Sunday, January 22, 2012

Stripped Bare by Sendong: A First-person Account of a Former Iligan Mayor

By Atty Franklin Quijano

(Atty Franklin Quijano was the former mayor of Iligan City, the city of Waterfalls. He was a partymate of mine at the University of San Carlos, and I (along with two good friends,) briefly stayed in the guest house of his wife's family--the Geronas of Iligan City--in 1986. This is his story.)

For the past month, I failed to open my emails and the social network sites. Sendong took all my appetite to communicate to acquaintances, friends and loved ones in all the corners of the world.

I hope you understand such predicament. Mine is just one of the of the more than 100,000 stories but I decided to write my Sendong experience, all hoping that this will cast out all the trauma, phobia and those sad experiences. Call it psychosocial debriefing or anything but, like you, I also wish to live and claim the normal life, a life that I used to have before Sendong. I want to move on or become even better.

December 16, 2011 – Friday: Lunchtime – I, together with my wife – Titatit, went to Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte, at the behest of Father Bernard Bigornia, to honor the invitation of friends to join their official start of the Christmas celebration. As we joined the Christmas activities at the Municipal Gym, it was typhoon signal number 1 but, at the time, there was no rain at all.

We started to experience rains at 4 pm. The lighting ceremony of the Christmas trees, there were scores of Christmas trees and lanterns from the different associations, barangays and groups, were delayed until past seven pm, when the rain stopped.

We joined the dinner at the residence of my classmate – Mayor Rommel and Sonia Arnado. The discussion with Mayor Rommel, Sonia, Father Dante, Col. Gubat and his wife, together with the other visitors were so spirited that we forgot about the time. It was at 11:00 pm when Titatit reminded me that it was time to go home.

After saying our goodbyes, we, I and Titatit, together with Richel Umel, who lives in Linamon, left. I drove in a bit of haste. Rain and gust as well as several fallen trees in the road, delayed our trip. We reached home at 11:40 pm.

The house where we live is 4 meters from the river bank and I usually park the car facing the river. I saw that water was high – about two feet from the brim of the river bank. I then repositioned my car by the fence of the house as I was uneasy of the flow of the river.

When we got inside the house, we checked on the kids. Surprisingly, they were in one room. Xerxes, Yuri and Xyra were still engaged in their conversation and were wide awake, while Ziggy and Yaeli were lying down, already asleep.

After changing clothes, we went into the usual routine – we sat in the sala and checked our mails. I checked the E-mails on yahoo, then the facebook. I failed to open all the messages in the facebook as Bong – my brother-in-law – honked the horn of his car repeatedly, conveying an emergency.

The word came from the mouth of Titatit, EMERGENCY. We hurriedly went to the room of the children and ordered them to change clothes, telling them of the current situation that was threatening our home, our lives. Floodwaters may rise higher.

I was only in my shorts, the only thing that caught my sight were my cellphones, wallet and the camera (the training in construction management and law – document things, NO, not picture-picture.) I saw Yuri place the laptops at second the deck of the bunk of the kids at our room. The kids brought along their pillows and blankets, thinking that we were only finding a safer place to sleep in.

The kids were ready in no time at all, but we checked on all the household members. Uncle Lito was at his sleeping area. We had to wake him up. He was startled. He almost did not understand what we were talking about. We had to tell him of the sense of urgency.

We had to move, we had no time to argue. We simply followed our instinct.

Titatit took the car, Ziggy was with her. I took the FX – Xerxes, Yuri, Xyra and Yaeli were with me. As we withdrew from the house, I saw the water already at level of the tires of the car driven by Titatit. I saw her make several short forward and backward motions as she maneuvered. She was cautious of the water coming from the river bank.

We moved to the house of my father-in-law (which was about 500 meters upstream) but upon reaching the place, we saw that it was very dark and a tree fell on the wires. We decided to go the office at the highway. We saw my brother-in-law, Jing, and told him that they, as well as Daddy and Mommy, have to move to the office at the highway.

We rushed and reached the office, which is about 600 meters away from the river bank and about 900 meters from the Hinaplanon bridge. I had to go back after realizing that Jing was tasked to go fetch Mommy and Daddy and his kids have to be fetched.

Soon as I reached Jing’s house, water was already knee deep. I had to tell Aileen to that it was time to go with me and bring the kids. Aileen retorted by asking me to bring the kids as she was still gathering some of her things. I took Ryan and Jane to the FX but returned to their sala and, in a commanding tone, told Aileen that she had to come with us. I saw the container of rice and placed it in the FX. I was glad that Aileen conceded and as she went out the house, realized that water was rising and was already knee deep.

We all reached the office; we had so much sense of safety that we exchanged banters and teased Uncle Lito and apologized for the very demanding behavior of Titatit. I called my brother Bob, asking him to come and bring some dry clothes as we were all wet. He hesitated, verbalizing that his car may be low on fuel but stating that he would try. Bob also informed me that Cabaro, Upper Hinaplanon, Iligan City was all washed out by the floods. I asked if it was the whole Cabaro, he said that from the information he gathered, it was from the road up to the river bank.

I thought of the need to relay and/or respond to the upcoming condition through the social networks and all communication media – I called Dr. Charles Marquez. Dr. Marquez answered my call but apologized that he was in Manticao. At that point, I started feeling helpless.
The electricity was shut down not too long after. We got ready as the emergency lights went on. Seconds later water crept into the office, the place where we thought was safe. I saw lots of cellphones at the office tables so I placed all of them in my pocket. Almost at the same time neighbors: men, women children came rushing into the building, almost in a stampede, begging to be allowed in. One woman was begging to be allowed in for the sake of the children.

We had no time to argue. I told Titatit to move up to the roof deck of the office and take the children. I told her to see to it that everyone went to the end of the building so that the spiral stairway will be clear and unhampered so the flow and movement would be easier.

Daddy and I tried to manage the crowd asking the people to allow women and children first. Telling them to be patient and take their time, and told the crowd that men may move up soon as water was thigh deep.

It didn’t take long for the water to reach our thighs, I saw the contest of men, women, us included, moving up the spiral staircase.

The next scenes were even more disturbing, terrifying, distressing, horrifying, and traumatic. I have not seen such terror in my whole life.

As we reached the roof deck, we saw cars, people, objects, houses carried away by water. The highway practically looked like a 30 meter wide river. Cars were not running but floating, all carried by the surge of water. A house hit our building but in seconds it was dismantled. The office of Nestor Ong was destroyed and carried by the flood waters in three creaking counts. The building we stood on seemed like an island as the water rose to more than 3 meters high.
As focused our flashlights to other structures, we saw men and women taking turns to destroy their roof so they would be able to move to the rooftop and escape the floodwaters.

We saw people, who, unfortunately, failing to reach the building that we sought refuge from, cling to coconut trees, electric posts and basically anything that was standing strong enough not to be carried by the current of the flood. We heard men, women, children, screaming on top of their lungs, seeking help and succor – “Tabang”!!!

If you were there, you would’ve heard lots of gory, horrifying and terrifying things. Several times we heard the howl of a dog followed by a shout for help. “Tabang!!!!!” they would shout in desperation. The sound of the rushing flood water was very distressing and ominous.

The faces of the 196 men, women and children in the roof deck could be painted in many mixed reactions. Relief, anxiety, disturbance, terror, trauma, shock, speechlessness, all mixed together. Some immediately prayed and sung songs from the heart for succor and for God to save and protect us. Others became forced viewers, like in a horror movie or, least, behaving like tourists. I mustered my strength to approach the clusters of people at the roof deck and begged to join in prayers. For more than four longest hours, everyone was praying. All of us: of different faiths and beliefs.

Meanwhile, I called my sister Gina in Cebu to call Mama and Papa, and my sister Amy in Bara-as to let them move to higher grounds maybe Carbide Village. I called my brother Dodong to do the same but he said he was sleepy and that everything is normal and undisturbed in Laville. Bob called me several times. First was when he told me that he tried to come to bring me dry clothes but he saw the head of floodwaters carry the vehicles as it was coming towards his direction. So he made an immediate U-turn. There was a race between the floodwaters and his vehicle. (The floodwaters reached the home of Bob 30 minutes after that race but it was just thigh deep.)

I recall receiving a text message from my household head - Brod Monching Jayson begging me for help as his son, Dodong, and daughter were at the rooftop of their house. I could not respond to Brod Monching who was confined at the hospital. It will only make him more dismayed and intensify his anxiety. I felt even more helpless and powerless. I did not have any tool to save the family of Brod Monching at their residence in Dau. Did not have a boat, a banca, even the cars were all drowned by floodwaters. I regret it, I did not even have a rope nor any safety equipment with me. I chose not to respond to Brod Monching instead of giving him a hurting answer.

We thought it was the end of us.

I checked my family, checked the numbers, and found out: My son Xerxes and brother in law Jing was not with us. Tried to call them and found out that the phone of Xerxes was among those phones which I took from the office table and which I placed in my pocket before moving up the roof deck. Jing’s number could not be reached. I started asking everyone who last saw Xerxes (he was with us when we sought refuge in the building).

I just lost my 17 day old Aaron on October 25, 2011. I was sobbing. I could not afford to lose another member of the family. Everyone in the family was asking everyone where Xerxes was – we discovered that Xerxes went back to the residential compound and was sent for several errands, including knocking the doors and gates of neighbors to wake them up to flee the floodwaters. Bong, who was the last one to leave the residential compound, told us that Xerxes was left behind together with Jing. The information of Bong established a benchmark for us, but it was not at all that reassuring. Floodwaters were still rising. We had lots of unanswered questions.

The last conversation I had with Xerxes while the lights were still on; He was worried about Ma’am Buot whose house was downstream (in Bayug). Xerxes is a swimmer, what if he went to Bayug? What if he was not able to cling to anything or climb a tree?

Aileen started to ask Titatit if she was sure that Jing was in the compound, I started to ask Titatit repeatedly if she was sure that Xerxes was in the compound. I got her answer, according to Bong they are in the compound. It was not enough answer - I was so sad and disturbed.

Water was still up at the level at more than 3 meters flood mark, at the highway, the compound was lower, or so I thought. It was indescribable fear, terror and anxiety. I didn’t want to lose my son nor any member of the family.

Water was rising when, unexpectedly, Titatit asks my father-in-law what we would do if water rises some more that it will reach the roof deck. After several repetitions, my father-in-law was constrained to answer: there was nothing we could do! I did not know if it was an attempt to be funny or was seriously said, but he added, we connect all members of the family using the belt which will bring and bind everyone together. That was the spirit, no one was willing to give up anyone.

And the prayer went on. Some articulately prayed. Others were praying but were doing it while being stunned, startled and speechless. There was so much silence and less conversation – a lot of prayers were said and a lot of singing of songs of praise and lament to God.

At 3:45 am, December 17, 2011, the maximum of the flood mark was reached. Floodwaters started to recede.

At 4:20 am water was really going down.

At 5:00 am we all gathered to pray and thank God for saving us from the destructive flood ( Sendong) which was ready to eat us all up. We prayed to God to give us strength and prepare us for whatever negative, adverse and horrendous news and outcome this calamity will bring to our lives. We prayed to God to comfort us and heal us with the balm of peace and rest and comfort our hearts as we prepare ourselves to face the adverse consequences and losses we face a result of the catastrophic event. We prayed and thanked God for reminding us one basic lesson in Christmas – we had lives which God gave; we had lives which God saved; God sent his beloved Son to give meaning to our lives. We lost all our belongings, except our lives and our faith. It was a constant reminder, that like Child Jesus who was born bare and with nothing on in a manger, all of us, as well, were stripped bare by Sendong. We praised God.

At past five am when the water subsided, Jing and Xerxes came. They were all wet and bare but alive. They were able to climb the boom of the 90-tonner crane after realizing that there was not much they could do to protect all the different sets of equipment at the residential compound or save anything from the floods. Titatit and I hugged and embraced Xerxes, all our children joined in. On December 17, 2011, we did not have the chance to go and attend the simbang gabi but we celebrated a lot. We celebrated life. We were ready to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

Some afterthought and/or lessons learned:

A question became an angel: At 10:30 pm of December 16, 2011, while attending a Christmas party, my brother-in-law Bong Gerona called his classmate Annabelle Nabua to ask her whether she was in the internet loop. The answer was affirmative, so she asked her to look for the weather reports and see how many cm of rain was falling – the information was 15-25 cm. Bong quickly reacts, calls all the construction personnel in charge of the equipment to do all measures to protect and secure all the equipments. He goes to Dalipuga. At eleven he learns that rainfall was 180 cm., he goes home hurriedly, just in the nick of time when the water in the river banks was on the brim. He calls on all of us, including our neighbors to evacuate. We left our respective abodes and woke up all neighbors before the killer flood came. We had an easier time, so to say, because an important piece of information was made available to us, thanks to Annabelle. Had these kinds of information been shared to the populace of Cagayan de Oro, Iligan and all the neighboring areas, a lot of lives would have been saved, senior citizens, women and children, at least, would have been advised to go to safer and secure grounds.

I later learned from a Higaonon friend, that the floods struck Old Rogongon at around 6 in the evening, December 16, and water subsided at past 8 in the evening. If there were early warning systems in our community as well as a 24 hour communication net, we would have had a 4-hour heads-up. It would have been better for us.

Sendong bred so many heroes and several thousand acts of heroism. Even opening a door or throwing a stone at a house became act an act of heroism. One can not enumerate all the heroic acts, but we must appreciate and celebrate such heroism, for all these things put together, with God guiding us and on our side, became an encouragement for us to move forward. Your smile - Your prayers, help and support are all heroic acts.

Yes, there was so much grief and mourning. Earlier in October, I grieved because of the loss and untimely demise of my 17 day old son, Aaron. Sendong brought me so much grief. I lost several second degree cousins and other relatives, among whom are: Mercy, Gingging, Erika, Madelyn and other nephews and nieces. I lost friends. I lost a lot of supporters who were on my side fighting the good fight of faith. I pray to God, surrender and entrust to Him all of the victims of Sendong. I promise to put all of them in my thoughts and learn put into action whatever lessons I have from the fateful event.

We lost all our belongings but there is no other recourse but to move forward and hope that we all learn from the lessons of Sendong; Even hoping that the family, the neighborhood, the community, the city, the region and the whole nation will all put our acts together.

Thank you all for the prayers, the support, the thought, the best wishes. God be praised for all the challenges and all the lessons to bring us all to rectitude.

Be blessed, be a blessing and God bless.

.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Sony to acquire Ericsson's share of Sony Ericsson

from the website of Sony Ericsson
27 October 2011

* Sony Ericsson to become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony and integrated into Sony’s broad platform of network-connected consumer electronics products
* The transaction also provides Sony with a broad IP cross-licensing agreement and ownership of five essential patent families
* Ericsson to receive EUR 1.05 billion cash payment
* Sony and Ericsson to create wireless connectivity initiative to drive connectivity across multiple platforms

Sony Corporation (“Sony”) and Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (“Ericsson”) today announced that Sony will acquire Ericsson’s 50 percent stake in Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (“Sony Ericsson”), making the mobile handset business a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony.

The transaction gives Sony an opportunity to rapidly integrate smartphones into its broad array of network-connected consumer electronics devices – including tablets, televisions and personal computers - for the benefit of consumers and the growth of its business. The transaction also provides Sony with a broad intellectual property (IP) cross-licensing agreement covering all products and services of Sony as well as ownership of five essential patent families relating to wireless handset technology.

As part of the transaction, Ericsson will receive a cash consideration of EUR 1.05 billion.

During the past ten years the mobile market has shifted focus from simple mobile phones to rich smartphones that include access to internet services and content. The transaction is a logical strategic step that takes into account the nature of this evolution and its impact on the marketplace.

This means that the synergies for Ericsson in having both a world leading technology and telecoms services portfolio and a handset operation are decreasing. Today Ericsson’s focus is on the global wireless market as a whole; how wireless connectivity can benefit people, business and society beyond just phones. Consistent with that mission, by setting up a wireless connectivity initiative, Ericsson and Sony will work to drive and develop the market’s adoption of connectivity across multiple platforms.

“This acquisition makes sense for Sony and Ericsson, and it will make the difference for consumers, who want to connect with content wherever they are, whenever they want. With a vibrant smartphone business and by gaining access to important strategic IP, notably a broad cross-license agreement, our four-screen strategy is in place. We can more rapidly and more widely offer consumers smartphones, laptops, tablets and televisions that seamlessly connect with one another and open up new worlds of online entertainment. This includes Sony’s own acclaimed network services, like the PlayStation Network and Sony Entertainment Network,” said Sir Howard Stringer, Sony’s Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President. Mr. Stringer also noted that the acquisition will afford Sony operational efficiencies in engineering, network development and marketing, among other areas. “We can help people enjoy all our content – from movies to music and games – through our many devices, in a way no one else can.”

“Ten years ago when we formed the joint venture, thereby combining Sony’s consumer products knowledge with Ericsson’s telecommunication technology expertise, it was a perfect match to drive the development of feature phones. Today we take an equally logical step as Sony acquires our stake in Sony Ericsson and makes it a part of its broad range of consumer devices. We will now enhance our focus on enabling connectivity for all devices, using our R&D and industry leading patent portfolio to realize a truly connected world” said Hans Vestberg, President and CEO of Ericsson.

When Sony Ericsson started its operations on October 1, 2001, it combined the unprofitable handset operations from Ericsson and Sony. Following a successful turnaround the company has become a market leader in the development of feature phones by integrating Sony’s strong consumer products knowledge and Ericsson’s telecommunications technology leadership. The WalkmanTM phone and Cyber-shotTM phone are well known examples.

With the successful introduction of the P1 in 2007, Sony Ericsson early on established itself in the smartphone segment. More recently, the company has successfully made the transition from feature phones to Android-based Xperia™ smartphones. By the end of the third quarter of 2011, Sony Ericsson held a market share of 11 percent (by value) in the Android phone market, representing 80 percent of the company’s third quarter sales. During its ten years in operation Sony Ericsson has generated approximately EUR 1.5 billion of profit and paid dividends totaling approximately EUR 1.9 billion to its parent companies. Prominent models include ”XperiaTM arc” and “XperiaTM mini” which received 2011 EISA Awards, while recent notable additions to the lineup include “XperiaTM PLAY” and “XperiaTM arc S”.

The transaction, which has been approved by appropriate decision-making bodies of both companies, is expected to close in January 2012, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.

As a result of obtaining full control of Sony Ericsson, Sony will consolidate Sony Ericsson from the closing date of the acquisition. The resulting impact of the acquisition to Sony's consolidated results for the fiscal year ending on March 31, 2012 is currently being evaluated.

Facts about Sony Ericsson
Sales (FY 2010) EUR 6,294 million
Net income (FY 2010) EUR 90 million
Number of employees 7,500 (December 2010)
Headquarters London
R&D sites Beijing, Lund, Silicon Valley and Tokyo
Market share 11% in Android (FY2011/3Q)
80% of sales are smartphones (Android)
l

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Will YOU Live to be 100?

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Life is short. In the Philippines, the average life expectancy of a man is 66, according to the National Statistics Office. That of a woman is 72.

But you can stretch it by testing your Longevity IQ. Thanks to the Longevity Death Calculator of Dr David J. Demko, author and professor of Gerontology who earned his PhD at the University of Michigan.

I took his 55-item quiz and got a life-expectancy score of 73. I checked what things I could change, and my score increased to over 100.

Surprisingly, those changes are simple. Like having (or finding the time to undergo) an annual physical exam. Which increases your life-expectancy by 6 years.

Another is volunteering on a weekly basis, which adds 2 years. Why? Because studies confirm that volunteering focuses attention away from ourselves and onto others.

So does having a confidant who listens to your most intimate concerns (plus 3 years). Dr Dave believes that confidants offer emotional catharsis and a sense of personal worth to those in crisis.

Quitting smoking also adds 5 years of being with your loved ones. Though I've heard it said that smoking helps you lose weight ... one lung at a time.

Back to serious stuff, keeping a written list of specific life goals with time frames for completion also increases your life-expectancy, according to Dr Dave. So does having between 6 and 8 hours of sleep. Both sleep deprivation and excessive sleep are bad for you.

And if the time you take to consume your meal is LESS than 30 minutes--which in this fast-paced world is often a case I'm guilty of--you're reducing your life expectancy as well. The fact is, your brain requires 30 minutes to measure fullness, by which time you're often on a second or third helping.

So, will YOU live to be 100? Stop wondering and take the test.

And when you're done, remember that as your Lifeplanner, I can be your confidant who'll stand by you throughout your life, propose appropriate solutions at life’s various stages, and help you realize your dreams. That is the mission of the Lifeplanners® of Sony Life. We are the bridge to the dreams you and your family hold dear.
life plan

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Passing of Norio Ohga, Senior Advisor and former President and Chairman, Sony Corporation

from the website of Sony Global
1
Tokyo, Japan -- April 23, 2011 -- It is with great sadness that Sony Corporation today announced the loss of Norio Ohga, Senior Advisor and former President and Chairman, Sony Corporation. Mr. Ohga passed away at 9:14 AM on April 23, 2011 in Tokyo. The cause of death was multiple organ failure. He was 81 years old. A private wake will be held among family and close relatives, and a company service will take place at a later date.

Commenting on today's loss, Sir Howard Stringer, Chairman, CEO and President, Sony Corporation said, "When I first joined Sony in 1997, Ohga-san was serving on the frontlines of Sony management as Chairman and CEO. His numerous and successful endeavors were well-known both inside and outside of Sony. Witnessing Ohga-san's leadership firsthand was truly an honor, and one I continued to enjoy and benefit from in countless ways in the years that followed.

By redefining Sony as a company encompassing both hardware and software, Ohga-san succeeded where other Japanese companies failed. It is no exaggeration to attribute Sony's evolution beyond audio and video products into music, movies and game, and subsequent transformation into a global entertainment leader to Ohga-san's foresight and vision.


I offer my deepest condolences on his passing and pray that he may rest in peace."


Pivotal Contribution to Sony's Product Philosophy and Brand Image


Mr. Ohga was a student at the Faculty of Music of the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music (now Tokyo University of the Arts) when he first met Sony founders Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita. Sony's founders immediately sensed in Mr. Ohga the makings of a leader, and someone whose expert knowledge of sound and electrical engineering would benefit the company greatly. Therefore, in 1953, while still a student, Mr. Ohga was appointed a consultant and advisor to Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation (now Sony Corporation) before fully entering the Company in 1959.


After joining Sony, Mr. Ohga worked tirelessly to enhance product quality, functionality and design, while also revolutionizing the Company's marketing and advertising initiatives, paving the way for the launch of a succession of innovative and game-changing products. Mr. Ohga passionately advocated the creation of products that would be "attractive in the eyes of consumers", a philosophy that came to represent the principles of Sony's approach to design and engineering, and was key to the Company's worldwide success and growth.


Mr. Ohga, together with Mr. Morita, shared a deep understanding of the importance of brand management, and together they took every opportunity to remind employees to think first and act later, emphasizing that every one of their decisions had an impact on the Sony brand. One of Mr. Ohga's favorite expressions was, "The four letters of the 'SONY' brand are our greatest asset." His efforts to spread the spirit of that message among every Sony employee were critical to enabling Sony to become the globally recognized brand it is today.


Optical Disc Development Leading to Creation of New Markets


Mr. Ohga was also a man of vision and foresight. Anticipating the future potential of compact optical disc formats, he personally drove Sony's initiatives to explore this new frontier. During the development of the CD, it was Mr. Ohga's instincts as a trained musician that led him to push for a 12 centimeter format, providing sufficient recording capacity at 75 minutes to enable listeners to enjoy all of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony without interruption. These negotiations resulted in the CD specifications still in use today. After Sony commercialized the world's first CD in 1982, sales grew rapidly, and by 1987, CDs had overtaken LP record sales in Japan, changing the way people listened to music. Mr. Ohga's efforts to establish the CD format also contributed to the launch of subsequent optical disc formats such as the MD, CD-ROM and the DVD, which not only revolutionized the consumer electronics and music recording industries, but also other areas of technology, such as computer memory and game software.


"Hardware and software are two wheels on a car"


Driven by his philosophy that "hardware and software are two wheels on a car", Mr. Ohga also led Sony's negotiations with CBS Corp, resulting in the establishment of CBS/Sony Records Inc. (now Sony Music Entertainment Inc.) in 1968. Taking an entirely new approach to record label management, which included the record company identifying and nurturing new artists itself, Mr. Ohga successfully grew CBS/Sony into a market leader that by 1978 - only ten years after its establishment - led the industry in both annual sales and profit.


Mr. Ohga continued to push the boundaries of Sony's content strategy, venturing beyond music into motion pictures, with the purchase of Columbia Pictures in 1989. With this acquisition, the foundations for Sony's evolution into a comprehensive entertainment company were now firmly in place.


Mr. Ohga also presided over the launch of Sony's game business. The establishment of Sony Computer Entertainment in 1993 and subsequent worldwide success of "PlayStation" quickly secured Sony's position at the forefront of this industry.


Contribution to Domestic and Global Economic Development


Mr. Ohga was also actively involved in a number of industrial and commercial organizations, promoting both domestic Japanese and global economic development. As Chairman of the Electronics Industries Association of Japan (EIAJ, now JEITA), he helped to bring discussions surrounding the decade-long U.S.-Japan Semiconductor Trade Agreement of 1986 to an amicable conclusion in 1996. In 1998 he was appointed Vice Chairman of the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren), where he served as Chairman of the Committee on Administrative Reform, and later as Chairman of the Committee on New Business Development, contributing to Japan's economic development. Furthermore, as Vice Chairman of the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry he not only led initiatives to stimulate Japanese industrial development and local economic growth, but also sought to redefine the Chamber's role by promoting closer cooperation between large and mid-to-small-sized corporations, and by providing a forum to oversee the creation and development of new industries.


Throughout his career, Mr. Ohga also remained true to his calling as a trained musician, tirelessly devoting his energy to providing a solid financial base for the struggling classical music industry in Japan. He rescued the Japan Music Art Promotion (JMARP) institution which was facing the threat of closure, and was subsequently appointed Director. The organization was renamed Sony Music Foundation, and embarked on a range of new initiatives, including assisting the development of aspiring young musicians, and supporting various concerts and musical events to promote the growth of classical music as an art form.


Mr. Ohga received national recognition in 1988 when he was presented with the Japanese Medal of Honor with Blue Ribbon, and in 2001 when he was presented with the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure. Nations around the world have also recognized Mr. Ohga's achievements, with France presenting him the country's highest decoration - the Legion of Honour - and Germany, Italy and Austria also bestowing Mr. Ohga with
national awards of honor.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Your best valentine gift yet


I had the opportunity to have coffee with a Filipino-Chinese client who had a 10-million life insurance policy with us. This was our first meeting after Sony Life assigned his account to me. With another 10-million policy from another life insurance company and only two kids and his one and only wife, this client (who was just in his 40s) apparently had his most important asset--his family--protected.

In Britain, they call life insurance the last love letter. I couldn't agree more.

I quickly reviewed the policy details with him, and the one thing that stood out was that his primary beneficiary--his wife--was designated as "revocable."

In life insurance, beneficiaries can either be revocable or irrevocable. If you don't indicate otherwise, the default would be "revocable."

What is the difference? Simple, but the repercussion could cost your loved ones a huge sum of money. Up to 2 million pesos in his case.

A revocable beneficiary is someone the policy owner could change any time. The owner could also change the irrevocable beneficiary, but only with the latter's consent. So why bother?

Because the life insurance proceeds to a revocable beneficiary are taxable. And the maximum rate for the estate tax is 20 percent! On the other hand, those to an irrevocable beneficiary are NOT.

So if the life insurance coverage is 1 million pesos, the revocable beneficiary could pay up to 200,000. If the coverage is 10 million, a whopping 2 million could go to the government. Wow! I never met a widow or orphan who complained of too much money that she was willing to let go of 200,000 or 2 million.

The good news is that it's so easy and fast to change the designation of your beneficiaries. And the process is FREE, at least for Sony Life. What you really need is just a few minutes off your busy schedule to find time to contemplate on the future of your loved ones.

For those I am privileged to serve as Lifeplanner, and for those who don't have one yet, call  or text me now at (02) 577.1624 (duo), 0917.811.LIFE (5433), 0922.85.CAIRO (22476), or 0919.484.2000. This may yet be your best Valentine gift for your family.


Thursday, October 1, 2009

Sony Life offers loans to clients affected by Ondoy; extends grace period to 61 days

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We, at Sony Life, pray and hope that you and your loved ones are safe from the devastation of typhoon Ondoy. In line with our desire to assist you during these trying times, we are extending the grace period by 30 calendar days. This results in a total grace period of 61 calendar days and covers policies with due dates from September 26 to October 26, 2009.

Moreover, for those in calamity areas who are eligible for a policy loan, I will call you to confirm if you would like to avail of it. If so, you won't need to go to our office; If you are in Metro Manila or nearby areas, I would personally deliver the cash to you.

For further inquiries, you may call me at (02) 577.1624 (duo), 0917.811.LIFE (5433), 0922.85.CAIRO (22476), or 0919.484.2000. You may also email me at servedbycairo@gmail.com.

God bless us all.


Sunday, August 30, 2009

Truly professional

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In February this year, I started following the Conspiracy of the Rich: The 8 New Rules of Money. It is an online, interactive book by Robert Kiyosaki, author of the #1 bestselling personal finance book of all time, Rich Dad Poor Dad.

Launched after Barack Obama was inaugurated president of the United States, the book was written as history unfolded.

It is a must-read book, with a number of controversial assertions: "Your house is not an asset" and "Savers are losers," among others.

The good thing is that he encourages feedback; and since it is interactive and online, had promised to incorporate them into the book as it was written.

This is a feedback on a minor point. Kiyosaki doesn't like mutual funds, to which--like most of his assertions--I agree. But his generalization against all insurance people is not fair: "Never ask an insurance salesman if you need more insurance."

In his "Let's Discuss" page, this was my reply to him:

Thank you for this project, Robert. A Mensa member, I have been following the Conspiracy and have greatly benefited from it. I'd like to tell you that you are one of three authors that I respect the most, along with Anthony Robbins and Stephen Covey.

I find it quite unfair, though, when you generalize against insurance people. Many of them are probably unethical, or just after the sale, but not all. A growing number are truly professionals.

Please take a look at the Lifeplanners of Sony Life, for instance. We started with just 27 in Japan in 1979 and now we've made quite an impact--even though there are less than 4,000 of us. I'm a Lifeplanner in the Philippines, and I really tell a client not to get more insurance if he has no need (we have a software to determine that.) When a client visited us here in the Philippines two years ago, I did a financial-needs analysis and found out that her total coverage of some $310,000 (around 15 million pesos) was more than enough--because her two sons were grown up and in fact had their own jobs. I advised her to give up some of her policies.

Otherwise, keep up the good job. I admire your burning mission. Mine simply is to save lives. 
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