Oakridge: A symbol of hope

Our year has started with many startling news. There’s the eruption of Taal Volcano and the displacement of thousands of families, who until now have not yet found a permanent place to start again. Then there’s the tragic demise of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, as well as the death of baseball coach John Altobelli and his family in the same incident. There were others, too, in that crash, some unnamed but for sure bringing in the same devastation to their families.

Then there lingers the threat of the novel coronavirus that continues to place our country and our people in a defensive. Plus the daily count of deaths and apprehensions due to the proliferation of and fight against illegal drugs in the country -- or should I say, in the world. 

The threat of bush fires continues, as well as that of the rising of tides due to climate change.  And if you care to notice, our weather has also changed its pattern. Cold temperatures have left December, and even now, we are beginning to feel the early onset of summer.

Then there is the statistics that brings up the incidence of HIV and brings down the level of security in certain parts of the country.

For a time, I was quiet. I did not have the urge to write, possibly to the chagrin of my editor. I have always wanted to talk about the good that people do, the wonderful things that we can see in this world in spite and despite of how we abuse nature, and have changed our lifestyles.  The hope that we must have and continue to have. But I was dry. Possibly sucked by the shaking of all these unsavory events. 

Then came the Gawad Linaw Awards of Mandaue. Gawad Linaw is a gift of peace. This award is given to companies that promote industrial peace, carrying with it the multi-faceted qualities of people development, corporate social responsibility, employee engagement, employee-management relations and communication, among others.

This year’s awardee, Oakridge Realty Development Corporation, is the sole recipient of this prestigious recognition. Oakridge received the award on January 27 at the Mandaue City Session Hall.  The award was deliberated on by members of the Tripartite Industrial Peace Council, Department of Labor and Employment, and NCMB. 

The Gawad Linaw is a partnership among the Mandaue City government, the Tripartite Industrial Peace Council, and Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry. This award was created to recognize and showcase innovative labor-management practices that promote industrial peace.

Listening to Oakridge CEO, Mr. Edmun Liu, acknowledge his people gave me that inspiration to write. He took note of all the people who have helped him and his family build Oakridge into a blooming industrial park and home to many other business establishments. From the executives to their maintenance and utility personnel, Mr. Liu took note of how each has helped in the progress of Oakridge.

What I found most noteworthy is how this CEO kept the legacy of his parents, who started building their business with hard work and sacrifice. There is a particular picture that has stuck to my mind of the late Mr. Leo Lim Liu, when they inaugurated the Chong Hua Hospital in Mandaue City. In that small frame, his eyes mirrored his joy.  It was as if his dream just came true as the marker of the hospital was being unveiled. His eyes were lifted up, as if in praise.

We see his hand in the way the Liu children have succeeded in life. And how they have, in their own way, also tried to push forward what good they have gained by molding others to do the same.

As we congratulate Oakridge Realty Development Corp., I take this time to praise God for people like Mr. Leo Lim Liu and Mrs. Norma Liu, and their children, who have continued to make humility a standard.