Stomp!

Who has seen Stomp might fantasize over a janitor job! Sweeping floors, tapping brooms, and drumming garbage cans has never been so entertaining! It is incredible what sounds can come out of a concerted and choreographed house cleaning job!

The 100-minutes performance of only 8 people was an animated communication between audience and performers with not a single word uttered. It struck me how the audience of a sold-out Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) responded to the claps and rhythms of a single man on stage. Synchronized! Very interesting, looking at it from a communications angle.

The group surely did their homework in localizing the show. The audience cracked up laughing when one of the guys came on stage with a Baguio broom! For non-Filipinos: a Baguio broom has a short handle (makes you bend over all the time) and a very soft brush. He tapped the broom a few times, of course a futile attempt to get a sound out of it, then left the stage artificially disappointed. Great!

I had seen Stomp in Boston more than ten years ago. I remember my fascination back then and I felt the same way this time! Simply amazing!

Airport Tales...

Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA 1) was just rated the worst in the world. Unfriendly personnel, lack of proper waiting and entertainment facilities were only some of the negative impressions recorded. In a questionable management style NAIA 1 manager denied the customers' moods. With this 'living in denial' attitude we can rest assured that nothing will improve in the years to come.

Then there is NAIA 3, the 'new' airport. NAIA 3 is a perfect example for corruption and miss-management. The German Fraport lost I don't know how much of its investment in this infrastructure improvement project. Even the German government is getting involved, urging the Philippine government to settle the issue. Flexing its power muscle, the German government froze funds for foreign aid and investment to the Philippines.

For years, the brand new airport was sitting idle, closed, awaiting a resolution. The legal battle is still ongoing but at least it's operational. However, it's mainly used by the budget airline Cebu Pacific for domestic and international flights.

Based on my experience this morning, going from Manila to Cebu, I'd rate this airport the worst, too.

But I should be fair. It's not the airport but Cebu Pacific's lack of managing the processes for check-in, boarding, luggage claim etc. Although I was at the airport 1.5h ahead of time, I was ushered into the 'late check-in' lane. The staff managed to keep me waiting for an hour to check in! And it's not that the line ahead of me was long. When the girl checked for 'late checkers—approaching me!—I told her that this is an absolute disaster. She assured me to "remind them". I told her: "Don't remind them, change it!" Permanently!

Cebu Pacific is bragging that 'the number of passengers increased in Q3'. Of course! With PAL being unreliable these days, fighting with striking employers and increasing competition, Cebu Pacific is eating PAL's lunch! It’s not so much a matter of choice but rather a matter of “getting there or not”. We don't fly with Cebu Pacific because we love the annoying 'Sky games' where you can win a cheap pouch if you are the first to raise a picture of your mother-in-law, or because we pay 80 Pesos 'web admin' fee if we book our flight ourselves! Charging for my own effort and no service in return. Am I missing something here?

All worked up over these issues my morning took an unexpected positive change. Ready to board, the ground staff announced they 'experience an exceeding volume of passengers'. The flight was overbooked. Now they scrambled to get 'volunteers with a flexible flight schedule'. In return, they'd give away a free round trip.

Sure! Being quick, spontaneous, and flexible as I am, I volunteered (after making sure I'd be booked on the next flight, only 40 minutes later!). At the end I ended up taking the flight I originally wanted, but was told it's fully booked... Another great example of Cebu Pacific's management style. At least I'm somewhat appeased with a free domestic round-trip ticket to any location! Palawan, here I come!!!

Wealth creation before wealth distribution

Cliff Venzon, reporter for Manila-based newspaper Business World, came up to me for a short interview after my SCOPE presentation at the Asian Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility (AFCSR) in Manila, October 18 to 19. The next day I found myself gaining some media mileage in the local newspaper.

The three underlying "SCOPE" principles I stated--first, harness companies' expertise in wealth creation; second, work in the interest of the company; and third, create mutually beneficial partnerships--to Cliff and his readers, needed additional explanation.

Cliff is not the only one who raises an eyebrow, especially in times of outspoken public unrest towards the corporate world, when I speak of serving company's self-interest and increasing corporate wealth.

Occupying Wall Street was a topic often raised during the two-day conference. Cliff anchored his article on this undefined and random gathering of a handfull of people in various locations around the world. I personally think it's like comparing apples and oranges. Company's engagement in alleviating poverty in developing countries by furthering economic growth and bursting stock market bubbles can't be discussed in one breath.

This is where I draw the line between "creating" and "non-creating" industries. A company producing a product is engaged value creation. The finance sector and stock market, juggling numbers based on perceived values and people's emotions, creates nothing but bubbles (which sooner or later burst).

In the context of poverty alleviation, companies are asked to give a share of their created value to people who, for one reason or the other, are not participating in value creation (for example the farmer who lacks proper knowledge, technology, or market access). But how long can a company invest its profits into causes which are not contributing to value creation? Not long. This is the typical unsustained one shot dole out concept inherent in charity, which I call the Robin Hood principle (taking from the ones who have and giving it to the ones who don't have).

Before wealth can be distributed, it has to be created. Therfore, my job is to enable the farmer or small scale producer to become an economically active member of society. So he can earn from what he creates and sustain himself eventually.

My experience implementing the SCOPE program for the past five years throughout the Philippines have taught me the following:

The people who are experts in wealth creation are business men. Therefore, I tap their expertise to help me identify a sustainable business model for my communities.

For the bussines man to share his expertise, time, and resources with me and my small scale producer groups, there has to be something in it for him. I work in his self-interest by solving a supply problem along his value chain - my foot in his door.

For the trade-link to be sustainable it has to be economically viable and at the same time socially empowering. That's what I call a mutually beneficial partnership.

These three truths turned into the three underlying SCOPE principles. And guess what?! They work!

SCOPE on Stage

The scope of SCOPE is expanding. Not just throughout the Philippines. During the Asian Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility (AFCSR) my SCOPE program faced and convinced an international audience. SCOPE is an approach to embed producer groups into the value chain of Philippine-based companies, thus creating jobs and income opportunities. With more than 35 implemented projects since 2004, SCOPE has become a brand name, and a source of insight.

I felt both, proud and honored, when the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) invited me as a speaker for this year’s AFCSR to share my experiences in a session titled 'Identifying Opportunities to Create Shared Value'.

Already, the discourse about the concept of Creating Shared Value is distorted. Too much emphasis is put on the word “Shared”, instead of the important word “Value”. I therefore opened my presentation with a quote from Michael Porter, a renowned Harvard professor and expert on “Strategic CSR” and now, the concept of “Creating Shared Value”.

He said: “The real opportunity is to figure out how we can create more value and therefore the farmer will actually be rewarded for the reality of participating in creating more value. But not through charity, but by actually expanding the pie. By creating economic value but also creating social value at the same time."

I like that quote because he pinpoints the essence of economic and social development: the need to enable people to become productive members of society. For one reason or the other—lack of market information, lack of access to technology, lack of skills—some people are left out of the loop. Integrating those people into the local economy is what helps them improve their skills and income situation, while at the same time improving the business environment for local companies who are in dire need of raw materials, and skilled labor.

More than 80 people listened to me explaining the heart of SCOPE: the Value Chain. How can we talk about wealth distribution without talking about wealth creation? Nodding heads and approving facial expressions during my presentation proved the SCOPE approach right.

It seems the days of philanthropy and charity often dubbed as 'Corporate Social Responsibility' (CSR) are finally over. People realized that taking from the rich and giving to the poor--which I call the Robin Hood principle—is not a solution to fight poverty or advance a developing country. It creates dependencies among the recipients and an unnatural strain on companies’ competitiveness.

Unfortunately, that is what various groups—NGOs, civil society groups, foreign aid agencies—used to promote. Under the cover of CSR, companies all over the world were 'asked' to invest parts of their profits into social programs, detached from their core-business, and without any bearing to their bottom lines.

Today, the corporate sector is acknowledged for its expertise and competence to expand the pie. At least in Mr. Porter’s and my world. The rest of the world will hopefully soon follow.

Confession of a coffee addict

When Starbucks started to aggressively promote its new product—instant coffee in a sachet—I thought the company has to be kidding!

Why on earth would a spoiled Starbucks coffee drinker like me switch over to instant coffee? For convenience? If so, there are plenty and much cheaper options on the market. So why push into that well established instant coffee market with an overpriced product?

Knowing a thing or two about the coffee industry, especially here in the Philippines, I know that the instant coffee business is huge in revenues! I do see Starbucks' agenda to get a piece of this pie. I do not necessarily agree with its product diversification though, which I consider a watering down (literally spoken) of the coffee quality Starbucks is known for.

Or so I thought. The promo sachet which was forced onto me during one of my Starbucks' visits and which I took to the office, smiled at me for the longest time. I promised myself there had to be a state of emergency before I'd touch it, let alone 'brew' and drink it. Well, I guess the time has come today. Staring at my laptop screen, I was in dire need for a caffeine kick.

Since I had run out of ground coffee to brew, I sacrificed myself in the name of science and gave it a shot to try Starbucks’ instant coffee. Expecting the worst I poured hot water from the water fountain onto the dark brown coffee powder. To my surprise, no pungent smell! Alright, I thought. Smell is only coffee cosmetics. It's the taste that counts. However, even on the taste checkbox I was positively surprised! Again, no bitter and acidic instant coffee taste, which ususally lingers on your palate forever. Could it be that Starbucks actually found a way to make instant coffee not only convenient but actually enjoyable?

For all of those who, at this point, fear I went over the instant coffee edge, rest assured I didn't! The ceremony of preparing a coffee--grinding the beans, getting water, the excitement of waiting for the dark brew to be done while coffee aroma fills the room—alone is a joy in itself I wouldn't want to miss! No instant coffee can match the taste of a freshly brewed cup of coffee! Not even Starbucks'.

Celebrating Day of German Unity...

... at the 'Alliance Francaise' in Manila. Where else would a German celebrate Germany’s national day?

The days are gone when the German embassy invited Philippine-based Germans and local partners from different backgrounds to celebrate Germans Unity united. Over Schweinshaxe, Sauerkraut, Schwarzbrot, and Bier we got the chance to mingle. Not anymore.

Last year's invitation list was already reduced remarkably. Blame it to the budget cut? Or call it responsible (German) fund management?

This year the selection of guests was even more confusing and seemed rather arbitrary. (To me known) representatives from the German private sector were not invited. Selected colleagues from German aid agencies were... Shouldn't we, if ever, pamper the money makers, the job providers, the tax payers?

I guess this raises an interesting question: who should be invited to celebrate The Day of German Unity? Germans? Clearly, not all registered Germans can be fed on Embassy’s costs. Filipinos? Which signals are we sending to our Filipino partners, if they are excluded? German companies? German aid agencies?

Well, two Germans and a Filipino decided to let others bother with the answer to these questions. Instead of crying over the fact to not have been invited, we joined the French! Aren’t we all Global Citizens these days? Allez!

Day of German Unity

Today, Germans all around the world celebrate the 21st year of "German's Unity"!

For more than 40 years, Germany was divided into East and West Germany. The fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989 marked the beginning of several historic events lead by Germany's reunification and the fall of the Iron Curtain.

Despite November 9 being such the key event in Germany's reunification process, the date was not chosen as national day. Instead, we celebrate October 3rd. That's when the former GDR (German Democratic Republic or East Germany) legally joined the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany).

Berlin reunited as one city, after it had been divided into four sectors by the Allied Forces in 1945.

Before the reunification, both German states celebrated their own national days.

In the former GDR, we celebrated Ocotber 7th as our national holiday. The "Day of the Republic" commemorated the founding of the GDR in the Soviet-occupied sector of post-war Germany in 1949.

In the Federal Republic of Germany, the "Day of german Unity" (without the capital G yet) was June 17. On June 17, 1953 the Eastern German rose up against their government. This Anit-Communist move was supressed by tanks and a Soviet-led state of emergency installed over Eastern Germany until July 11, 1953.

It took another 36 years, until November 1989, and the peaceful revolution to reunite Germany and trigger the fall of the Iron Curtain.

A cat's broken tale

The 2011 Hobie Cat Traveler Series kicked off with a fancy bang at Hamilo Coast, Nasugbu! The people at the newly opened Hamilo Coast facilities fell over themselves to provide everything a sailor heart craves: strong drinks, good food, and a hot shower!

The colorful sails of 11 Hobie Cats in the picturesque Pico de Loro cove were a sight for sore eyes! Everything could have been so perfect... If only team Tiger Gambas didn't break its Cat's tail: the boat's rudder!

As beautiful as the cove is to look at, it's rather a challenge to launch the boats off from. Head-on wind and breaking waves near the shore made it almost impossible to push the boats into the water. Timing was everything. We waited for the waves to subside before throwing our full body weight onto the boat to withstand the oncoming forces. Our Cat rose like a wild horse trying to shake off an unwanted saddle! Both rudders speared the bottom of the sea. The impact broke one of the rudders right off the hull!

That was the end of race day number one (even before it began for us). On the positive side, we had the whole day to explore the resort, enjoy our nice room for a nap, and to beach-bum collecting shells and driftwood.

At 6am on Sunday, Dr. Boyet (the most able boat man at Taal Yacht Club!) together with Glenn, conducted open heart surgery on our tamed Cat. After 1.5 hours, the patient was still drowsy but restored to health and seaworthy.

Slightly traumatized we pushed out again into the open sea, which on day two was less rough. We joined two races but no matter how hard we tried, we couldn't advance beyond being DFL (Dead F@*%ing Last).

Well, looking at it from the bright side of life: it can only get better from here! More races in store for this year’s Traveler Series!