Today’s world is complex and complicated — the complex being challenging to understand, and the complicated being of many moving parts. It is also changing rapidly from all sectors and corners. Both the complexity and complicatedness of the world need intelligence for it to be broken down into simpler forms to be better understood — the former needing knowledge and the latter requiring experience.
Endika Aboitiz
Column
Notes by EMA: Teamwork
Teamwork is a word that is often used and, perhaps, not understood at depth. At its most superficial levels, it is about getting along. That understanding is of the concept is what those who end up last in a competition manifest in their everyday behavior – pat people on the back and tell them how great they all are, no matter what they have done.
Column
Notes by EMA: A Few Simple Qualifications in Leadership
The Aboitiz Eyes team tells me that our readers have a great interest in leadership. That is good news because, at the end of the day, we have seen that people work for people, and not for companies. We would like them to be loyal to institutions and, of course, that is an educational and cultural goal, but they work for individuals — individuals they look up to, respect, learn from, are engaged by, motivated by, and have fun. “Fun” here being so much more binding of the above than too many realize.
Column
Notes by EMA: Smart people get it + get it done
‘Snowball’ is a biography of Warren Buffet by Alice Schroeder. It is 800 pages and well worth reading. Let me zero into one of the valuable lessons I picked up from the Berkshire Hathaway AGM and the study. –EMA
Corporate Center
Values-Driven Growth: AEV and AboitizPower ASM 2019
Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. (AEV) has earmarked PHP81 billion in capital expenditures (capex) for 2019, a 65% increase from roughly PHP50 billion utilized in the previous year. The bulk of the fresh funding will be infused into power and infrastructure projects to sustain growth momentum over the long-term.
Column
Notes by EMA: How To Make Committees Work Better
Aboitiz Eyes recently published committee structure of our Group. It struck me that, as much as we do need committees to manage a business like ours, our priority is still the customer and how to make him happy. Can we wow customers?
Column
AP ManCon 2019 Closing Remarks by Endika Aboitiz
“Over the years, I have come to my premise that our most significant risk-cum-threat-cum-challenge is the law of unintended consequences and that our two most substantial assets are an engaged team that is in full attention 24 x 60 x 60 by seven.”
Column
Notes by EMA: ‘LikeWar’ – A Summary of the Conclusion
LikeWar is a book written by P. W. Singer and Emerson T. Brooking. It is about the “weaponization of social media”. I have taken pieces from the book for your convenience.
Column
Notes by EMA: Our Cognitive Biases (INFOGRAPHIC)
“Firstly, may I wish all of you a Happy New Year. 2019 just might be one of those marker years — like 1929 for Finance, 1939 for War, 1982 for wine and 1920 when Aboitiz & Company was formed.”
Cover Story
Salamat kaayo, JRA!
Perhaps, Mr. Bobby Orig put it best: JRA was a hardened Giver — generous in giving you his full attention, guidance, epic stories and jokes, encouragement, appreciation, a bear hug. As A-People, JRA was our dedicated chairman but, more so, someone who openly shared himself to all, inspiring generations of team members to be the best at what we do.
Column
Notes by EMA: FAANG’s Privacy and Control
Let us talk about privacy. The media tells us that we care about our privacy, but we really do not. People love to gossip. People regularly and unabashedly tell other people the most personal details of their lives. People put on Facebook all about their experiences.
Column
Notes by EMA: Civilization as it should be
There is a little shop in London called Sautter owned by Laurence Davis. He is an old friend of mine from whom I have been securing great Cuban cigars for a long time. In his little shop, he has four or five seats where aficionados enjoy their cigars, his company, and that of other civilized cigar smokers.
Column
Notes by EMA: The Western Levant
“Arafat died with 750 million US dollars in his personal estate. Had it not been for the creation of the State of Israel, he would have been known to his mother at most. The Jews had been forgotten before World War II. Where is the Coptic Church, anybody? Who would give a care about the Mossad?”
Column
Notes by EMA: The New TINA Towards 2040
“What will TINA (there is no alternative) look going forward? What will there be no alternatives to? What will we have to adjust to or fail, or just win, or be the winner? Our goal has to be the winner.” – EMA
Column
Notes by EMA: Doing business in the Philippines
Capital is interested in only one institution – that of Rule of Law. Hong Kong was not democratic nor was it liberal but it had rule of law. Singapore seemed democratic but was not; nor was it liberal but it had rule of law and that protected capital.
Column
Issues that may most likely worry China’s President
“Companies think in terms of years mostly, some in decades, and others in generations. Empires must think in Centennial proportions – we realize that their leaders do not.” – EMA
Column
Notes by EMA: That Better Owner
Appreciating that the general opinion of the market is the goal of an enterprise is to provide long-term value. That is the main purpose that everyone working for an enterprise realizes in different degrees.
Column
Notes by EMA: Conventional Wisdom & China
Yukon Huang – watch him on YouTube to get a full picture. This is a summary of what he thinks. I have learned from him. I have never liked conventional wisdom and have sought those that help me challenge the same; not for the sake of challenge but because in a world that is rapidly changing and adapting, conventional wisdom cannot generally be the best path forward.
Column
Notes by EMA: The WhatsApp – Spotify Generation — Living Instantly and Unenriched
“Does one prefer ten low-quality photos on WhatsApp or one spectacular one that feels like you are there? I am curious, how does a selfie beat the mirror?” –EMA
Column
Notes by EMA: Stephen Hawking
“I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road.” – Stephen Hawking
Column
Notes by EMA: More on Leadership…
I have received requests to share with you my thoughts and experience on leadership with more articles for Aboitiz Eyes. I am happy to do so yet must clarify again that these are my thoughts and those that I have learned from others. None of us get all of this right and that is what makes life so wonderful – the joy of improvement and of achieving better ways.
Column
Notes by EMA: ‘How To Think’ and ‘Do I Make Myself Clear?’
Much of what these two writers tell us can be of value to most if not all of us. Taken in tandem their value rises. We all need improvement in how we communicate and how we think or the other way around.
Column
Notes by EMA: Winning vs. Losing and Its Ingredients
It has never been about right and wrong. Man invented this concept. The animal in us functioned with rules that are ingredients for winning or losing based on our basic instinct of survival.
Column
Notes by EMA: Richard Branson’s Finding My Virginity
“Richard Branson is the Virgin Brand and the Virgin Brand is Richard Branson. Of all the successful people in life, he has to stand out among the very top of our time.” – EMA
Column
Notes by EMA: Seven Principles of Richard Branson
“Interrogating the principles one stands by has to be up there in things to learn. Every 20 years I guess it is necessary to interrogate your choices and the principles that drive them.” – EMA
Column
Notes by EMA: 8 paradoxical habits of wildly successful people
“The reason that there are so many different opinions on what traits are necessary for success—and the reason that so many of them contradict each other—is that successful people are complex.” – Travis Bradberry
Column
AboitizPower MANCON 2018 by Endika Aboitiz
“As we head into the storm, we need all hands on deck with full comprehension. This is why we are here.” – EMA
Column
Why all religious organizations should pay taxes (UPDATED for 2017)
A tax-paying Catholic Church benefits and strengthens itself in relation to other religious organizations. Its lower hierarchy has a good track record of making things better for the less fortunate in society.
Column
Notes by EMA: The Real Deal on Geopolitical Risk
“I think that the geopolitical risks of war are over and they are over for one reason – there is no longer any profit in war. There is no longer anything to gain. On the contrary, there is a lot to lose due to the economic interconnection of the world.” – EMA
Column
Notes by EMA: Latinization of an Economy
“Thought, ideas and action – GETTING THINGS DONE! The rest is noise.” – Endika Aboitiz
Sustainability
Shell signs agreement with QEV to install EV charging infra in the Philippines
On October 5, 2017, QEV Philippines, signed a memorandum of agreement with Pilipinas Shell to put up the first electric vehicle fast charging infrastructure network in the country.
Column
EMA Message: A Tribute to Washington Sycip
“Most men choose principal over principle. I think Wash was one of the few that chose principle over principal.” – Endika Aboitiz
Column
Summary of the Book: Outsiders
“Don’t be a blind contrarian, be an intelligent iconoclast – informed by careful analysis and often expressed in unusual financial metrics that were distinctly different from industry or Wall Street.”
Column
Jack Ma – Alibaba
Alibaba is a company that is 18 years old, and it dreams of 2 billion customers all over the world and a trillion dollars of revenue by its 20th anniversary. Of that number of customers, 1.2 billion will be from outside China.
Column
Why Manila Needs The Green Jeepney
“Let’s not wait for the air to be too hard to breathe for us to start something. We need to be proactive rather than reactive. In a world where the only thing constant is change… then we need to know when to embrace what change is good.”
Column
Saving the humble jeepney (REPOST)
“A company called QEV Philippines—a venture led by Endika Aboitiz, Enrique Banuelos, and Jose Maria Roger—wants to partner with local jeepney manufacturers to shift some 50,000 diesel jeepneys into cleaner electric-powered vehicles ‘at a reasonable cost’.”
Sustainability
QEV introduces the jeepney’s eco-friendly incarnation
Local start-up QEV Philippines Electromobility Solutions and Consulting Group, Inc. (QEV Philippines) recently presented to the Philippine government and public a viable and environmentally-friendly solution to address Metro Manila’s current public transportation challenges—the “green jeepney.”
Column
Speech by Endika Aboitiz at the QEV E-Jeepney Launch
“Earlier this year, we flew a jeepney to QEV Tech Barcelona’s R&D center to assess how to improve their electrification and we are working on that. We could not wait so we brought in to Manila a half a dozen QEV engineers to work with a local jeepney manufacturing expert, the original makers of the jeepney themselves, the Saraos, to finally convert our quaint and unique jeepneys to electric.”
Column
40 Years of the modernization of the Philippine economy
The next 10 years will make all the difference in the world because of its exponential nature and opportunities bring us toward a trillion dollar economy and out of poverty.
Column
10 Years After the Most Serious Depression Since 1929
A decade ago we thought the whole economic world, and with it our socio-economic world, would fall upon us. It seems that man has again prevailed. I repeat – It seems. Self-healing seems to have functioned and now proceeding to strengthen.
Column
Notes by EMA: Credit Suisse Asian Investment Conference 2017 – Part 2
Artificial intelligence is to be the most disruptive and important technology of our time. It will enhance our IQ and will replace the repetitive work that humans do. It cannot, however, replace the innovative and creative occupations – it cannot replace things that are done for the first time.
Column
Notes by EMA: Credit Suisse Asian Investment Conference 2017 – Part 1
What is being done to those that are left behind in this world of Globalization is key! There are certain transaction costs of Globalization. It is not that China is taking away jobs, the U.S. losing them. Regulation is a serious problem everywhere – small, medium, and large.
Column
Notes by EMA: The Role of Business in Uplifting Society
As modern democracy increases the role of government in a society, it becomes necessary for business to attempt to fill the vacuum that bad governances leave in its wake. We live in a society worldwide plagued by governments that manage poorly, waste resources, raise liabilities and not governments that lead.
Column
SAPIENS & HOMO DEUS – Summaries
I think that both these books are a necessary read for all who have interest in trying to find out the true meaning of the human experience by thinking about both our past and our future; for all of those that have interest in trying to get more meaning out of life by milking the best out of the fiction that we have inherited.
Column
Notes by Endika Aboitiz: Our People Abroad
We and the Philippine economy have been major beneficiaries of globalization. We could have been a greater beneficiary if we were governed by people who actually thought of the benefit of their constituents once in a while instead of almost never.
Column
Notes by Endika Aboitiz: MERITOCRACY REDEFINED AS RESULTS
I have been asked by some of you to write about leadership more. I hope you find these two books I have come across to be a learning experience. I have merged them into one subject — LEADERSHIP FOR RESULTS.
Column
The Role of Government to Create the Atmosphere
Government essentially has one job and one job alone, and that is to create an atmosphere that generates new jobs, improve existing jobs – employment and underemployment – and to make life better for their people.
Column
AboitizPower MANCON 2017 by Endika Aboitiz
The wind is blowing in our favor. There is more and stronger wind to fill our sails. Now, there is much more current against us as we sail up the river. The story we face at AP is one of both wind and current.
Column
The European Crisis: What Is It Really About?
Over the past 500 years, Europe has lived off its colonies — taking from them and selling to them. We go to war twice and twice we asked the Americans to go get us out of the mess we find ourselves in. Then after World War II, the Americans, for their own interest, rebuild us and Japan by giving us money, buying our goods, protecting our trade, and coming to visit us.
Column
Why all religious organizations should pay taxes
Like citizens and organizations belonging to a community enjoying freedom and allowed opinions, the Church is accountable to God for what is God’s and to Man what is Man’s. In that light, the Church must, like citizens, be allowed those privileges and freedom by filing tax returns and paying their share of taxes.
Column
Loyalty – The Role It Plays
We just held our 2016 Recognition Night and that got me thinking about what loyalty really means and why it is so important. It cannot be just the feel good aspect. There has to be something deep, solid and more meaningful about the entire institution that we give, and correctly so, give so much importance to.
Column
World Inequality
Civilized and long-term, enlightened, self-interest man works together with his fellow man to create more wealth and divided it – but not equally, because it was not created equally, because man was not created equally.
Column
La Familia Aboitiz – Our Roots
We belong to a family and firm that has been in the Philippines for close to 200 years and approaching a market value of US$10 billion, respectively, so I thought it might be healthy to ground ourselves and take a look at our roots.
Column
The United States of America: A Great Nation or A Nation in Decline?
The 2016 presidential campaign in the United States is making us all think of which of these two candidates is right. Is the greatest empire that we have ever seen still great, in decline, or paused?
Column
The Reaction of Our Adversaries – Are we partly the reason?
Two billion people in the world watched the Twin Towers at Lower Manhattan devastated by an attack by commandeered aircraft. The natural reaction of the world was of awe, disgust, anger, et al.
Column
LEADERSHIP
Over the years, I’ve made notes from reading and experience on what are the main ingredients, qualities, and behaviours that we need to be guided to be better leaders.
Column
The Global Risks Report 2016: A Commentary by Endika Aboitiz
PREFACE 1. Global risk materializes in new and UNEXPECTED ways. They are becoming more imminent as their consequences reach people, […]
Column
Notes by Endika Aboitiz: “In Defense of A Liberal Education” by Fareed Zakaria
*These are notes. They are not a perfect summary. If you want more, then read the book. The new American […]
Column
The World & The Philippines: The General Economic Situation August 2015
Comments by Endika Aboitiz Edited (and Greatly Improved) by Romeo Bernardo P.S. Without the inputs and corrections of Romy, this […]
Column
Our single most important risk: Not adapting to change
Comments by Endika Aboitiz on Francis Fukuyama’s “Political Order and Political Decay” “I reserve the right to change my mind […]