MVP joins SCOOP; TV5 missing

MVP joins SCOOP; TV5 missing
By Robbie Pangilinan

Sports advocate and business tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan joined the SCOOP sa Kamayan weekly session Friday even as his own TV5 network failed to cover the event.
TV5’s nonappearance during the forum sponsored by ACCCEL and QTECH Solutions has raised speculations, especially as the two giant networks, ABS-CBN and GMA, along with Sports Radio 918 and all newspapers, were all represented.

SCOOP organizers invited TV5 News to attend the event but the network seems to have overlooked the invitation. Rumors have it that some TV5 people are not supportive of MVP’s management. Last year, the PLDT group acquired a 75 percent interest in ABC5 and there had been dramatic changes since—changes that some ABC5 veterans found hard to accept.

But despite TV5’s nonattendance, Pangilinan was able to clarify some issues regarding his resignation as chairman of the Ateneo de Manila University’s Board of Trustees which might lead to his discontinued financial support to the school’s sports program, specifically its basketball team.

Pangilinan, more popularly known as MVP, has tendered his irrevocable resignation from the board after accusations that the speech he gave during the university’s commencement exercises was found to be plagiarized. The chairman of PLDT and Smart admitted he was hurt by what happened and said he will meet with Ateneo’s team members and officials before deciding whether to continue helping or not.

Pangilinan, also the president of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) and chair of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP), said that he will instead focus his efforts on the national basketball team and the RP boxing team. The Smart-sponsored basketball team is aiming to bag at least fourth place in the Asian Games while the boxing team eyes for a gold medal.

MVP, who came to the SCOOP session with ABAP president and PLDT senior vice president Ricky Vargas, dreams of the basketball team making it to the 2010 London Olympics as well as quenching the country’s thirst for a gold medal for 86 years.
MVP has high hopes that the RP basketball and boxing teams will garner wins in the Asian Games, then in next year’s FIBA-Asia championship to qualify for the 2012 Games.
Pangilinan emphasized that the SBP is not only training the national team but also aiming to take on an active role in the basketball scene in Southeast Asia. Known as Asia’s basketball capital, the Philippines ought to send a candidate to the coming Southeast Asian Basketball Association congress and elections in Bali, Indonesia, MVP declared, though he did not announce the position yet. #

Close to Excellence

By Robbie Pangilinan

Expert hairstylist Pin Antonio admits that she is a perfectionist. Family-owned Salon de Manila, where Pin is Creative Director, is known for its trademark excellent and personal service, making it the top choice of celebrities and personalities. Pin makes sure that everything she does in her profession meets her exquisite standard.



Her passion for perfection also translates to her role as a mother to Adlai and Andrai. But Pin prefers to call it “excellence guided by the Lord.”



“I do not impose perfection on them, but I try to live it out as an example so that my children can follow. Basically, I just remind them to make their lives a blessing to people around,” the famous hair trendsettershares.



Pin is known for her very modern and chic hairdos, and she says she is also like that as a mom—modern and chic. “I am a cool mom, at the same time a disciplinarian. But I’m not stiff, ha! I’m not very strict either. I don’t want my children to be scared of me. I want my home to be a happy one,” Pin reveals.



And happy is her home, with Adlai and Andrai growing up to be good young gentlemen. “When they were smaller, I enjoyed playing with them in what we called our ‘kilitian’ time. We laughed and jumped on the bed!” Pin recalls. Now that the two boys are all grown up, Pin treasures the times when the two are home for dinner. “I love eating at home together while we tell each other stories about almost anything,” the stylist of the stars says.



Pin admits that it is not easy being a mother, especially when she sees her children hurting. “Particularly if their problem concerns the heart, I know that I cannot handle it for them. The only help I could extend is my prayers,” Pin states.



The boys, Adlai and Andrai, are hardworking and artistic like their mom. “They’re both cute, too! Hahaha!” Pin laughs. “Actually, they are totally different from each other but I could say they're both special in their own ways and I thank God that they turned out to be great persons,” Pin proudly says.

Pin’s dream is for her boys to be successful in whatever field they choose, and this dream is already starting to come true for Adlai. Only in his early twenties, Adlai is already a master of precision cutting and creative coloring, of course, at Salon de Manila. He represented SDM in an international hair stylingcompetition and was named one of the best hairstylists in Asia last year. Pin is very happy for her first-born, especially because he is following in his mother’s footsteps. But Pin says it does not really matter which field her sons choose, as long as they love what they do and do what they love.



Andrai, on the other hand, is still in school. Pin knows his second son will be just as successful as his kuyabecause he is hardworking, too. “I am very happy that my sons know their worth as a person. The most important thing for me is to see them grow with the Lord,” Pin says.



Wherever the boys go and however high they reach, Pin can only wish that the top three values she taught them – to have a personal relationship with God, to love and respect others, and to work hard with discipline—will guide them every step of their way. “The happiest day for a mother is when you see your children loving and helping each other, and knowing that they are living everything you've taught them,” Pin shares.



Pin might be a perfectionist but she knows too well that she is not perfect. “Nobody is. I am not a perfect person, neither a perfect mother. I had mistakes while raising my children up, but I believe God is my partner in taking care of them. And even now that the boys are grown up, I still depend everyday on God to help me,” Pin ends. #

DCTI offers new courses

By RMP

Diliman Computer Technology Institute or DCTI, the IT arm of the Diliman Foundation, Inc., offers new courses this year.

New four-year courses are the Bachelor of Elementary Education and Bachelor of Secondary Education degrees while the new two-year course is the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree.

Short term courses that will be offered starting this year are Programming and CIV, computer hardware servicing, bookkeeping, and a finishing course for call centers.
DCTI, established in 1998, is the country’s only Open Source training and certification institute authorized by the Open Source Technology Association of the Philippines to conduct programs, offer courses, issue certifications to qualified practitioners, promote free Open Source software in the Philippines and market the training programs to students and corporate clients.
Its existing courses include Bachelor of Science in Information Technology and Bachelor of Science in Office Administration (4 years) and Associate in Computer Technology (2 years).

In partnership with Unitech Educational Program Corporation, DCTI had its first batch of graduates last February with 250 students successfully finishing the Computer Literacy Training Program, the first of DCTI and Unitech’s Community Services and Relations projects. With the initiative of Diliman Educational Corporation president Nikki Coseteng, DCTI and Unitech plan to bring the Computer Literacy Training Program to cities and municipalities in the country, especially the public high schools.