No, that’s not CR as in Customer Relations. It’s CR as Filipinos know it—Comfort Room.

It seems Filipinos use this unique term for the bathroom. The British call theirs the loo, while Americans call theirs the restroom or the toilet.

Now how’s your establishment’s CR? Believe it or not, CRs are now being reviewed in CR Diaries, a unique section of the online city guide Spot. Those that look nice, clean and smell good are praised, while those that need improvement are singled out.
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SAY MARIKINA and one of the first things that comes to mind is shoes. It’s no secret that Marikina-made shoes are of good quality. Former First Lady Imelda Marcos has thousands of them, as can be seen from the shoe museum in the city. Marikina is the shoe capital of the Philippines.

The shoe industry in Marikina was said to have started in 1887 by Don Laureano Guevara, also known as Kapitan Moy. According to the Marikina city government website (http://www.marikina.gov.ph/PAGES/history2.htm), Kapitan Moy bought a pair of imported shoes and asked his workmen to duplicate them. Soon, many other residents learned shoemaking and the rest is history.

The website also says that as of 1983, 70 percent of shoe production in the country can be traced to Marikina. Shoes from Marikina have also penetrated the foreign markets.
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I WAS astounded as my friend almost cried over the phone a couple of weeks ago. She is the head of a trading company in Manila and just discovered that her most trusted assistant had been taking money from the company for the past six or so months. The amount: over P1 million already. And it all happened right under her nose.

My friend is a kind person and trusted her assistant greatly. Whenever she had to go out of the country or out of town, which happens at least once or twice a month, her assistant would oversee the day-to-day operations of the company.

This assistant has been with the company for over two years already and has shown herself to be reliable. She had great administrative skills.
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By Marielle Nadal

Starting any venture is always exciting. There’s the idea that lights a fire under your backside; the one that gets you all worked up you can’t sleep. Then there’s the stage of infecting others with the idea, and the idea snowballing into something with legs. Then there’s the high of pulling it off, the shared ecstasy of doing what you love, and for social enterprises—seeing the results, and the impact of what you’ve helped bring about. Then, there’s the equally important satisfaction of issuing yourself your first paycheck no matter how small.

After the adrenaline rush dies a bit, and the back-patting stops, the reality of sustaining a social enterprise begins.

Two years ago, we were crazy kids who just wanted to make the world a better place by exercising whatever God-given, UP-trained talent we had as graphic designers, writers, photographers, web designers, animators and filmmakers. Two financial grants later, with a hefty number of projects under our belts (which fluctuated in size through both the lean and the happy times), and enough anecdotes to make for interesting presentations, we’ve learned that though circumstances sometimes point otherwise, the possibilities never end.
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Because Filipinos are really outstanding, it’s no wonder that Pinoys are making waves in other shores.

Rico Hizon is now a topnotch anchor at British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), while Josie Natori is well respected in the fashion scene around the world as head of the Natori fashion empire. The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) awarded both personalities the BPInoy Awards for overseas Filipinos last Friday, October 3, at ceremonies held at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel. The awards were presented by BPI Director Fernando Zobel de Ayala, BPI President Aurelio R. Montinola III, BPI Senior Vice President Teresita B. Tan, and Secretary Marianito Roque of the Department of Labor and Employment.

“BPI is privileged to share and celebrate the success achieved by Overseas Filipinos who have truly demonstrated inherent Pinoy values,” said Montinola, “the same values that catapulted them to world renown bringing honor and recognition to our country.” The bank started honoring outstanding overseas Filipinos via the BPInoy Awards three years ago to encourage nationalism among Filipinos abroad and to communicate the bank’s commitment to excellence in the service of overseas Filipinos.

“Receiving the BPInoy Award is a particularly significant recognition for me because I feel that my life’s work has been acknowledged and my passion, validated,” said Hizon, “I am incredibly blessed that my work allows me to do what I love and I am very grateful to BPI for appreciating what I have accomplished.”

“Josie strongly believes that to be Pinoy is to be sipag, to be tipid and to be mapagmahal,” said Natori’s mother Angelita Cruz who received the award on Natori’s behalf. “She is deeply committed to these values and the guidance they have offered and continue to offer in her life.

“What I admire most about the two awardees–aside from their excellence in their respective fields–is their common mission to help uplift the Filipino. Hizon has been promoting Filipino art in Singapore where he is based, while Natori has her factories in the Philippines providing jobs to many Filipinos.

May there be more like them!

Photo on top shows: BPI SVP Teresita B. Tan, BPI Director Fernando Zobel de Ayala, 2008 BPInoy Awardee and BBC broadcast journalist Rico Hizon, BPI President and CEO Aurelio R. Montinola III, Angelita Cruz (mother of 2008 BPInoy Awardee and international fashion designer Josie Natori), and Secretary Marianito Roque of the Department of Labor and Employment.

Photo on left: Josie Natori