If they can, why can’t we?

We have not quite recovered from the ramifications of the series of political disasters that have rocked our nation. Like it or not, this non-stop political bickering is one big reason why we continue to be a laggard in our part of the world, behind Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and now even Vietnam. And then typhoon Milenyo slams us, and it looks like we are going to feel its effects for a very long time. In our little village alone in the urban south, it took us six days before we had power, and water. Now I know how it feels to live in a remote barrio untouched by modern conveniences like lights, TV and running water.

Speaking of God-forsaken places, much of the African continent still falls under this dubious umbrella. Like us, Africa has mineral-rich hills and endless fertile lands. They have powerful rivers capable of providing hydro-electric power to electrify their remotest provinces. Yet, it remains just a promise, because a Kleptocratic class has ruled it for decades. It all started in 1973 when Dictator Mobutu Sese Seko nationalized much of the vital industries then held by a number of foreign investors. These enterprises, reportedly costing around $1 billion, were distributed among his minions and friends. It would not have been so bad if these businessmen continued with the profitable run of these businesses, but they instead milked them dry and literally plundered their inherited companies.

For three decades, hope seemed a distant mirage for these people, until a new President, Joseph Kabila, who has been running a transitional government since 2002 seriously went about uniting a fractious people. He started by uniting warring rebels, thus effectively putting an end, no matter how precarious, to the conflicts. Now, the Democratic Republic of Congo is being viewed by the international community as the newest source of profitable ventures.

Vodafone, a leading telecoms giant, has invested heavily in Congo. It has forged a profitable partnership with a local South African telecoms company which has sunk in something like $225 million in the telecoms industry. Telecommunication is always a promising venture for developing nations, and the pioneering companies always take a foothold, and get a huge share of the young market. Hanging on to it is another matter, but Vodafone has a reputation that precedes it.

Another company that is investing heavily in Congo is mining giant Phelps Dodge. Keenly aware of the mineral-rich hills of Congo, this copper-mining company set up tent in Kalanga. Phelps Dodge, incidentally, landed no. 27 in the 2006 list of fastest growing companies in the United States, posting a three-year annual rate rank of 199 percent. The company has headquarters in Phoenix.

Sensing the country’s great potentials, the aggressive Citigroup has also opened a branch there.

But perhaps one of the most inspiring stories of faith involves an Indian national named Rajesh Nambiar. He took up where multinational giant Unilever left off. Apparently dismayed at the chaotic state of the country, Unilever left behind its operations involving soap, detergents, foodstuff and oil. The business climate was dismal to say the least.

Nambiar took over the production of these necessities in 2002, and the long-suffering people of Congo were just about fed up with poverty and misery and ready to take up with whoever would lead the way.

Nambiar moved to Congo in 1996, a period that would go down in recent history as one of the worst times. Inflation was recorded here at 9,800 percent. He cut his teeth in his native Mumbai selling electrical motors, and set out for the unknown which is Congo armed with thousands of Yamaha motorcycles which he hoped to sell here.

Today, he has a thriving business empire. His consumer products are delivered to every village through his fleet of 30 trucks, 20 pick-ups, nine barges, four boats, and hundreds of Yamaha motorcycles.

The international community looks at the possibility of investing in the Congos in around five years, but Nambiar took the plunge ahead of the pack. The risks are still high. In fact, his insurance premium is so high that it is enough to finance a medium-sized business. He is also unperturbed by the 2005 survey which declared that the country had the worst business environment. If this is so, why are the multi-national giants slowly trekking to the Congos?

It helps that internationally-renowned figures like ex-President Clinton raise funds and awareness for the African nations. The wealthiest man of Scotland has pledged sustained support, along with Rupert Murdoch of New York Post, and celebrity Barbra Streisand. Now more and more people are sitting up and taking notice.

If Congo can rise up from the ashes, I believe the Filipino is much more resilient. We too have been steeped in poverty for so long, and while poverty is an intractable problem, we hope the multinationals find their way back to the country, if we can build international trust and confidence again.

Cebu Pacific reacts positively

A while back, we wrote about the dismal loss of punctuality of Cebu Pacific in its recent flight, starting around April this year. In the spirit of fairness, we are reprinting part of the letter of Ms. Candice A. Iyog, Marketing director of Cebu Pacific Air, who was writing in behalf of Lance Gokongwei who was abroad at the time. Ms. Iyog apologized and said that, "Our current flight delays are caused mainly by the closure of one of the two runways at the Manila airport (runway13/31). Because of this, our planes are forced to incur additional taxi times both for arrival and departure. Our on-time performance is further aggravated when unavoidable operational matters occur." She adds that, since runway 13/31 is due to open on Sept. 15, "…this will improve our on-time performance significantly."

A reader who works for Cebu Pacific offices in Cebu and who just signed herself as Ms. Cebuana also wrote to thank us "for a very well-pointed commentary "…Your article was cut out and posted on our memo board so all staff could notice and read it. Obviously, Cebu station management has read it first. Congratulations for you have opened their eyes wider about the problem. We know they are not blind. They just need correctional eyeglasses maybe (he-he). Some people become farsighted they sometimes overlook the obstacles nearest them that could make them stumble. Anyway, bottom-line of this e-mail is that I want to thank you Sir for understanding us employees. Passengers/customers like you make the work of employees like me less stressful amidst greater pressure from work". I’m pretty sure that sooner, not later, as service-oriented as we are, we can serve you more effectively and efficiently."

She ended by saying she hopes to see our family again in their Cebu Pacific flights. Well, I hope we see an improvement in the airlines’ punctuality. The e-mails and texts we received from readers after this column was published just show how many people were pissed off by this showing. Here’s to a positive reaction from Cebu Pacific.

Mabuhay! Be proud to be a Filipino.

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