Time and time again, it is the Ateneo's pride that we hear of Ateneans
in the top brass of the country's biggest corporations. While
perhaps fewer in numbers, equally commendable are those Ateneans in the
top brass of the government. One of these "few good men"
is Gregory Domingo, the recently appointed Bureau of Investments (BOI)
Governor.
Born
and raised in Metro Manila, Domingo began his Ateneo education in the 7th
grade staying on until the completion of his degree in BS Management
Engineering in 1977. While he insists that he's not an exceptional
student, he admitted that when in comes to math, he's an expert. It is
for this reason, in addition to ME's reputation as being one of the
Ateneo's toughest courses, that he chose the said course. At a
time when ME was still a 5-year course, Domingo completed it in 4 ½ years
taking advance courses during the summers. He was one of only 17 seniors
who graduated in 1977, a batch that started with 120 ME freshmen.
Asked
about what he can recall about the Ateneo, Domingo says with a smile that
what's good with Ateneo is that the school is a total environment—that
is, Ateneans are given ample opportunities to learn inside and outside the
classroom. And so how much you can learn depends on how involved you
become in both academic and extra-curricular activities. And in
agreement to what he just said, during his time in the Ateneo he was
indeed involved—as an Aegis staffer in his 5th year, as president of the
Glee Club and managing editor of the Guidon in his 4th year, and as an
ORSEM volunteer.
His
first job took him to an advertising agency, working as a project
coordinator for a beauty contest. While according to him it was a
lot of fun for a while, he eventually moved on to more serious
responsibilities and transferred to SGV after a year. His stint with
SGV was just less than a year. However, this short time had proved
to be a worthwhile experience for him, with SGV's excellent training and
with having been able to work in the management services area doing
project feasibility studies. Thereafter, he enrolled at the
MBA program of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), completing the
program in 2 years (from 1978-1980). Immediately after was a
scholarship grant to the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton Business
School for the Masters program in Operations Research. It was then
another 15 years before he could come back to the country. He was
mostly in the New York area during his stay in the US. His stay was
marked with working for various financial institutions and investment
banks. His longest tenure was spent with Chase Manhattan bank, the
last part of which was spent here in the Philippines. It was also in
New York that he met his wife who gave him four beautiful kids. And
so, in 1995, with a growing family to raise, they decided to return to the
Philippines.
Prior
to the BOI appointment, he was the President of Carmel Rey Industrial Park
in Calamba, Laguna. Just last year, he started what was supposed to
be a 1-year sabbatical that was inevitably cut short by his appointment to
the BOI's top post. He plans to serve the BOI for 2 to 3 years or
as he says, for as long as he can afford to!
While
it is at his BOI office that he spends most of his time, you might just
catch him fishing in Batangas.
And so finally, asked on what he has to say to the Ateneo community, Mr. Domingo said that the Ateneo is a great institution as he has been witness to how it works. That is why Ateneans should consider themselves extremely fortunate to be given the opportunity to study in a great institution. As for the alumni, he encourages them to contribute something to the country and somehow find a way to devote their time and work for the government for at least a couple of years.
Pamela Isabedra and Ho Sung Lee Return from Angers, France
 |
| Pamela
Isabedra and Ho Sung Lee Back from France and still reeling from the experience! |
Pamela
D. Isabedra and Ho Sung C. Lee, both faculty members of the QM and IT
Department, have just recently got back from the Angers European Business
Semester in ESSCA, Angers, France held from January to May of this year.
The semester was given as a grant by the French Embassy to both teachers and
two other European Studies graduates.
The
European Business Semester provided 6 models wherein students were required
to take at least 12 units to graduate. The models offered were
European Finance, European Marketing, Cross-Cultural Communication,
International Trade & Law, French language, and a 6-unit European
Studies model.
They rented their own place in different student residences. "The world became smaller," Pamela Isabedra recalls on her experience in Angers. The program itself had been a great mix of not only European, but other cultures as well, with teachers and students alike coming from countries as far as Asia and Latin America. Respect for other cultures was one good thing they brought back with them, courtesy of the international friends they made. And at the end of the day, the sumptuous cuisine, the romantic streets, and the stories from Paris will never be forgotten.
Geoffrey Chua Attends Hong Kong Baptist University
Last
July 3, 2001, Geoffrey Bryan Chua, a faculty member of the QM and IT
Department, started a 3-week summer course in the Hong Kong Baptist
University (HBU). The International Institute of Business
Development (IIBD) wherein HBU is a member offers this course entitled
International Business Management in Asia Pacific yearly.
Other
courses offered by IIBD are International Business Management,
International Human Resources Management, and Business Ethics. Its
parallel institute, East West Studies, also offer culturally and
politically geared courses.
The
Ateneo de Manila University is a member of the two institutes: East West
Studies and International Business Development. Other members
include schools from Australia, Hongkong, UK and China.
Mr.
Chua's participation in the institute marks the third time an SOM
faculty has enrolled in HBU. The previous year's representative
was Ms. Jennifer Ann Lee, the Management Program Director.
There
were thirteen students enrolled in Mr. Chua's course, which is part of
the 70 students enrolled in the HBU institute. While there was
indeed so much to learn from the course, it will be the people he met at
HBU that influenced with Mr. Chua the most. It was from his
professors, that he gained new insights on teaching. And the
stringently selected cases discussed in class coupled with lectures,
student presentations and projects have made the three weeks of class a
valuable learning experience. Moreover, the cross-cultural
environment has proven instructive as he learns to accomplish projects
while dealing with the people from different cultures.
With
this worthwhile, learning experience in mind, Mr. Geoff Chua encourages
everyone to take advantage of opportunities to study abroad and interact
with people from other cultures.