A visionary entrepreneur in a war-torn nation

When I was young, I recall seeing from my windowpane beneath the clouds an endless carpet of green on my flight to the twin forest concessions of Bislig Bay Lumber Co. Inc. and the Paper Industries Corporation of the Philippines (PICOP) in Surigao del Sur. An American colonel, Andres R. Soriano, who had the foresight to build his business empire here after the war and Japanese occupation, formed these two companies. The soldier-turned-entrepreneur saw the possibility of a fortune that could be made here out of the rubble the war left our country in. He saw potential in the place and the people and thought to pursue his business interests in the country. He knew that the country could benefit from its abundant natural resources such as responsible forestry and mining. 

This visionary built up a host of companies in the country over the years from Philippine Airlines to San Miguel Corporation. He also spearheaded Bislig Bay Harbor, PICOP, Philippine Herald, Atlas Consolidated Mining Corporation, People’s Bank and Trust Co. (forerunner of BPI), Phelps Dodge and several others. Through his hard work and those of his sons, many of his companies became the byword in business and industry and well-known household names. His sons continued this legacy, although his eldest left the country because he had been disillusioned and angry that there were allegedly corrupt officials in the government who would not let their businesses advance without under-the-table side deals. The younger brother eventually took over and ran the family firms. Though their family empire has not fared too well with the younger generations, their patriarch definitely made wise investments and saw potential in the Philippines despite the ravages of the war.

It was the perfect time for business boom in post-war Philippines. Soriano Sr. invested in the country, and it was at this time after the war, that the Philippines rose from the ravages of the times to become the second richest country in the fifties second only to Japan. It was a good time for the country and for Japan who had advanced to become second only to the United States. For those who were alive at the time I’m sure they can easily remember that our exchange rate was only two pesos for every dollar and we could easily buy imported candies for mere centavos. The country was doing well and the population was only 19 million. A bus or jeepney ride could be had for 10 centavos and the cost of living was reasonable with many people being able to afford the things they wanted. Those were days I’ll never forget.

Today, I find myself living in an entirely different world. This is especially true for those like me who have lived through several decades and have literally seen the world change before our very eyes. I recall the time when our family lived in India where my father was posted as assistant press attaché in the Philippine Legation at New Dehli. My mother had taken a short trip back to Manila and brought back with her a new discovery by the Japanese, a wireless Sony transistor radio. Our family, along with Indians working at the embassy, were amazed at the clarity of the radio and there was excitement in our house that evening as we fell asleep with our new find.

It was small things like this that brought us incredible joy and amazement back in those days. Now, new inventions and new innovations appear to be cropping up every day. We truly live in an electronic world and little by little these digital devices have become the cornerstone of our existence. I remember when the first computers came out. This was quite a shock to those of us who were so used to writing on our pad papers and typing out stories on Olivetti typewriters. Since then, laptops have arrived and they get smaller and more powerful every quarter. Now, along with these are iPads, tablets, mobile devices and every means of gadget to keep connected. My daughter cannot last a single day without her phone. She apparently does everything on it. She gets emails, replies to emails, checks her schedule, gets on social networking sites, and basically gets all her information from that little device.

It’s amazing to me all the avenues now that people have to stay in touch. From writing letters in the mail we now have Internet messaging, Facebook, Twitter, and many more electronic innovations that I can’t even understand. I find it difficult to keep up with the advancements in modern technology because every time I start to begin to understand something, something new comes along. There are even books now for the computer illiterate or “books-for-idiots” and it’s a lot like learning to read and write all over again.

And this modern world is invading every aspect of our lives. It’s not just adults and working professionals who have these new gadgets. The kids of this new generation are also technology savvy as well. My granddaughter, who is six months shy of turning two years old, knows more about the iPad than I do. She knows how to access her cartoons and her games on her mother and grandmother’s tablets and becomes very excited every time she sees these devices. They are as appealing to her as a doll or a stuffed animal and she watches her favorite cartoons on these devices as much as she watches them on television.

It’s a brand new world, indeed, for me, but I guess that the only thing truly constant in this world is change and that this is the one thing that will always hold true for everyone regardless of when they were born. The world I knew is very different from the world today and I’m sure the world my daughter knows will be very different from the one her daughter will know in the future. Things are always destined to change. The best we can do is hope that they bring with them the valuable lessons of the past and change for the better.