The tale of the Hombres

A passion for motorcycles, middle-aged men trying to catch up on what they missed when they were younger, and good conversation was the common thread that brought them together and which, unexpectedly,  led to a 17-year friendship.

The Hombres, coined by their jefe, former Finance undersecretary  Romeo “Romy” Bernardo, was “formally” created on Sept. 5, 2006, after what had been a loose aggrupation of  motorcycle enthusiasts who had been riding from the early 2000s merely to eat breakfast and converse about politics, finance and the economy.

Its founding members were Romy,  Inquirer columnist  and UP  professor Randy David, known as The Professor;  retired Col. Eric Mananquil, a.k.a. El Rojo, was the former chief of staff of the late House Speaker Ramon Mitra; former TransCo head, the late Alan Ortiz, or  El Divo, because of his fine singing voice; Pete Cariquitan, known as El Barako because of his manly physique even well into his 80s; former ADB country director Richard Bolt, known as Dick Screw, and Noel del Mundo, fondly tagged as El Padre because of his penchant for buttoned up polos.

The Hombres were by no means a strict and closed group, rather they welcomed all who would like to simply ride and enjoy their company. These included recently retired Ayala Foundation executive Ruel Maranan, who at that time was still with Ayala-controlled Manila Water, earning him the moniker Aquaman;  businessman Ritchie Tiu-Tan, who was tagged as Richie Rich, and Doc F for  Dr. Francis Gomez.

Romy recruited his son, Ibba who runs PackWorks, to join the group by giving him a BMW 650 GS that Romy had acquired  “for a song” from Roxas Holdings chairman Pedro Roxas. Ibba later on, designed the Hombre’s informal emblem – a take off of the Man from La Mancha – riding a motorcycle instead of a horse.

Romy, of course, immediately bought himself a Moto Guzzi 750 to match Randy’s eye-grabbing red Ducati Monster 1000, which apparently had also caught the attention of then revenue chief Kim Henares, who in a social event, asked Randy...”Professor David, what big bike do you have?” To which Randy replied,  “a Ducati Monster 1000,” with Kim asking, “Isn’t the Ducati like the Ferrari of cars?” To which Randy immediately assured her, “I pay my taxes diligently” and to which Kim assured, “I’m just joking,” and gave out a big laugh.

However, not all of the Hombres were particularly into Italian motorbikes, some members at some point opting for the German BMWs, and eventually transitioning to the Ayala-owned KTMs and Husqvarnas.

At their prime, the Hombres would take off on weekends to tour Luzon – riding to the highest point, which was Halsema Road in Benguet, doing the Mindoro loop, and even doing RoRorides to the Visayas and Mindanao.

It became an unspoken tradition of the Hombres that whoever was celebrating his birthday would treat all riders to breakfast. Randy, because of his close ties to his siblings, as he had assumed the role of Padre de familia  upon the early death of his father, would generously sponsor a breakfast ride prepared by his siblings at their ancestral home in Pampanga or in Randy’s house in Bataan that he had built for his late wife Karina Constantino-David.

On those occasions, Randy would sometimes invite the Ayala brothers, Jaime Augusto and Fernando, along with Pedro Roxas and IMI executive Art Tan, to join the Hombres for a ride. In one particular ride to Orani, Bataan for the traditional birthday breakfast, this time hosted by Randy’s brother, Bishop Pablo Virgilio “Ambo” David, one Hombres member, known as Idol Fidel casually asked JAZA, “Idol Ayala, Pa-selfie naman,” to which the very formal JAZA gamely acceded to the selfie photo request.

At some point, some of the wives of the original founders were asked to join either for breakfast or birthday dinners and in some of the out of the country rides, thus, further strengthening the bond of the Hombres.

Unfortunately, while their spirit are still young and willing, the Hombres have been riding less and less, as they finally concede to the aches and pains, and the inertia that comes with age. More often than not, plans for a quick ride are cancelled at the slightest hint of rain, or the weather is too hot, or they woke up late.

So lately and most recently, with the hot weather, the get together option has been to enjoy a potluck dinner where the forbidden lechon, chicharon, and sweet treats were enjoyed, but which also followed a strict bedtime at 9 p.m. Plans for a boys night out are made, but the choice eventually favors sleep rather than drink.

And that is the tale of The Hombres.

Franz Siasat

From old boys to a young man

Franz Siasat is a young man still trying to make his mark in the business world. A Filipino who migrated at 10 years old with his family to Australia, Franz basically grew up, was educated and initially worked for a tech company in the land down under.

However, at 30 years old, Franz is finally making his move to establish his own business and at the same time contribute and help address the world’s growing tech waste problem.

Franz, along with a partner, have established Zolo, an Australian e-waste recycling company that helps businesses, enterprises and corporations manage their end-of life tech in a way that makes a positive impact on people, the planet, and their company.

Zolo, Franz reveals, is already being used by Australian brands that include Canva, Dyson and Bank Australia. The company, he explains, is trying to introduce its eco-friendly tech recycling in Manila, which would help boost sustainability and ESG performance of Philippine companies, and create employment opportunities for Filipinos. His partner is in China, with the same intent to introduce Zolo to Chinese firms.

Franz is slowly meeting with Philippine brands and businesses to promote a culture of sustainability and collectively be a force for good. Zolo, he points out, aims to help Philippine companies manage their e-waste and end-of life tech by recycling and donating some of the old tech to needy schools and communities.

Zolo, he elaborates, will collect the old tech, securely wipe and destroy data from the old tech machines – computers, laptops and cellphone, and help the companies dispose of their old tech. The company, in turn, will either safely dismantle and dispose of the old tech machines, or if still viable, would recycle, refurbish the tech, and donate it to schools and needy communities that could still put the machines to good use.

The process, Franz says, employs an environmentally conscious disposal and reprocessing of e-waste and provides companies a report as a standard to demonstrate adherence to environmental and security standards.

Admirable, really, good luck Franz!