Small but distinct chance

Straits Times of Singapore yesterday named the country’s founding Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, who died last March, as Asian of the Year.

A prime minister for 31 years, Lee was widely respected as the architect of Singapore’s prosperity. “He was both a visionary and a radical thinker, and his views and policies laid the foundation for what Singapore stands for. He played key roles in introducing policies and attracting investments that turned Singapore into a modern economic success story. At the forefront of his policies were good governance and clean government, and his belief in a meritocratic, multiracial and multi-religious society. He eschewed ideological positions or political correctness, and said often that he was guided in his political judgments by looking for what works. He was also a strong voice for a secure and stable region, centered around Asean, as well as for continuing the presence of United States forces in the region to help keep the peace,” the newspaper said.

Yesterday’s issue also headlined the announcement by Singapore Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan that the Land Transport Authority must be ready to take over the operation and maintenance of the MRT should the need arise.

What he said struck me: that commuters do not care whose fault it is when there is a problem – they just want it fixed.

Khaw’s statement is a living proof of the culture of accountability in government left by Lee.

“Accountability is another strong dimension of Lee Kuan Yew’s character. His belief in accountability and the democratic process is reflected in the following quotation: ‘If I (Lee Kuan Yew) were in authority in Singapore indefinitely, without having to ask those that are being governed whether they like what is being done, then I have not the slightest doubt that I could govern much more effectively in their own interest.’ Knowing that hard work is essential for socioeconomic transformation, Lee Kuan Yew has endeavored to build into the Singaporean culture a strong work ethic. Such hardwork is connected with self-discipline, which is the bulwark against political corruption and misappropriation of state and community resources. His influence is ingrained in the whole of the political culture and institutions and over almost all aspects of Singaporean society today. Lee Kuan Yew’s efforts have brought Singapore this far mainly because of his acquired HF characteristics (i.e. his knowledge base, intellectual skills, and human qualities). With these, he has been able to serve as a positive role model for Singaporeans.” (International Perspectives on the Human Factor in Economic Development)

These are things that Philippine presidentiables (Jojo Binay, Rody Duterte, Grace Poe, Mar Roxas, and others) should seriously consider: that being President of the Republic is not about personal aggrandizement. You of all people have this small but distinct opportunity and God-given chance to change a country and the lives of more than 100 million Filipinos. Don’t waste it. We as a country cannot keep changing our programs, policies, and plans every six years. It is just like moving one step forward and then two steps backward. We are so far behind our regional neighbors, one of the reasons why China is treating us like dirt and as the tiny man of Asia. 

Major boost

Publicly listed NOW Corp. got a major boost after the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) extended by another five years the company’s value-added services (VAS) license.

The NTC gave NOW last Nov. 27 the go-signal to continue offering various services such as Virtual Private Networks, Cloud Hosting Services, Multimedia Content and Program Services, Online Game Services, Cloud-Based Multimedia Conferencing Services, Web Hosting, and Online Game Services, among others.

NOW Corp. owns 19 percent of NOW Telecom Co., a licensed telecom, mobile cellular and wired/wireless broadband company.

According to NOW Corp. chief executive officer Mel Velarde, their competitive strength lies on their information technology (IT) leadership in services and software systems. These are being used by large banks and medium-sized enterprises, for whom NOW provide services and manpower to run their IT systems and data centers.

This strategy, he emphasized, is bundled with two unprecedented “killer applications”: NOW’s latest wireless broadband service that delivers guaranteed 700 mbps to 1.4 gigabit per second, and wireless cable TV – both of which can be delivered to any building within 15 kilometer radius. Metro Manila is just 600 square kilometers, which will be covered in less than six months.

For the whole of 2015, gross revenue is projected to reach P95 million, compared to P78 million in 2014.

The company has also dramatically reduced its net loss, from P84 million in 2013, down to P38 million last year, to a projected net loss of P25 million in 2015.

The listed firm said this was due to its aggressive selling of its core services – IT resource management, software collaborations, cloud services, broadband Internet and technical services.

Just last October, the company launched and demonstrated live two of its trailblazing creations: “NOW Broadband Cable TV” a guaranteed broadband Internet service with Wireless Cable TV, and “NowPlanet.TV” a digital media platform as a product that converges free TV, web channels, cloud services, and other interactive services.  The company also launched its new website (www.nownetwork.ph) dedicated to this service.  

Before NOW, Verlarde was chairman and CEO of Next Mobile, served as Philippine commissioner to UNESCO, and was formerly general manager of Sky Cable. At present, he also serves as chairman of the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communications.

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