The theme for this year’s PACIBER meeting is "Insourcing, Outsourcing, Offshoring". The last time the Philippines hosted the PACIBER annual meeting was in the early ‘90s. Because of the negative publicity about the Philippines, it took two attempts by the DLS PS GSB delegation to get this conference back to the Philippines.
While in Cebu, I met sportsman Antonio (Tony) Aldeguer in his newly opened boxing gym called Fight Club in Banilad Town Center. The gym is a 300-square meter facility which, like Aldeguer’s gym in Talamban (in the outskirts of Cebu City proper), is spic and span and is run by an ex amateur boxer who Aldeguer arranged to be a college scholar at the Southwestern University.
The timing of my visit to Aldeguer was almost impeccable. We saw each other at 2 p.m. at the Fight Club. A few hours before the meeting, Aldeguer’s ward, Rey (Boom Boom) Bautista, in an awesome display of firepower and athleticism, annihilated Nicaraguan Robert Bonilla at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The bout was the main under card of the controversial Marco Antonio Barrera — Rocky Juarez title fight.
The Bautista-Bonilla match, scheduled for 10 rounds, ended in 2:36 of the third when referee Pat Russell declared that Bonilla failed to beat the count. Bautista, 19, decked the 31-year-old Bonilla with a combination of body and head blows. It was the 20th straight win of Bautista and the 15th inside the distance.
It would be an understatement to say that Aldeguer was happy over Bautista’s stunning victory. He was, in fact, elated over the results and chided me for not watching it at the hour that Solar Sports was bringing the fight to Philippine shores. I was at Mass then with a colleague, Prof. Rene (Guy) Concepcion, program coordinator of the Sports and Recreation Management program of the DLS PS GSB.
Aldeguer was later to say that he would not have the chance to brag about Bautista’s latest triumph since I did not see the fight.
Over at Talamban, in his private gym, Aldeguer talks about the 47 professional fighters now under his tutelage and the challenges he faces in making sure all these fighters have clear prospects for a better life. Although he doesn’t have to say it, it is clear that, through boxing, Aldeguer has gotten countless boys off the streets and helped mould them into productive members of society.
It is at this point that Aldeguer sheds his sports hat and talks about education and entrepreneurship. As a successful businessman/entrepreneur, Aldeguer knows whereof he speaks. His garments business is a resounding success. He has even invaded the television business and now operates Channel 28 cable TV. One of his three sons, Jay, owns and runs Islands Souvenir which specializes in gift items for tourists. Another son, Michael, is managing Aldeguer’s latest sensation, AJ Banal. Banal is 6-0 with five victories coming via knockout.
Aldeguer says that the reason Cebu "can take care of itself" is because it provides jobs through entrepreneurs who can spot opportunities and bring them to life through actual businesses. He adds that, unfortunately in our society, unless you come from certain schools, your chances of getting good jobs is diminished.
Aldeguer says, "But that need not be the case. There is such a thing as entrepreneurship. Not everyone needs to take business management in these schools. We also need short term training courses that are focused on specific skills to help the entrepreneur who did not get the business management training from these top-ranked schools." Aldeguer, 64, graduated from La Salle Bacolod in the mid-‘60’s and was regional manager of Tabacalera for many years. "I sold everything that Tabacalera had in its product inventory," Aldeguer adds.
While in Cebu, I also had a chance to talk by phone on Sunday to Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Ouano about Mandaue-based and Lucban, Quezon-born tri-athlete Leo Oracion. Oracion is the first Filipino to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the world’s tallest peak. The 32-year-old climber reached the top of the 8,848-meter mountain at 5:30 p.m. (Philippine time) on Wednesday, May 17.
I had earlier talked to Ouano during the half time of the jam-packed Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) game between Air 21 and Ginebra at the Mandaue Sports Complex on Saturday. Since it was impossible to get any conversation going between the two of us, we decided to get in touch with each other the next day, Sunday.
Ouano regrets the fact that Oracion, without his (Ouano’s) knowledge, had gone to his office to ask for support for the mountaineer’s assault on Everest. Ouano says that it was a junior staff that Oracion talked to. Ouano found out about the request when Oracion, who I was told, worked in the food and beverage department of the Mactan Shangri-la, had already left for Nepal.
Ouano says that the city government will provide Oracion with P25,000 in recognition of his extraordinary feat and give the tri-athlete a hero’s welcome when he comes back next month. On this score, it is felt that all three Filipinos who climbed Everest Oracion, Erwin Emata and Romeo Garduce — all deserve to be feted as heroes. GMA 7 had the good sense (and displayed the quality of sportspersonship that is becoming rare nowadays) in congratulating all three by saying that it was the Filipino that won and that their feats brought honor to the country.