Don’t aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally. —David Frost
YANGON, Myanmar — This writer recently visited this fast-rising ASEAN economy with 50 businessmen of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce & Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII) and the Association of Young Filipino Chinese Entrepreneurs (AYFCE) from Feb. 20 to 23. Myanmar is still poorer than the Philippines, but their capital city Yangon has a nicer and less chaotic airport than our old NAIA airport! Last year, Myanmar also received more foreign direct investments than the Philippines.
Among the Filipino tycoons already positioning themselves here in this resource-rich nation are Lucio C. Tan, who has an Asia Brewery factory here for his Cobra energy drink and locally branded soft drinks; Carlos Chan of Liwayway Group, which manufactures his Oishi snack foods here; the family of the late Jose Yao Campos with Unilab; and Dr. Rolando Hortaleza and wife Dr. Rosalinda A. Hortaleza of Splash. Both companies are selling their products in Myanmar.
Lucio Tan is chairman emeritus of FFCCCII, while his son Michael “Mike” G. Tan is honorary chairman of AYFCE. The delegation stayed at Sedona Hotel, owned by Singapore’s Keppel Group, because AYFCE past president Stefan Tong is president of Keppel Philippines and helped make the arrangements. Tan’s executives hosted the luncheon for the Philippine delegation at the century-old House of Memories resto, while executives of FFCCCII adviser and Oishi/Liwayway boss Carlos Chan hosted a lunch at the Summer Pace resto of Traders Hotel. FFCCCII has donated thousands of public schools to poor rural barrios and advocates socio-economic reforms.
Among those who went to Myanmar were outgoing FFCCCII president Tan Ching as well as the candidates to be the next president next month at their biennial convention: Alfonso Siy of Fortune Net Group, Angel Ngu of Angus Aluminum, Henry Lim Bon Liong of Sterling Paper Group, FFCCCII vice-presidential candidates Cecilio Kwok Pedro of Hapee Toothpaste and Reynaldo Go of Columbia Candies. AYFCE was led by chairman emeritus George T. Siy of Marie France/Facial Care, chairman Jeffrey T. Ng of Astoria Hotels/South Forbes/Cathay Land and AYFCE president Jovenson Ong of Dragon Fireworks, Inc.
source: philstar.com
