Highly successful people

What better way to teach success than to hear from those who have experienced or are experiencing it.

Thus, practical-minded training institutions, such as the First Pacific Leadership Academy (FPLA), have adopted unique ways to bring the experiences of leadership directly to their learners.

Focusing on experience and excellence as some of the best tools for education, FPLA assembled a highly reputable group of speakers for its “Crafting Chapters and Lessons in Thought Leadership” Program.

The institution brought in names such as Philippine-based Argentine priest Fr. Luciano Felloni; teacher and Ramon Magsaysay Emergent Leadership awardee Randy Halasan; singer and award-winning author Celine Fabie; internationally acclaimed tenor Randy Gilongo; classical violin prodigy Regina Buenaventura; eco-tourism entrepreneur and innovator Bryan Benitez-McClelland; chef and restaurateur Margarita Araneta Fores; renowned public health specialist and psychologist Dr. Margarita Holmes; and Gilas Pilipinas team captain Jimmy Alapag, to talk about their experiences that helped mold them into who they are today.

The program culminated in a staging of “Spoliarium,” a play about the life of one of the greatest Filipino artist Juan Luna, amidst themes of how experience helps form a mindset and principle on personal excellence.

From the readers

“Though I am not an engineer, but I think there is a way to solve our traffic problems.

“The EDSA traffic. The buses are traveling on a straight route. They don’t turn left or right. But private vehicles would turn right to their destination. The current situation of cars and buses crossing each other slows down traffic. Not to mention cutting into each other’s lane. The main objective is to create a “Free Flow” in EDSA.

“Since the buses are traveling on a straight path, why not put them all on the left most lane. Let them run in a single file like a train except in certain stops where they can move over to pass. MMDA can just build pedestrian overpasses for commuters to cross to the other side. The buses have a time limit at bus stops and have to move immediately after unloading and loading. The conversion of bus doors and bus stops can easily be done if all parties can plan it well. Cost wise? Bus companies can recoup the cost as their bus will have more turn around trips. Or maybe the government can find way to subsidize the cost. This is cheaper than having billions lost everyday as reported by JICA.

“As to the road network, I do believe we have government-own lands to build additional roads. One is the PNR railway. If they can let the train go below ground like a subway in key main roads the top can be engineered to provide additional road network in the cities. Underground stations can be built to provide the stops as in a subway station. These are all government land and there is no need to spend money on right of way. This also will clear the informal settlers in the railway route.

“We still have canals traversing from north toward Pasig River. On certain area, roads can be built on top of these canals. This way, we can also solve the garbage problem by removing those illegal structures on the canals.

“Streets used as parking lots. This is so simple to resolve and MMDA can’t do anything about it. MMDA should have highly trained traffic officers who are paid well.” – Wilson Lim, San Francisco, CA.

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