the etherworld of the sublime, combining

icons from Christian and Easternreligions into intriguing emblems,creating objects which take view-ers on a multisensory journey intothe artist’s fantastically baroquemental universe. Reality and fanta-sy collide as texture, movement,light and sound are assembled in adesigned theatrical environment.Ateneo Art Gallery“A/P: Analog Playground”Oct. 19, 2005-January 20, 2006The state of contemporary artmarked by its move towards cy-berspace inspired the Filipinoprintmakers behind Ateneo Art

Gallery’s exhibit. The nine—Vir-gilio Aviado, Benjie Torrado Cabr-era, Ambie Abaño, Pablo BaensSantos, Amiel Roldan, Sid GomezHildawa, Marina Cruz, Noëll ElFarol and Eugene Jarque—profferalternative modes of produc-tion/reproduction which straddlehuman and mechanical interven-tion. The nine banded together toassert their desires in the imagina-tive playgrounds of the analog; thisexhibition investigates various no-tions of retrograde resistance to the“electronization of sensibility.”Museo Pambata“Junk Art Carnival”October 27, 2005-January 15,2006An exhibition of works done byRomy Gabriel, the “Prince ofJunk,” at Museo Pambata ngMaynila culminates the “Zero-In”series. The show features carnivalminiature rides made out of recy-clable materials—a creative wayof presenting the waste disposalcrisis. By combining the conceptsof art and recycling, it is hoped thatthis exhibit will allow children todiscover the importance of pre-serving the environment and itsnatural resources.

Juan Arellano’s Christ Down theCross (above) is part of the LopezMuseum exhibit; a Gabriel Barredoopus (left) at the Ayala Museum

MERCEDES-Benz has pioneered the use ofabaca banana plant fibers as an exterior carcomponent in its three-door A-Class, a com-pact model sold in the global market. The useof the fibers for the spare tire compartmentmarks a first for exterior use for Mercedes-Benz.

Manila Cordage, a Philippine producer ofsemi-finished materials, supplies the fiberswhile Swiss automotive supplier Rieter man-ufactures the components.

Abaca fibers have a very high tensilestrength and are rot-resistant. They have avery good ecological balance combined withexcellent technical properties, similar tothose of glass fibers. Up to 60% energy sav-ings can be achieved with abaca fibers, sig-nificantly reducing carbon dioxide emis-sions.

Research engineers from global automak-er DaimlerChrysler, which owns Mercedes-Benz, first patented a mixture of polypropy-lene thermoplastic and abaca fibers in 2002.

Since January 2004, DaimlerChrysler hasbeen working on a public-private partnershipin Leyte together with the German Invest-ment and Development Association (DEG)and Hohenheim University. The goal is toachieve sustainable planting of abaca busheswhile optimizing production processes forabaca fibers.

This year, DaimlerChrysler, Rieter andManila Cordage were presented by the Jour-nals and Exhibitions on Composites (JEC)Group with the JEC Award in the category ofGround Mass Transportation for their inno-vative use of the fibers in car underbody pro-tection.

There's abacain your

Mercedes-Benz!

Did you know?

Porsche Car ShowOctober 7-9, 200510 a.m.-10 p.m.Rockwell Power Plant MallThese are the racing carsmade for the streets. No othercar combines luxury and driv-ing experience in a more un-compromising way.

ental Hotel.” “Oom tah tah”the night away with the Bavar-ian Sound Expressas they pro-vide Manila with authenticBavarian entertainment. Tick-ets via The Mandarin OrientalHotel. Call 750-8888.

Art Contest/Art ExhibitOct. 8-15, 200510 a.m.-10 p.m.Ayala MallThe exhibit features works byFilipino artists in response tothe question, “What is Ger-many all about?” Awarding ofart contest winners will be onOct. 9 at 3 p.m.

Bosch SiemensHausgeräteOct. 14, 200510 a.m.-11:30 a.m.Mapua Institute ofTechnology, Intramuroscampus, AV-RoomGerd Strobel of BSH will leada discussion about environ-mental and corporate re-sponsibility. The companyhas developed a plant oilcooking stove that conservesresources and protects theenvi ronment . BSH is theworld’s third largest manufac-turer of home appliances.

The Ambassador’s CupGolf TournamentOct. 15, 2005Mount Malarayat Golf andCountry Club, Batangas

Poems” and the forthcomingfollow-up, “The Moment WeMet." Call the Goethe-InstitutManila at 722-4671 to 73.

Digital VideoBroadcasting:A seminar on DVDtechnology by Rohde &SchwarzOct. 19, 20051-2:20 p.m.DLSU College ofEngineering, W. ShawTheater at William HallMichael Bola and Noel Edeleonof Rohde & Schwarz Philip-pines Inc., will present “The Fu-ture of MPEG2 and DVD Tech-nology: Bringing Digital TV toYour Mobile Phone.” Rohde &Schwarz has been developingand marketing electronicproducts for the capital goodssector for the past 70 years.

Expo of Germanproducts and servicesOct. 21-24, 200510 a.m.-10 p.m.Glorietta Activity Centerand Ayala MallExhibition of companies, prod-ucts and services and pro-grams by German Develop-ment Assistance organizations.

"The Correspondents"Oct. 3 & 10, 2005ABS-CBNWatch the special episodes of"The Correspondents" on Oct. 3and 10. Correspondents KarenDavila and Abner Mercadohighlight the rich history andculture of Germany while theydiscover the Filipino storieswithin. Abner joins the Okto-berfest celebration, the biggestpublic festival in the world, andvisits the birthplace of PopeBenedict XVI in Marktl. Then,Karen and Abner unveil the sto-ries of the successes and failuresthat Filipinos in Germany haveendured—a croissant chainowner, "Miss Saigon" artists andGerman-wed Filipinas. Travelthrough Germany via "The Cor-respondents," right after "TheInsider" on ABS-CBN. Replays onANC at 7 a.m. on Saturdays and1 a.m. on Mondays.

The Mandarin Oriental’sOktoberfestOct. 7-8, 2005Starts 7 p.m. at the NBCTent, Fort BonifacioP 1,750 (includes 1 mug)The celebrations would neverbe complete without the “Ok-toberfest by the Mandarin Ori-

Goethe-Institut Manilapresents finest jazz byEsther KaiserOct. 16-17, 20057 p.m. at The Podium andRCBC Plaza AuditoriumFree admissionEsther Kaiser will performsongs from her album “Jazz


FROM THE CORPORATE WELLNESS PROGRAM

It's never too late to quit!What's in your cig?DID you know that there are about 4,000chemicals in tobacco smoke? These include:• Acetone is widely used as a solvent, for ex-

ample, in nail polish remover.• Tar,a mixture of chemicals (formaldehyde,ar-

senic and cyanide, to name a few). About 70%of the tar is left in smokers' lungs when theyinhale cigarette smoke, and this causes seriouslung diseases.

• Carbon monoxide (CO) combines withmolecules in the blood that are supposed tocarry oxygen; this makes breathing more dif-ficult. Up to 15% of a smoker's blood may becarrying CO instead of oxygen, whichmeans the heart has to work harder.

• Ammonia is found in cleaning fluids.• Arsenic is a deadly poison used in insecti-

cides.• Formaldehyde is used to preserve dead bodies.• Cadmium is a highly poisonous metal used

in batteries.

• Shellac becomes a wood varnish whenmixed with a form of alcohol.

• Benzene is used as a solvent in fuel andchemical manufacturing.

• Cyanide is a deadly poison.

SPORTS

Ruy Lopez opening ischess' most playable

Now open: BenpresFitness GymLOPEZ Groupf i tness buffsdon't have to gofar to get theirregular dose ofexercise as theBenpres FitnessG y m a t t h eground floor oft h e Benp r e sBuilding nearEast Parking isnow open for membership.

For a one-time nonrefundable membership fee of P500and monthly dues of P500, a member can take advantage ofthe topnotch facilities and equipment of the gym. The first-month dues will be waived for the first 50 applicants. Sogather your colleagues and sign up for group exercises suchas Tae Bo, aerobics and body pump, and bodybuilding pro-grams for men and women.

Gym hours are from 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Mondays to Fridays;8 a.m.-12 nn on Saturdays; and from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on pub-lic holidays.

For program and membership information, call Maricarde Guzman at 449-2385.

ErratumIn our September issue story, "‘Laro Tayo, Kapamilya’

winners," the last paragraph should have read:"Meralco ended up as the 'Laro Tayo, Kapamilya'overall champion with six points, followed by theSkycable/Pilipino Cable and ABS-CBN teams as firstrunner-up and second runner-up, respectively."

The photo captions correctly identifiedSkycable/Pilipino Cable as first runner-up.

‘Lakad Mo, Pangarap Ko’now nationwideON October 8, 2005, Knowledge Channel Foundation Inc.(KCFI) will hold “Lakad Mo, Pangarap Ko 2: NationwideNa!,” a 5-kilometer walkathon for education in key Philip-pine cities—Manila, Cebu and Davao. It is for the benefit ofthe public elementary and high-school student beneficiarieswho will use Knowledge Channel as a vital learning aid.

Joining the walk are Piolo Pascual and other top artistsfrom ABS-CBN Star Magic, students, employees, govern-ment officials and members of the academe.

Walker participants of "Lakad 2"will pay a registration fee ofP200, which will serve as their donation to KCFI. The MetroManila leg of "Lakad 2"will start 7 a.m. at the San Lorenzo RuizPlaza at the Luneta and end at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay.

Organizations and companies are encouraged to send del-egates to "Lakad Mo, Pangarap Ko 2: Nationwide Na!" Formore details, contact your HR department.

By Raul J. Sol Cruz

THE Ruy Lopez opening was popular-ized by the Spanish friar Ruy Lopez deSegura in his 1561 work "Librio del Aje-drez." After more than 400 years, it isstill one of the most playable systems asattested by its 60 appearances in WorldChampionship matches from 1908 to2000, producing 20 wins for White, ninefor Black and 31 draws.

The main line is 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3Bb5 a6 and Black's move was originallyknown as the Morphy Defence. The ma-jor variations are the Exchange 4 Bc6;Modern Steinitz 4 Ba4 d6 5 O-O d6; Tar-rasch 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 O-O Ne4; and Closed4 Ba4 Nf6 5 O-O Be7.

The minor variations are the Classical4 Ba4 Bc5, Bird 4 Ba4 Nd4; Alapin 4Ba4 Bb4 ; Sch l i emann 4 Ba4 f5 ;Bayreuth 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 Bc6; SpanishGambit 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 d4 and what we canconsider the Filipinos' pride, the TorreGambit 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 O-O Be7 6 d4 b5 7ed4 7 e5 Ne4 8 b4.

Wilhelm Steinitz, the first official worldchampion, immortalized the Ruy Lopez byplaying it in eight of the 10 times hewaswiththe White pieces against Johannes Zukertortin the 1886 World Championship match.

Emanuel Lasker popularized the Ex-change Variation, which was later re-vived by Bobby Fischer, by winning withit in the first game of the World Cham-pionship match versus Siegbert Tarraschin 1908 where the Ruy was played inseven of 16 games of the match.

Jose Raul Capablanca, who did notgive up a single game in his 1921 WorldChampionship match versus Lasker andwho has a record of not losing a singlegame in eight years, from 1916 to 1924,has crushed the debut of the tactical 5 …d5 of Marshall that was eventually calledthe Marshall Counter-Attack.

Among the world champions, VasilySmyslov recorded the most wins with theRuy Lopez with 84 and used the ModernSteinitz in Game 11 of the 1954 WorldChampionship match versus MikhailBotvinnik en route to the title.

The 1978 World Championship matchbetween the Russians Anatoly Karpov andViktor Korchnoi in Baguio City placed ourcountry in the history of chess with thebirth of the Baguio Variation (from Tar-rasch line 6 d4 b5 7 Bb3 d5 8 de5 Be6 9 c3Bc5 10 Nbd2 O-O 11 Bc2 Bf5).

Our very own Eugene Torre registeredan impressive 9-8-2 win-draw-lossOlympiad record with it, dating from the1970 S i e g e n t o t h e 1 998 E l i s t aolympiads. His finest is with the Tar-rasch line versus then World No. 4Veselin Topalov in the 1996 ErevanOlympiad. The October 2003 WorldChess Federation or Fédération Interna-tionale des Échecs (FIDE) rating hasTopalov at No. 6 with a 2735 ELO.

Garry Kasparov, the Armenian-Jewish13th world champion, has not only playedthe Ruy Lopez with the White pieces buthas played it with impunity on account ofhis 17-27-0 record, including seven wins inthe World Championship matches spreadamong Karpov (1986 and 1990), NigelShort (1993) and Vishy Anand (1995).

CIGARETTE smokingcontinues to be the leadingp reven t ab l e cause o fchronic diseases like heartdisease, cancer, and chron-ic lung diseases such asemphysema.

Researches have shownthat people who smokehalf a pack of cigarettes aday have twice the risk ofdeveloping heart diseasecompared to a nonsmoker.Smoking produces up to afourfold-increase in the in-cidence of sudden deathand doubles the risk forstroke compared to nonsmokers.Smoking can also act with otherrisk factors like hypertension anddiabetes to increase the risk forchronic illnesses.

It may be effective to identify yourunderlying needs and to start address-ing these if you want to stop smok-ing. There are alternatives availablethat may help you quit—nicotine re-placement in the form of patches,gum, lozenges and inhalers; hypno-

sis; support groups; medication andbehavior modification.

Exercise can help an ex-smokercope with the weight gain that setsin upon quitting. Exercise will in-crease stamina and energy, raisemetabolism to burn calories andhelp curb one's appetite.

As soon as you qui t smok-ing—regardless of how long you'vebeen at it—the risk for various dis-eases begins to fall.

“Kabayan” Noli de Castro walks with Lopez Group chair OscarM. Lopez and KCFI president Rina Lopez-Bautista during the2004 “Lakad Mo, Pangarap Ko.”


CrosswordBINASAmo ba from cover to cover ang huling isyu ngLopez Link? Isa ka ba sa mga masugid na tagasubaybayng mga programa sa ABS-CBN, Studio 23 o ANC?

Patunayan na isa kang ganap na kapamilya sa pa-mamagitan ng pagkumpleto ng crossword puzzle na ito.

Answers to Sept. puzzle

DDDeee aaa rrr RRRooo sss iii eee

ACROSS1. - - - - - - Month, October

cultural event backed by theLopez Group

7. NLE operator, headed byTony Mabasa

10.First name of TMC’s as-sistant vice-president forHuman Resources andAdministration

11.Maximum allowable ----load

13.Latin for gold, abbr.14.Preposition15. Illegal cable, abbr.16.And others, abbr.18. - - Sharples, Endemol

sales director for South-east Asia

20.Big Brother, Tag.22.Phil-German Council co-

chair and Lopez Groupchair, for short

24.Advertisement26.Physical exam27.Sta. Rita30.Street, abbr.32.Award-winning program

on ABS-CBN hosted byCheche Lazaro

33.Nonprofit organizationthat provides towing ser-vices in the NLE, forshort

34.South America35.Brown - - - Series,

showcase for best prac-tices in the Lopez Group

37.Not out38.Left side, abbr.40.Used in a cheer42.Alliance of local cable

service providers, forshort

43.Asian Eye Institute44.Document signed by OML

and the German ambas-sador, for short

46. "Tago nang tago”48.Given name of head of

Oscar Awards secretariatMayol

49.Myrna Segismundo

DOWN1. First ---, company featured

in the September BrownBag seminar

2. Each4. Meralco device that com-

putes power consumption

5. A cutting tool6. RP’s most modern ex-

pressway, for short8. Mother9. Elpi - - - - , Meralco VP

for corporate communi-cation

10.“- - - - Tayo, Kapamilya,”theme of the sports eventheld at Club sixfifty

12.“Entertainment Konek,”for short

15.A division of the psyche17.Ornamental object of-

fered as a prize, as in theLopez Group Badminton- - -

18.The, Span.19.Lopez Group recognition

for exceptional achieve-ments, for short

21.Affirmative23.“Laro Tayo, Kapamilya”

champion team25.Deoxyribonucleic acid,

for short27.“Pinoy Big Brother,” for

short28.- - - - Salterio, Lopez

Link editor from ABS-CBN

29.EC - - -, MNTCtransponder

31.TMC president AnthonyMabasa, for short

32.Postscript36.Gross income earned;

Geraldine, for short39.- - - - Records41.- - - - Canlas42.Alma mater of TMC VP

Nick Manalo, abbr.43.ABS-CBN News Chan-

nel45.Airman, abbr.47.Intermediate frequency;

whether

A LOT of people sent in their questions andcomments on our September cover story onthe Tollways Management Corp., proof thatthe physical and other improvements on theNorth Luzon Expressway have made an im-pact on our readers, whether they commuteon the expressway themselves or heardgood things about it from others. More pow-er to Anthony Mabasa and his team!

Thanks to all Lopez Group employeeswho wrote in. Keep those letters coming.

ooOooKudos to the staff of Lopez Link for the in-formative and extensive TMC feature. Itreally helps regular users of the NLE suchas myself to know the people behind thecompany and also the security systemsthat have been set up in the expressway; it makes us feel very safe.Keep up the good work, guys!—Noli

ooOooHow much does the "NLE Motorist’s Handbook" cost and howdo I get a copy?—Tammy

ooOooFrom Benjie Suzara, marketing services manager of TMC: For nowwe have copies that are complimentary. The second version, whichhas the revisions, will be for sale. We have not finalized the cost yet,but it shouldn’t be expensive; less than P100, for sure.

ooOooDo you happen to have an online or soft copy of the article “BigBrother is in the NLE” as printed in the September issue of LopezLink? I intend to share the information on the forum boards of acar club that I’m a member of.—JV

ooOooWith regard to the story “First Gen ESOP gets SEC nod” in yourlast issue, I would just like to clarify whether employees of otherLopez Group companies are allowed to buy First Gen shares. Ifnot, are there safeguards in place to assure that only the eligiblepeople can purchase them? Thanks.—Vanessa

ooOooAyon kay Shirley Hombrebueno, AVP for Human Resources ng FirstGas (na subsidiary ng First Gen Corp.), merong Employee Stock Pur-chase Plan o ESPP para sa mga empleyado at mga subsidiaries oaffiliated companies ng First Gen.

Idinulog na ng First Gen sa Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)ang ESPP, na iba pa sa First Gen Executive Stock Option Plan o ESOP.

Ayon sa naaprubahang Plan Rules, ang ESPP ay para sa mga el-igible employees na nominated o awarded para rito. Ang mga ito aymanggagaling sa mga sumusunod: First Gen; mga kumpanya na hig-it 30% ng voting stock ay pag-aari ng First Gen; at mga iba pangkumpanya kung saan may pag-aaring shares of stock ang First Genayon sa pagdedetermina ng First Gen board of directors. Hiningi nang SEC sa First Gen ang listahan ng mga empleyadong qualified ateligible para sa ESPP.

ooOooAny updates on the rehabilitation of Maynilad? What doesthe DCRA mean for the company’s contractual employees?Will they be regularized?—Catherine

ooOooWe’re happy to report that Maynilad is not behind on its pay-ment obligations as per the approved rehab plan. We have a capas regard Operational and Capital Expenditure, and we aremaking sure that we are within those caps set by the DCRA.Maynilad VP for finance Phil Torio is confident that we will hit

our target revenue of P1.9 billion for 2005.The programs instituted by Dr. Estuar, on the other hand, are be-

ginning to show positive results in terms of water recovery despite theproblem of low raw water supply.

Protection for existing regular employees naturally is foremost inthe company’s agenda, but it is hoped that contractual employees willhave some measure of protection also. We’re still looking into thespecifics of the issue and will update you through this column soon.

ooOooCongratulations to ABS for bringing back “Probe” to its realhome. ABS is the only channel that can give Ms Cheche Lazaroand her team behind the award-winning show the exposure andsupport that they deserve. I hope this reunion is for goodna!—Jaime

ooOooIsa ako sa officers ng Meralco Chess club at nagko-contribute rinako sa Meralco News. Dahil nagkaroon ng Lopez Group bad-minton tournament kamakailan, naisip namin na baka pwedering magkaroon ng parehong event para sa Lopez Group. Perotinatantiya pa namin ang pagtanggap ng mga kasamahan natinsa kumpanya sa pamamagitan ng pagsulat ng mga articlestungkol sa chess at pag-organize ng mga exhibition games. Kayakalakip po ng sulat na ito ang aking article tungkol sa isang pop-ular chess opening, ang Ruy Lopez, para sa future issue ng LopezLink. Salamat po!—Rolly

ooOooThank you for your letter. Check out your article in this issue’s sportssection! Also, I’ll forward your letter to the HR Council, which wasresponsible for putting together the badminton tourney. They willlook into your request to hold an inter-company chess event.

ooOooIf you have questions, comments, opinions, suggestions and re-actions about anything and everything about the Lopez Group,please send them to Dear Rosie through fax no. 633-3520 or [email protected]. Salamat!

TRAVEL FEATURE

Bacolod City'sMassKara FestivalALL roads lead to Bacolod City in Negros Occidental, as the city celebrates theMassKara Festival for 20 days starting October 1, and its charter day anniver-sary on October 19.

Here's a partial list of the fun activities in store for visitors and tourists:Majika MassKara—Oct. 5-31

Masks by Bacolod artists Dennis Ascalon, Charlie Co and Nunelucio Al-varado are on display at the Gallery Orange in Bacolod CityMassKara Festival Queen Beauty Pageant—Oct. 9 (Talent Night); Oct.13 (Pageant Night)MassKara Dance Parades—Oct. 14 (Schools Category); Oct. 15 (Baran-gay Category); Oct. 16 (Open Category)Pasundayag sa MassKara—Oct. 17

MassKara Fantasy Costume ShowStreet party and concert

Countdown to Charter Day Mardi Gras Party—Oct. 18Bacolod City's birthday bash promises to be the biggest street party ever

with bands, giant screens, light shows and pealing church bells.For those interested in joining the fun, Griffin-Sierra Tours can pack-

age a trip to Bacolod City with hotel accommodations at L’Fisher Hotel(P2,500.00 per night, single, and P3,000.00 per night, double; and air-

line via Philippine Airline (airfare at P4,896.00). Booking is valid forone month only.

Griffin-Sierra also offers these pre-holiday discounted tour packages,which are valid until Oct. 31, 2005 (quoted rates per person):Hong Kong Package with optional Disneyland Tour (4 days/3 nights):US$297Bangkok Package (3 days/2 nights): US$ 253Singapore Package (3 days/2 nights): US$280Kuala Lumpur Package (3 days/2 nights): US$347Kota Kinabalu Package (3 days/2 nights): US$354Phnom Penh, Cambodia Package (3 days/2 nights): US$486Tokyo Package (4 days/3 nights): US$1,015Brunei Package (3 days/2 nights): US$345Taipei Package (3 days/2 nights): US$401US Tour Packages

San Francisco (4 days/3 nights): US$920Los Angeles (5 days/4 nights): US$1,275Guam (3 days/2 nights): US$273For more information, call 898-2451 to 57 or email Reservation@Griffin-

Sierra.com.ph.


Editorial Advisory Board Boo Chanco / Danny GozoExecutive Editor Rosan CruzContributing EditorsCarla Paras-Sison (Benpres)Maite Bueno (Meralco)Estela de la Paz (First Gen)Leah Salterio (ABS-CBN)Jess Matubis (Maynilad)

Marlene N. Ochoa (MNTC)John Rojo (BayanTel)Juno Chuidian (Beyond Cable)Joseph Uy (ABS-CBN Publishing)Vienn Tionglico (Rockwell)Frances Bumanlag (AEI)

Circulation Lucy Torres (Tel. 449-2468)Editorial and Layout IPI Creative Business Unit

LopezLink is published by Benpres

PR Group, 4/F Benpres Bldg.,

Ortigas, Pasig City

Telefax: 633-3520

For feedback, please email:

[email protected]

ROCKWELL FINDS

A WELL-loved German gift brand known forits original designs and top quality items as wellas the latest healthful offerings from a Filipinofavorite are our Power Plant Mall picks for themonth of October.

Nici ("niki"), which generates enthusiasm inpeople of all ages around the world, is exclusive-ly distributed in the Philippines by Humor Post.

Pancake House, on the other hand, has com-bined low-fat, protein rich ingredients into appe-tizing concoctions of vegetable salads that areboth tasty and South Beach diet-friendly! Trythese salads at Pancake House at the RockwellCenter:

Asian Salad. A mix of tropical island flavors-pomelo, shrimps, tofu cubes and coriander leavestossed with lettuce and fresh turnips and cucum-ber. This salad comes with delicious Asian vinai-grette.

Summer Salad. A colorful vegetable combi-nation of lettuce, carrots, mango, bell pepper, cel-ery and olives topped with spicy bangus. It isserved with lemon vinaigrette.

Fruity Salad. Fresh ripe mangoes, avocado,grapes and papaya on top of lettuce and cucum-ber, tossed with cheddar cheese cubes, olives andcroutons. It is served with a dollop of originalcreamy lemon and mustard dressing.

Western Salad. A mix of lettuce, young corn,asparagus, tomatoes, cheddar cheese cubes,turnips and olives, spiced with roasted chickenstrips and hardboiled egg. It is served with a may-onnaise dressing and mustard.

Fresh food finds,German gems

at the Power Plant Mall

Asian Salad

Summer SaladFruity Salad

Western Salad

Max and Milly. Gray sittingelephant with magnets andmouse from Nici. P1,439.00

Wild friends. Nici lion andtiger picture frame inpolyresin, with box. P719.00

THIS October, StarStudio cele-brates the biggest stars in the coun-try today: Bea Alonzo and thehousemates in the hit reality show"Pinoy Big Brother."

StarStudio treats its golden girlBea with four dreamy debutantelooks that say she's all grown up.The birthday girl reveals she is fi-nally allowed to date, can nowlearn to drive and that she hopesto do a European tour soon.

Meanwhile, learn about thescandals, confessions and sob sto-ries of Uma and company withSSM's ultimate guide on every-thing "Big Brother." SSM digs intothe housemates' past and present,and clues you in on the secrets ofthe "Pinoy Big Brother" house.

Other features include thehomes of TV host Paolo Bedionesand champion singer Erik Santos,celebrity retoke stories, bandsHale , Orange and Lemons,Spongecola and Cueshe and the re-al score between Heart and Echo.

For more celebrity lifestylenews and features, grab yourStarStudio now.

BBBeeeaaa aaannnddd ttthhheeehhhooouuussseeemmmaaattteeesss iiinnnSSStttaaarrr SSStttuuudddiiiooo

HERMÉS scarves for chillyflights and comfy Ferragamoloafers for all the walking, handymoisturizers and carry-all bags-find out what Manila's leadingfashionistas pack on their trips tolook good all the time, even aftertranscontinental flights!

WORKING Mom magazine is proud to have no less thanSharon Cuneta-Pangilinan on the cover of its October issue.Sharon has been lying low to give way to family matters butstill found the time to talk to Working Mom about losing

weight, not going back to showbiz andother things that you mustdefinitely read about.

Talking about must-reads, this month, WorkingMom magazine also tacklesthe business of buy-and-selland why it could work foryou. If you want to raise chil-dren who are matipid, checkout the "Growing Up" section.All this and more in the Octo-ber issue of Working Mommagazine. Get one from yourfavorite newsstand.

GGGeeettt tttooo kkknnnooowww ttthhheee ''' rrreeeaaa lll '''MMMeeegggaaassstttaaarrr iiinnn WWWooorrrkkk iiinnnggg MMMooommm

HHHooowww tttooo ttt rrraaavvveee llllll iii kkkeee aaa fffaaassshhhiiiooonnniii sss tttaaaiiinnn MMM eee ttt rrrooo

Fashionable beauties Angel Jacob, Iza Calzado, AngelAquino, Sara Black, Ciara Marasigan, Amanda Griffin, GeniPsinakis and Rissa Samson grace our cover as the agelessbeauties leading Ponds' "Youthopia" crusade.

In the juicy "Metro Talk," wags talk about women who mar-ry for name and money, and how they do it. Get the lowdownon popular diet pills and whether or not they can do you moreharm than good. Plus, learn from our handy guides to dealingwith every kind of hair problem, the best jeans on the market,and the most gorgeous empire-cut gowns for formal affairs.

All these and more in the October issue of Metro, the mag-azine for the independent woman, available at selected mag-azine outlets and newsstands nationwide.

The Family Wellness Festival:Get your tickets now!DON'Tmiss the first ever FamilyWellness Festival tak-ing place on the weekend of November 12-13, 2005!

Enjoy the crafts for children, teens and adults, thehealthy-cuisine food court, healing centers, wellnessbazaar, workshops, organic marketplace, exotic birdand reptile shows and a lot more. For dads, there willbe workshops on camping tools and accessories, gar-dening, hydroponics, fishing and carpentry. Kids canspend time papermaking, finger painting and doingorigami. Teens can go for wall climbing, rappelling,aerial challenges and others.

The festival opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m. To capthe evening, enjoy concerts in the theater-style open-airpavilion. A jazz concert featuring Bituin Escalante, Jacqui

Magno,MitchValdes, UP Jazz Ensemble andVerni Vargawill be on Saturday, Nov. 12. A neo-ethnic artist musicevent with Grace Nono, Joey Ayala at ang BagongLumad, Pinikpikan, Makiling Ensemble, Chin-ChinGutierrez and others and will be on Sunday, Nov. 13.

The Family Wellness Festival is organized byABS-CBN Foundation to foster wellness of mind,body, spirit and environment. Proceeds will go "Ban-tay Kalikasan," for its rehabilitation efforts to saveLa Mesa watershed.

Get your tickets for P150 (excluding concert tick-et) and P500 (including concert). For information,call 415-2272 loc. 4551 or email [email protected].

What’s new from ABS-CBN Publishing this October:

Benpres Insurance: The 'little' company that could

Documents