So many bad news. Now for the good news!

I should be writing about the assassination of assistant city prosecutor Patrick Osorio by still two unidentified gunmen, but you can read about that elsewhere. We started the New Year with the bad news of the closure of the Rural Bank of Subangdaku (RBS). I thought it’s time we have some good news.

Kudos to the Aboitiz Power Corp. (AP) for the recognition as the “Best Managed Medium-Cap company in the Philippines” according to the December 2008/January 2009 issue of Asia Money magazine. Aboitiz Power is the 3rd business unit in the Aboitiz Group to receive an award from Asia Money magazine. In 1999 Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV) was cited as the Investor’s Choice by Asia Money magazine; while in the Year 2002 AEV and UnionBank of the Philippines were cited as the two of the best managed companies in the Philippines.

The companies of the Aboitiz Group are getting accolades from an International magazine because the Aboitizes put into their hearts and practice what we call “Good Governance” within their group of companies. Add their various Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects into this mixture and it translates to a well-run and managed company that international magazines recognize. Other family corporations could only sigh with envy. The heart of good governance means following to the letter the set of rules that the Aboitizes have set for their company. A case in point is Mr. John Ramon Aboitiz.

I met Jon Ramon Aboitiz after the New Year’s Eve Holy Mass at the Cebu Country Club. I asked him if he was truly retiring. He remarked, “In just a few hours from now I will be retired.” True enough, during a special meeting of the Board of Directors of the Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. (AEV) last week, the Board accepted the resignation of Mr. Roberto Aboitiz as the Chairman of the Board of Directors and elected Mr. Jon Ramon Aboitiz as the new Chairman of AEV. The Board also elected Mr. Erramon I. Aboitiz as the new President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AEV replacing Mr. Jon Ramon Aboitiz who reached the mandatory retirement age of 60.

But I don’t expect Jon Ramon to be whacking his clubs in the fairway soon. His heart is set on helping out the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI) with more projects to help elevate the needs of our youth, our students and prepare them to become future leaders. People like Jon Ramon really do not retire; they merely shift their focus and attention to other more important things like their CSR projects. Once again kudos to the Aboitiz Group of Companies for this recognition. You make us Cebuanos very proud!

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Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Amando Tetangco spoke before the Tuesday Club forum (my mentor Sir Max Soliven’s pet weekly forum) at the EDSA Shangri-La and told his audience that the Year 2009 will be critical for the Philippines as we all face a bleak global financial market. I fully agree with the BSP Governor that for this year, we shouldn’t be “rocking the boat” and work harder to survive. Already our export firms like Giardini del Sole, Inc. have temporarily shut down and laid off some 250 workers. How many more will shut down in the next few months, we’ll soon find out.

In the meantime, I would like for the City of Cebu to insist in pushing for more infrastructure projects in order to promote jobs especially to the poorer sector. One such project is the Guadalupe-to-Lahug road link that’s parallel to Escario St. This road link would certainly decongest Escario St. and make it easier for the people living in Guadalupe to go to Lahug without passing through the traffic congestion beside the Capitol Building. This project was prioritized when I was with the Regional Development Council (RDC-7) but somehow, it was shelved. Now it is time to resurrect this project.

We’ve always said that the second half of the Year 2009 (six months from now) will be the campaign period for the 2010 Presidential elections, so it is time for us the electorate to check on the performances of our elected officials from the Governor, down to the City Mayors and our Congressmen, including our city and municipal councilors.

Too many of our Congressmen and women constructed skywalks that the public doesn’t use. This shows that there was no consultation with their constituents on these projects. Perhaps we should remind them to do away with such useless infra projects and give each barangay a mini-park for young children and toddlers to use. But will they make this happen?