jambayan » Davao

20 years in Davao

jnjqn — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 02:15:02 +0000

July 20, 2010 was a significant date because it marked my 20th year of living in Davao City. Almost half of my life has been spent in a land that adopted me as its own; Davao has been good to me even though I, like many other Manileños, had pretty bad preconceptions about it. In the summer of 1990 my team of campus missionaries were invited to teach at a youth camp in Davao, and when I first learned of it I was dismayed. Of all places, I thought, why some god-forsaken place all the way in Mindanao? Isn’t there a war there? Aren’t people getting killed left and right? Is there even electricity there? I was so apprehensive that I actually tried to get out of going by exposing myself to chicken pox through a friend who had it.

On the day of our trip I was still as healthy as a horse, so I had no choice but board the ship for the three-day trip (plane fare was prohibitively expensive back then, especially for missionaries like us). The long trip only served to heighten my apprehensions, even though our leader tried his best to convince me that everything was going to be all right. When we neared the city I stood at port and viewed the city from afar. Not so bad, I thought. But then the ship made a U-turn and I was soon faced with an island so beautiful I literally gasped. It was full of coconut trees, surrounded by the whitest sand I had ever seen. That was the moment I fell in love with Davao City – although I soon learned that it was Samal Island, Davao del Norte that I had seen.

When we got down at the pier I marveled at how clean everything was, in stark contrast to the pier in Manila. I also remember breathing in the air and realizing that sea air actually smelled good: all my life I had thought the sea smelled of rotten eggs since that was my experience whenever I went to Manila Bay. We drove out of the pier and again I was surprised at how orderly, clean, and open everything was. And the people! Everyone was friendly and accommodating, quite unlike Manileños who were rude and unfriendly. Our summer camp was also a special time for me, and I could see how hungry the youth were for God’s Word. I actually imagined myself staying for a longer period in Davao.

And that’s exactly what I did. We stayed only a week here, but at the end of the camp I had already begun praying that God would bring me back. When God confirmed this to me in Manila I readily asked our leader to assign me here, and after a lot of explanations he agreed. I arrived on July 20, 1990, and save for a few months in 1991, I have never left.

Davao has been good to me. I found my wife here, I found my calling as a journalist and as a worship leader here. My two children were born here. And, to quote a professor-friend who also fell in love with the city, Davao will be “the land of my dying breath.”Random Posts:

Phoenix rising

jnjqn — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:30:39 +0000

How green is Phoenix? This was the question I threw at the homegrown petroleum company’s president and CEO, Dennis Uy, during a Christmas lunch he hosted for Davao City media last Monday (December 21). I felt that as a company based in Davao City, Phoenix Petroleum ought to be at the forefront of protecting the environment since we Davaoeños strongly believe that there can be no progress if the environment is sacrificed in the process.

“We’re not spearheading it,” Uy replied, “but we do follow government regulations.” He was referring to the 2006 Biofuel Act provides for a mandatory mixing of 1% of biodiesel in petrodiesel and 5% of ethanol in gasoline for the first four years (that is, up to 2010), to be increased thereafter to 2% and 10%, respectively. Phoenix may not be at the forefront of the oil industry in terms of environment protection, but it is at least taking the lead of government in making sure the earth’s resources are safeguarded for future generations.

Phoenix Foundation participates in the government’s “Adopt A School Program” through the Hizon Elementary School in Davao City. (Source: phoenixphilippines.com)

Besides, Phoenix is also doing its part in other areas as a good corporate citizen. It’s called corporate social responsibility (CSR), and Phoenix engages in feeding programs, coastal cleanup, adopt-a-school, and other programs as its way of “giving back” to the community. According to its website, Phoenix “lives up to its core value of stewardship through projects in service of the community.”

“As stewards, we nurture our resources responsibly. By giving back, we contribute to elevating the quality of life of the people we help, because we believe that life comes first. The foundation’s primary purpose is to engage, support and or participate in social activities and functions geared towards the development, protection, alleviation, education and or empowerment of the needy, depressed and miserable members of the society,” the website continues.

‘A simple family venture’

That the main recipients of Phoenix’s CSR programs are communities in the Davao Region speaks of its commitment to its own roots. It was in Davao City that it was incorporated in 2002, and it was here that it established its roots — starting as “a simple family venture” —before growing into other areas of the country.

The company, then under the name Davao Oil Terminal Services Corporation (DOTSCO), began operations in its current form in January 2004, distributing petroleum products to various commercial entities in Mindanao. In August 2006, the company was officially renamed Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Inc. “The name was presented to us by our public relations consultants, and we liked it,” Uy said.

The phoenix, of course, is a a mythical bird that at the end of its life burns itself on a funeral pyre — from which it rises again with renewed youth to live through another cycle. As such it represents immortality and eternal youth — qualities that Uy wants the company to be associated with.

Today, Phoenix is engaged in the business of trading refined petroleum products, lubricants and other chemical products, operation of oil depots and storage facilities, and allied services, mainly in Southern Philippines. Its products and services are distributed and marketed under the “Phoenix Fuels Life” trademark.

Uy said the company is aiming to be the leading independent oil company in the Philippines within three years, a goal that is attainable considering that Phoenix is already the leading independent oil company in Mindanao. “Hopefully our success in Mindanao will translate to success in the rest of the country,” he said.

Out of nowhere

Phoenix Petroleum's president and CEO Dennis Uy (left) poses with this writer

And what a success it has been. Phoenix started its operations with just five stations in Mindanao: Digos City, Tagum City, Matanao in Davao del Sur, Bislig in Surigao del Sur, and Valencia in Bukidnon. Today there are 120 stations throughout the country: 97 in Mindanao, one in Cebu, and 22 in Manila. Uy said this represents an average growth of 30 stations per year, but in the coming years Phoenix is targeting to add 50 stations annually in order to reach the goal of becoming the leading independent oil company in the Philippines.

Uy said the company, which is the first and only publicly-listed independent player in the country since the Oil Deregulation Law of 1998, is also planning to build two to three depots each year. Phoenix is currently building a depot in Zamboanga to add to its depots in Davao, Calaca in Batangas, and New Washington in Aklan.

And now, from “out of nowhere” — as Uy himself described Phoenix — the company has garnered the 242nd spot in the top 10,000 companies in the Philippines in terms of revenue, based on records from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Not bad for a company that started as “a simple family venture.”Random Posts:

Where’s the lapu-lapu?

jnjqn — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:20:26 +0000

Trying to be true to my diet, I decided to order the crispy lapu-lapu during the Phoenix media lunch held last Monday at Bistro Rosario here in Davao City. When the waiter came back he gave me this plate, and I called his attention. “I think you gave me the wrong dish,” I said. “I ordered the crispy lapu-lapu, not the shrimp.”

“There’s no mistake, sir,” he replied. “The crispy lapu-lapu comes with some shrimp.” He then pointed to a piece on my plate that didn’t have a red tail sticking out, and there, outnumbered by the crustaceans, was my lapu-lapu. I just laughed it off an prayed that my on-again-off-again allergy to shrimp wouldn’t decide to show up.Random Posts:

A portrait with Malang

jnjqn — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:18:53 +0000

“Tatay” Rene Lumawag, Davao City’s most respected photojournalist, handed me this blast from the past: a photo of me with renowned artist Mauro Malang Santos (who was, believe it or not, conferred the National Artist Award only early this year) during an exhibit at The Royal Mandaya Hotel. I can’t remember what year this was taken (Google was no help!), but judging from my the way I look, this would have been early this decade.

He was a very pleasant man and gave a long interview with me and my wife Dadai (I am trying to search my files for the article I wrote so I can post it here). I do remember him giving this advice to Dadai, who is also an artist: Just keep painting. He said he painted every single day and would keep his good works in a chest, a treasure trove from which he could pull out gems whenever he needed it. One could wait for inspiration, he said, but nothing beats discipline. Even in art.

At the end of the interview my wife and I asked for autographs, and he did us one better by drawing sketches on our notebooks and signing them. I will try to find those sketches and scan them so I can post them here.

Thanks, Tatay Rene, for this great photo!Random Posts:

Oh brother!

jnjqn — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:56:00 +0000

The Philippines isn’t exactly known for good hamburgers, and Davao City even less so. If you’re a Davaoeño with a hankering for beef patties in a bun, all that’s been available to you are fast food types that don’t really hit the spot. Even the few specialty stores here always seem to come up short of one’s expectations, cutting corners here and there so that what would have been a good burger would end up being just so-so.

Thankfully, the burger landscape in the city has changed over the past weeks with the entry of Brothers Burger, a ten-year-old all-Filipino brand that offers arguably the best burgers this side of the world. The Davao City franchise, located at the Damosa Business Park, soft-opened on November 6, and it has been opening up the palates of Davaoeños to a whole new experience in burgers.

The place itself is small, but that doesn’t seem to stop people from coming in, and in large numbers at that. When my wife and I went there one Wednesday afternoon, the place still had a number of customers even though it was well past lunchtime. Store operation specialist Arnel Macaganda, who had come in from Manila to oversee the opening stages of the franchise, said they have been overshooting their target sales by 40 percent — proving that when it comes to good food, price doesn’t matter for Davaoeños

Store operation specialist Arnel Macaganda proudly shows off the restaurant.

Not that Brothers Burger is necessarily pricey. While it is more expensive than fast food burgers, the place does have something for everyone. Prices range from P58 for the Baby Brothers Burger to P350 for the specialty Wagyu Burger (so named because it uses wagyu beef, known for its flavor, tenderness, and juiciness). In between these two is a wide range of products that, as the spiel says, satisfies one’s urge for real burger.

My wife and I tried a few items at Arnel’s prodding: the basic Brothers Burger, a Roast Beef Sandwich, and a Blues Brothers signature burger. Our food came in 15 minutes, fresh from the grill (“They’re flame grilled,” Arnel said, a process that maintains the beef’s taste but leaves out the grease) and looking, well, huge. No wonder they cost more: you really do get your money’s worth.

But size isn’t everything; as they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. The burgers were indeed a league apart from fast food fare: chunky without being tough, juicy without being greasy, it was pure, unadulterated, all-beef goodness. We dug into the Blues Brothers immediately, and as blue cheese lovers my wife and I fell in love with it. The strong, sharp flavor of the cheese complemented the round and subtle taste of the beef.

We were so full from the two burgers (plus a side order of onion rings) that we couldn’t even start with the Roast Beef Sandwich, so we bagged it for our teenage boy. In the end we spent more than we would on a meal, but this is no fast food restaurant, and its hamburgers are by no means junk food. As Arnel told us, Brothers Burger uses the best ingredients plus a secret recipe developed by one of its co-founders, Chef Quito Jose (one of the “Brothers”). That there’s actually an in-house chef tells you it’s not your usual burger joint.

There are plans to expand the franchise in Davao City, with eyes cast upon the upcoming Ayala mall along J.P. Laurel Avenue. For now it’s just the Damosa branch: the little restaurant with the big burgers.

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