What next?

Boy, this world is changing faster and faster all the time. But the terrorist threat hanging over all our heads has really quantumed this change by leaps and bounds! I mean the speed at which once seemingly attractive industry sectors have become unattractive is absolutely ridiculous! One moment, folks don’t give a second thought about taking an airline flight. Hey, it’s the safest way to travel, right? The next moment, the whole industry structure is collapsing, with massive layoffs and looming bankruptcies for even the mightiest airline companies globally. A friend of mine was just telling me that one can now get an economy ticket from New York to Los Angeles and back for the princely sum of $75! Is this for real?

It’s not just the airlines that are adversely affected, as we all know by now. All the other industry sectors along the airline value system have eroding profit outlooks as well, from hotels and resorts, to theme parks and retail stores, down to your neighborhood mom and pop. The whole hospitality and leisure sector is deteriorating literally overnight. And now we have the anthrax attacks via snail mail. Many in the U.S. are now paranoid about opening their regular mail. While a large and increasing chunk of our correspondence is now handled electronically via e-mail and fax, there is still a considerable amount handled the traditional way. And of course, parcels and packages can’t be handled any other way for now (no tele-transport a la Star Trek yet). The delivery service companies like Fedex and DHL, and post offices worldwide will be affected. Just think of it, how does one screen letters and parcels for microscopic biological agents? This would certainly involve layers of new steps, procedures, equipment, and a slew of other factors, and all this adds up to more costs which will eventually be passed on to the customer. I believe postal rates will probably go up significantly in the medium- to longer-term as new security measures are implemented, and I don’t believe big government can sustain a subsidy program, not for the post offices and certainly not for the airlines.

With snail mail rates going up, one would expect a huge jump in e-mail and faxes, that is, for those who have access to a PC or a fax machine. Who knows, maybe PC sales go up as people switch to electronic means to communicate. But even opening one’s e-mail can be hazardous, as some of us painfully know. Terroristic acts are not the monopoly of the physical world. The digital arena hasn’t been spared. And the scary part is that these cyber-attacks are getting more sophisticated, deadlier, and more difficult to eradicate. At least online, only your PC and its contents get zonked, but no physical harm befalls you. Well, so far anyway.

I hate to be an alarmist, but at the moment, I just can’t help myself. Just think of all the possibilities! I won’t name them, but I’m sure your imagination can figure out some other possible scenarios. Totally new layers of costs are going to be added for everyday activities, in the name of beefing up security, among others. And that’s going to make a whole slew of other industries less attractive, maybe even downright terrible! These terrorist actions, I hate to admit, are now shaping in a big way how we live our lives, how we conduct our business, how we walk the dog, maybe even how we go to the bathroom! The world is coming across new dangers that even the best security firms never ever dreamed of, like this anthrax via mail scheme. What next?

Ateneo vs. La Salle

I must say a few things about that Ateneo vs. La Salle Championship series. It was truly memorable. While the favorite La Salle eventually won, the series proved to be highly competitive, with all the drama, action, ups and downs that all sports fans would appreciate. And it was also kind of interesting to see all those corporate bigwigs at the patron and lower box seats forgetting their corporate problems for the moment and yelling their lungs out for their respective teams. If you are an Atenean or a Lasallite (or is it Lasallian now?), this championship was truly escapist – I mean, it sure made me forget about my worries for at least a few hours.

By the way, I’m an Atenean myself. I caught the first game on TV, saw the second game live while sitting on the La Salle side, and watched that final game live as well but this time seated on the Ateneo side. In the first game, my wife and sons caught me shouting and scolding the TV box. They thought that was hilarious, but I wasn’t laughing. I was determined to watch the second game live but only managed to get seats on the La Salle side (great seats though). It was kind of interesting trying to cheer for the Blue amidst all that Green. To be honest, I was a bit apprehensive at first. But as the game progressed, I just couldn’t control myself anymore and I started cheering louder and louder, until in the last few minutes, I was shouting pretty loud, swinging my arms, and high-fiving my companions. But I must say I was very impressed with the fans of both schools; both showed great demeanor and sportsmanship. I was particularly touched when we were singing the Ateneo school song at the end of the game, and the whole La Salle side from patron seats to rafters were all clapping.

Of course, watching that third game from the Ateneo side was special. I saw some of my old school friends who I had not seen in over a decade. I saw corporate friends as well. A lot of the "dignitaries" were already at the coliseum before 4 p.m., a full hour before the game. Literally, top management decisions were put on hold that afternoon and early evening as CEOs and Presidents from Ateneo and La Salle were out in full force. I was cheering and shouting right from the start. My father in-law, Bob Garcia, went to both schools. In Game 2, while we were seated on the La Salle side, he cheered for La Salle. For Game 3 and seated on the Ateneo side, he cheered for Ateneo. In both cases, the team he cheered for lost. My Tito OV (Espiritu), a diehard Atenean, almost lost his voice (he almost lost it as well in Game 2). It was worth it. Game 3 was a classic, with superb heroics and emotion from both teams. Too bad my team lost, but my hat off to La Salle for their championship effort.

I’ll look forward to next year. It would be really great if the "dream" championship happens again, and we have a chance to get even. Hopefully, the series will be just as competitive and just as much fun as this one was. And oh yes, I’ll tell my father in-law to cheer for La Salle.