This month, we’re going international, in a manner of speaking—Latin America and Spain. If you’ve noticed, two landmarks are on our cover, the Andes Mountains and the Santiago de Compostela Camino. What is this all about?
We take a closer look Energy Development Corporation’s proud moment in South America, where it was recently awarded its first international concession, in Chile. EDC president Richard Tantoco reveals the genesis of the company’s international dream and the challenges faced by this pioneering group of Filipinos overseas. EDC and the larger Lopez Group believed—and so Filipino talent and geothermal expertise have taken their place on the world stage.
Chairman emeritus Oscar M. Lopez (OML), in his recent email to employees, hailed the Chile exploration team members for their Nationalism, for showing the Filipino way in the field of geothermal energy. The chief mentor discussed further this Value that has an especial significance to the Group. Nationalism has been demonstrated by the Group in countless ways through the years, particularly in Eugenio Lopez Sr.’s historic purchase of Meralco in the 1960s. “…At the root of my father’s nationalism is a strong belief in the capability of the Filipino… that we can be competitive with the best in the world,” OML said.
For sure, for us in the Group, Nationalism is always “in”—and we’re proud of it. In his new contest, the best essay on Nationalism gets to win an iPad, OML said. So think about Nationalism and what it means to you, and to us, collectively—we’ve got a long break coming up—and get cracking on your essay. You have until May 11, 2012 to send it in.
OML also reminds us of another Lopez Value—Wellness. In fact, to walk his wellness talk, the chairman emeritus followed the stars: this April, he trekked some 10-15 kilometers a day to cover a segment of the Santiago de Compostela Camino in Spain, an 804-kilometer trail which is said to lie directly under the Milky Way.
The HR practitioners of the Group are busy spreading the good word and spearheading the rollout of the Lopez Values. Using a specially designed blueprint, the HRs spark a give-and-take with employees on how they understand and apply the Lopez Values. Take a first look at two of the visual aids used by the HR Council in the Values cascade on page 9.
Power Plant Mall obliges the travel bug by putting together a short list of things you might want to take on your summer holiday. Griffin Sierra Travel Inc. touts Malaysia, a shopper’s haven that has its share of cultural attractions as well.
To keep the kids occupied, Lopez Museum’s reliable lineup of summer workshops will surely do the trick. You might even catch Reverb before it closes this April.