Oscar M. Lopez on Wellness and NationalismTo celebrate his 82nd birthday, Lopez Group chairman emeritus Oscar M. Lopez (OML) will follow in the footsteps of countless pilgrims, trekking a part of the path right under the Milky Way and following the ley lines that reflect the energy from those star systems above it.

The famous Santiago de Compostela Camino across northern Spain is a voyage that promises to reveal the pilgrim’s “deepest spiritual meaning” (camino is Spanish for “journey” or “way”). It is said that St. Francis of Assisi, Charlemagne, Ferdinand and Isabella, Dante and Chaucer were among the famous pilgrims who had walked the Camino through the centuries.

Wellness

At 100 kilometers, the Camino quest, which he began on April 3, reinforces OML’s tag as the c h a i rma n who truly walks his We l l n e s s talk.

L o p e z Group employees first put on their cross trainers for the Walk the Talk series in 2006. However, a wellness policy has been in place since the 1990s, particularly in the First Holdings Group. The scope of the Executive Recharging and Training Program was broadened to become the Corporate Wellness Program, eventually transforming into Lopez Lifelong Wellness to include the rest of the Lopez Group.

In 2010, OML’s Wellness advocacy was integrated into the Lopez Credo and Values as one of the seven distinct Values that guide the Group.

“Only by being healthy can we be of value in service to our country, to our companies, to our families, to our friends and to our society,” the chairman emeritus once said.

Nationalism

Meanwhile, in a continuing bid to live the Lopez Credo, OML invited employees in a recent email to write their suggestions on how to practice Nationalism, another Value particularly cherished in the Lopez Group.

Seemingly anachronistic now in the age of globalization, OML upholds this Value as still “relevant and important for our country.”

After all, it was Nationalism that impelled his father, Eugenio Lopez Sr., to purchase Meralco from the Americans in 1961; and his strong belief in the capability of his countrymen inspired him to install all-Filipino engineers and managers in the acquisition.

“When it was our turn to run the Lopez Group, my brothers Geny, Manolo and I expressed our adherence to the Lopez Value of Nationalism by investing in businesses whose operations improved the Filipino’s quality of life. We were also not afraid to fight for what we thought was in the national interest even if it meant standing up to political powers and sacrificing our own business interests,” OML recalled in the email.

OML asked how the Lopez Group can further demonstrate Nationalism in its daily work. He invited employees to share, in 1,000 words or less, their ideas on the topic.

The essays must be sent on or before May 11, 2012. OML will sit down with the writers of the best entries and discuss their ideas. The writer of the best essay will receive an Apple iPad.