The highlight of his year

When veteran journalists got to sit down with the CEO/boss of San Miguel Corporation at year’s end, one common and important question was: What is the highlight of the year?

Was it the year-end profits? The launch of new businesses? Was it hitting the targets in different companies or projects? Was it being recognized internationally for philanthropy? Is it on track development of the country’s largest airport? These were just some of the possibilities that was expected to fill in the blank. Instead, what Ramon Ang said hit everyone in the room with such sobering impact.

“That I am healthy. That we are all healthy.” Boom!

Unlike other business leaders, RSA has become increasingly health conscious through the years. In pre-COVID pre-pandemic times, he has personally witnessed family members, loved ones, as well as close associates struggle with all sorts of illnesses. Very recently, his good friend and San Miguel Beer division president Bobby Huang passed away.

RSA has carried more that anyone’s fair share of pain and loss. I remember a conversation we had back in 1994 just before the Christmas break and before his “tour of duty” in SMC. It was a year when we each lost a loved one and as he poured a glass of wine, he said: “We can have all the money in the world, we can have all the connections in the world, but it’s all meaningless since we can’t give life to our loved ones.”

In recent interviews, RSA has consistently reminded listeners that people shouldn’t spend too much time in trying to get rich because you can’t take it with you and chances are your children or heirs will just fight over it. He has also repeatedly suggested that the best investment is to give your children a good education and let them work, just like he has done with all his sons and daughters.

More recently, Ramon Ang has evidently seen the value in having regular medical check-ups that many people avoid or take for granted. During that recent merienda-catch up, RSA proudly shared how he had undergone the standard tests for people of our age and how he has passed with flying colors. But he didn’t stop there. All those present in the room have now been enlisted for a blood test similar to what he had done. Anything more than that would have violated my very personal space!

RSA’s “highlight for the year” reply certainly made all of us privately rethink our expectations and expected answers. What has been the highlight of our individual lives? For me, what comes to mind is “having choices.” We don’t think much of it but having a choice is a big deal. What to eat, what to wear, where to work, when to do something, how much you want to spend or who to be with. Having choices is equal to personal freedom that many people don’t have or no longer enjoy.

You can be one of the country’s richest persons, but that title comes with a 24-carat corporate ball and chain. Very few people realize that being in such a position of leadership limits your personal freedom and privacy. You can’t just drop everything and say, “let’s go to the beach for a week!” or just hang out in public and “be yourself.” Many CEOs, presidents and public personalities spend 90 percent of their time at work or in the office with very limited choices and freedom.

For 2024, another highlight is discovering friends or people who are there for you in rough spots, encourage you, support you and even enable you by sharing their contacts, expertise and even resources. Too often, most of us, especially the successful ones, get swept up by the work or the accomplishments that we forget or are unable to look back and acknowledge the people who were there for you.

This year, I definitely benefitted or was blessed from the kindness and generosity of others, especially those who gave me work in different forms, accommodated requests especially during the serious medical emergency involving our caretaker “Narding” who is now on the mend.

Even those who share my passion and hobby of breeding game fowl all seemed to go out of their way to cheer me on, welcome me to their inner circle of more senior and experienced Rooster Men and gift me with hard to find and high value breeding materials. In a sport where you invest years and earn your stripes, the kindness of my mentors has kept me on course.

Yes, it was a good year indeed that highlighted Good Health, Choices and Friendships and “Good” people. But I would be totally remiss and an ingrate if I fail to mention the number 1 highlight for us in 2023 was the manifest presence of God in our daily lives.

I don’t know about you, but didn’t you have those “I know that was you God” moments? Time and again, the “rare” opportunities came, prayers on our prayer list, even for others, were answered, help arrived during tense and difficult moments and, in spite of the gloomy forecasts made at the end of 2022, the economy did not sour as predicted. I remember when 2023 started, how our church Victory/Every Nation declared that 2023 would be “The Year of Miracles.”

For many, it may have sounded a bit too optimistic, even borderline religious, but we embraced it, we declared it and in hindsight, 2023 was a Year of Miracles for us in more ways than one. Truly, God was our High and our Light in 2023.

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