MVP emerges as Phl's best CEO in FinanceAsia poll

MANILA, Philippines - PLDT chairman Manuel Pangilinan ranked first among the roster of the Philippines’ leading CEOs in the 12th annual poll of Asia’s top companies by FinanceAsia, a leading publication in Asia.

Pangilinan is concurrently the president and CEO of power distribution utility Meralco and chairman and CEO of mining firm Philex Mining Corp. He also serves as chairman of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC).

Pangilinan garnered the majority of the tallied votes from investors and analysts across Asia to lead the survey in the Best CEO category among Philippine companies.

PLDT also led in categories covering large market capitalization companies for the Philippines in the poll among investors and analysts, including Most Committed to a Strong Dividend Policy, for the fourth consecutive year.

For the fifth consecutive year, PLDT has paid out dividends equivalent to 100 percent of its core earnings, which boosts investors’ view of the company being one of the most liquid companies in the country.

“This is the fifth year in a row that we have paid out 100 percent of Core EPS (earnings per share), a significant achievement when taken in the context of our increased investment levels and heightened competition,” said PLDT president and CEO Napoleon Nazareno.

PLDT also retained its lead in the Best Investor Relations category for its unrelenting commitment to investors, raking in majority of the votes among nine of the country’s top companies for the fourth consecutive year.

“We are grateful for the continued recognition by the investor community of our efforts to maintain and strengthen our lines of communication to ensure that they are fully apprised of the direction we are taking and that they have ample opportunity to give us valuable feedback,” said Pangilinan.

PLDT ranked second for both the Best Managed Company and Best Corporate Governance categories, while placing third in the poll for Best Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Philex was also recognized among the top companies in the country for corporate governance and CSR in the annual FinanceAsia poll.

The mining firm’s chief financial officer Renato Migrino ranked second in the Best CFO category.

MPIC, meanwhile, ranked fifth in the Best Investor Relations category among the nine top Filipino companies in the list.

FinanceAsia is a Hong Kong-based publication reporting on Asia’s financial and capital markets through a daily website and monthly magazine. It is part of the Haymarket Group, the largest privately owned publishing company in the UK, created in part by Lord Heseltine, the former UK deputy prime minister.

According to FinanceAsia, the poll results will be published country by country during the course of the next week, before finally revealing which companies are viewed to be the best managed in Asia in10 key industries.