When you’re in business, you can’t afford to do an ostrich reaction to crises. No matter how much you long to stick your head in the sand and hope all that bad news will go away, the honorable and ultimately more business-friendly decision you can make is to show a grieving face and a generous hand.
Ayala Land this afternoon suffered tremendously from a bomb blast in its popular Glorietta mall. Around six hours after, a sincere spokesperson went on television saying the company will take care of all hospitalization expenses. He says that Ayala’s insurance broker will make sure there is no paperwork needed.
Huge expenses, yes. Timely and responsible, yes. If you look closely at business crises in the past ten years, these matter, especially in the long run.
Petron’s Guimaras debacle has hurt the company mostly because it took the company quite a long time before issuing an official statement. In contrast, Lance Gokongwei’s prompt assurances during the Cebu Pacific Air plane crash a few years ago allowed the public to forgive the company much faster.
It’s all about how your name and brand is your best asset. You need to protect it, especially during a crisis.
A maze exhibit in Glorietta mall in better days. (Photo: AFP).
October 22nd, 2007 at 3:58 pm
[...] Open for Business : Business in crisis: Ayala Land shoulders hospitalization costs [...]
October 21st, 2007 at 11:35 pm
[...] Open for Business : Business in crisis: Ayala Land shoulders hospitalization costs [...]
October 21st, 2007 at 6:43 am
Antipolo City – the next investment field, believe it or not!
Antipolo City has about the same number of barangays its adjoining neighbor Marikina City has. In terms of land area, the former is bigger and in population alone, Antipolo has twice as much as the latter. If we talk of a larger consumer market, with more people, there ought to be a higher pattern of supply as well as demand for goods and services. And as soon as goods and services reach Antipolo, the prices would have been jacked up a little bit to give way for a viable profit from business activity. In other words, goods and services in Antipolo City ought to be realistically higher than its neighboring or adjoining cities. Thus, nothing in the business landscape is altered – there is a common given.
Sad to tell, Antipolo City collects very little in taxes from business establishments operating within the city – a far cry from that of Marikina whose number of businesses is only relatively higher than that of Antipolo. For instance, compared to Marikina which generates some P226,000 from business tax for last year alone, Antipolo only generates P65,000, even less. Truly, there is a need to “re-engineer” Antipolo without having to re-invent the wheel. And all these, under former Congressman Victor R. Sumulong – the proverbial “superman” – are in the works. Not few foreign as well as local investors are eyeing to plant the capital seeds, as if it were, to trigger that long-sought phenomenon called the “boom and bust”. And let it come, if it will. The evolving pattern is of course one in which business from Marikina and other neighboring cities are moving toward the hills. The oft-repeated punch – “Tayo na sa Antipolo” – has never been more cool and trendy than it is today. The “influx” of good things to come are seen coming with Antipolo as the next expansion destination for businesses.
Before the year ends, City Mayor Victor Sumulong expects the preparatory works to be finished, on top of which is the unclogging of all national highways – Marcos highway, Sumulong highway, the Circumferential Road – on the principal belief that if these road arteries are clogged, no development can take place. This is deemed to have succeeded with the clearing of all structures that violate the right of way or easement as the City Government begins to strictly implement the engineering criteria set by law on national roads. In the process, not few houses, even business establishments or other such structures have to ‘deleted’ from the surface and where relocation might be necessary, even this problem is already on the drawing board. And if push turns to shove, the most doable thing to accomplish is develop a great City from its own ruins – a political culture that could have led to decay.
While it is true that by and large, the City Mayor has placed new heads of departments and offices as well as practically flashed out a lot of rank and file who are found to be mere political accommodations, it is not as if the new players can do only as much as the old. Not at all. The days and weeks and months bear watching. This early, a lot of things are about to take off. The synergy is there since Mayor Sumulong deemed it wise to have the department/program heads to undergo basic trainings on all major thematic areas in local governance with him as a participant himself. The house is thus being kept in order with that idea that if you put the best qualified people to the right job, they will deliver. And not too optimistically, every head seems to be on the delivery mood or mode, whichever. Soon enough, the synergy which is part of the City’s biological rhythm will shape the vision earlier drawn by Mayor Sumulong – a blooming city in Sitio Cabading toward that of Infanta, Quezon – dubbed as the field where the next development will take place. Call it the – the Eastern Growth Corridor – in the overall development road map. Figuratively enough, we are throwing Antipolo City into a “public auction”.
Pray tell, the finance cluster of the City Government sooner than late unties the Gorgian knot as if it were. And it did require a lot of time of study, self-sacrifice, and untiring efforts or even commitment to succeed. After all, hasn’t it been said that – “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail”. The marching order from the good City Mayor of Antipolo City is precisely to succeed according to plan. This formula is simple enough. The thing is, the program or department heads who must march to this tune – must reorganize and put in place better systems, better procedures, as well as maybe better practices in their own departments or offices.
These new directions and thrusts from the City Government, however, ought to be complimented by the participation of the private sector, let alone the businesses operating within the territorial jurisdiction of the City of Antipolo. It cannot be overemphasized that “taxes are the lifeblood of local governance”. This is not as if new taxes will be imposed, although it is well within the lawful prerogative of the City to do so now after five years of its corporate existence as a component city. Fact is, it is high time for all business establishments to pay all the taxes, fees, charges that by law are levied or imposed as anywhere else in the country. After all, 50% of 1% of gross – does not kill, does it?
Truth is, if and only if businesses from top to low only declare truthfully their annual gross sales/receipts with the City Government so that the true and realistic taxes due the city can be collected, then the business tax collected from Antipolo City can equal that of its neighbors. This does not have to be a social experiment because the social responsibility is reposed upon the companies, corporations, partnerships and proprietors operating their various business in the city. It behooves upon them to make their own social contribution. The City Government does not have to beg them to do so – it is a matter of right on the part of the City and a matter of privilege on the part of the business sector. A good marriage of the two would usher well to a happy ‘married life’.
Antipolo City is one local government unit, one community, and one family. The sugar and coffee are in the boiling cup and we do enjoin the private, business and corporate sector to give their share in building a new city – projected to develop to the tilt. We have ‘superman’ with us. Hence, the task at hand is one of giving the City Government what it rightfully deserves. In the end, your taxes go back to you. On the whole, every resident of Antipolo must do his part. Today, we mean business at the City.
PRIMER C. PAGUNURAN
Head, Business Permits & Licensing Office
Antipolo City (landline: 6970508, cellphone: 09164985265, email: nielsky_2003@yahoo.com)
October 20th, 2007 at 7:58 pm
[...] Open for Business : Business in crisis: Ayala Land shoulders hospitalization costs [...]
October 19th, 2007 at 8:30 pm
For Ayala Corp, the hospitalization expenses are “barya lang”. Anyway, their insurance company will cover the mall damages for them.
Though not their responsibilty, if they can help these people get back to their feet (where a few loss it) and walk back to their daily work life, then that is the time I will think highly of them.
Come to think of it, the security of the mall is ACTUALLY their responsibility. So what I mentioned above is a MUST for them.