Rebranding the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc.

We spent most of yesterday morning (during that very heavy rain) at the Casino Español to attend the brand launching of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI) or you can call it a rebranding with their communication partners, the media with its catchy tagline “Touching People, Shaping the Future!” RAFI’s Brand Promise is “Elevating lives through a comprehensive approach that champions best practices in community development”.

Of course my first thoughts on why RAFI needed to rebrand itself was when RAFI President Roberto “Bobby” Aboitiz pointed to us that RAFI is already 44 years old, being founded by Don Ramon Aboitiz in 1966. It was time to refocus and give the media an idea of what RAFI really stands for. Come to think of it, in my 24 years as a journalist, I had covered RAFI in the many projects it embarked, but it was the first time that RAFI held a presscon to sort of reintroduce itself to its strategic partners.

As Sir Bobby pointed out, “We in RAFI have taken a step to refresh ourselves… We’ve agreed to be one RAFI army…You are our partners… We are on a journey with you. We are brand ambassadors, though we are well aware that failing to deliver on our promise will destroy our brand, which is why our reputation is our biggest asset. As architects of change, we have a huge responsibility to the community… A lot of our work is experimental, but we do it with pride and passion.”

Indeed, it was the right time for the media to also be refreshed as to what RAFI stands for, what is their culture, how they act and how they do things in RAFI and above all, who is RAFI. RAFI Chief Operating Officer (COO) Domi Chua pointed out, “Everything we do has a purpose. We are looking at the bigger picture and refreshed ourselves having touched the people and change history…So help us to bring the RAFI story.”

I have always said that we Cebuanos are lucky that Don Ramon Aboitiz founded RAFI which continues to grow together with Cebu, helping us with their five focus areas in Integrated Development, Micro Finance and Entrepreneurship, Culture and Heritage, Leadership and Citizenship and Education. All these attributes no doubt touches the lives of Cebuanos and have truly helped shape the future of Cebu. Thanks to RAFI.

* * *

Let me say it here that Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama is dead wrong in having CITOM remove those road dividers in the middle of the Banilad-Talamban road because it doesn’t decongest the traffic in the area. In fact, one of the first observations being texted to me by my friends is that there are just too many taxicabs and other motorists making a U-turn in that place which is supposedly a double solid yellow line. This is also the same cause why there is so much traffic between the two flyovers in Ayala and in TESDA because motor vehicles make U-turns on a double solid yellow line.

The reason why traffic is congested in that Country Mall area is due to the jeepney stopping along the areas where they are not supposed to stop to pick up passengers. Now without those road dividers, you can add pedestrians crossing anywhere and everywhere they like into this chaotic situation.

In short, the road dividers did the job it was designed to do. But removing it causes more danger to other motorists because when a jeepney stops on one lane, motorists more often than not overtake on the other side of the road against traffic, which makes it even more dangerous to motorists. I would like to strongly suggest to Mayor Rama to immediate restore those road dividers before someone gets killed and sues the City of Cebu for the negligence it has now presented to motorists. In the past, the only accidents in the area are those recklessly drunk drivers who hit the road dividers as they are no longer in their proper lanes.

If Mayor Mike doesn’t want to listen to me, here’s a letter from one of our readers: “Bobit, bravo! Another good article! Removing the railings was a very wrong decision. It will not solve the traffic problem but in contrary worsening it. Discipline is what is needed from drivers but more particularly Jeepney drivers who are the main cause of the chaos on our roads. They do what they want, stopping everywhere as they decide. They don’t care about the others. They play “King of the Road”. That has to be ended without any delay.

Everyone responsible in traffic should spend more time on various critical spots before taking questionable decisions like the one about railings in Banilad. CITOM agents have to know first what the rules of traffic and driving are, then be strict and penalize accordingly. As long as there is leniency, we will go nowhere but backward and one day the traffic in Cebu will be simply impossible thus not everyone will suffer but even the economy will suffer seriously.... Jean Michaut.” I will allow CITOM do to its experiments, but it should never be at the expense of safety to other motorists and pedestrians.