GMA backs World Young Business Achiever Award

President Arroyo has expressed her support for the 8th World Young Business Achiever Award (WYBA) as Manila welcomes the finalists to this prestigious annual award on Nov. 27 to 29, 2002.

"I take great pride in the recipients of WYBA Awards whose exemplary achievements in the business sector have greatly contributed to uplifting the lives of our people and to bolstering our country’s growth. Indeed their collective efforts to uphold economic equity will contribute to the improvement of the lives of our peoples," said President Arroyo in a statement.

As a statement of support, the President has given consent for the use of the Bahay Pangarap Hall in Malacañang for the grand award night of the world finals on Nov. 29, 2002.

A pioneering effort that has since earned worldwide acclaim, the project aims to focus attention on the exemplary contributions of young entrepreneurs. Various heads of state and top-ranking officials, among them Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, then Prime Minister John Major of the United Kingdom, Sir Patrick Mayhew then Secretary of State of Northern Ireland, Nelson Mandela of South Africa, President Jiang Zemin of China, Minister John Bolger of New Zealand, and former President Fidel V. Ramos and President Arroyo, had endorsed the noble objectives of the WYBA in their respective countries.

In the UK, then British Prime Minister John Major lauded the worthy cause of the WYBA in 1995. "The success of the World Young Business Achiever initiative shows that these attributes are valued the world over and that a new generation of business people is ready and able to provide the corporate leadership that will be required as we move toward the future," he said.

Former President Ramos also endorsed WYBA as he stressed the value of global competitiveness in today’s economy. "The WYBA is an opportune vehicle for recognizing the excellent efforts of our young business and entrepreneurial leaders," Ramos said in a statement.

The Philippines has been a top contender in every WYBA award held since 1995. Joseph Donato Pangilinan, president of Manila Pearl and the first Philippine finalist, won the WYBA in London in 1995, besting other nominees from different countries all over the world.

In 1997, Renato Pangilinan, chief executive officer of Juventus International won the Entrepreneurship Award in Newfoundland, Canada. During the height of the Asian economic crisis in 1998, Dimsum n’ Dumpling founder Andrew James Masigan garnered the Award of Excellence in Business Strategy.

In the Philippines, the search is on for the Philippine’s bet to this year’s world finals. Nominees for the WYBA — Philippines must be Filipino, not more than 40 years old, with a track record of at least three years of successful business enterprise. The WYBA recognizes entrepreneurial excellence according to the following criteria: merit of achievement, business strategy, successful impact of management, innovation and creativity, social awareness and responsibility, communication skills.

Interested parties may call the WYBA secretariat at (632) 6874102 and 6332089 or email [email protected] or visit www.wyba.net.