01:00.0
And since they cannot hear, they cannot speak, the only way to reach them is using sign language.
01:08.0
And it so happened there was this ministry in our church started 54 years ago where an American missionary mother-daughter team came over and started this ministry for sign language.
01:26.0
So, they use sign language to teach the hearing impaired or the deaf and providing them education so they can learn how to read and write.
01:36.0
At the same time, bringing the gospel to the hearing impaired.
01:41.0
This became a ministry where I joined in 1982, 41 years ago.
01:51.0
And I became chairman in 1992 and ever since, for the last 30 years, I've been working on this as chairman of Deaf Evangelistic Alliance Foundation, Inc.
02:03.0
where we provide education, college education, to train professors or teachers to the deaf.
02:11.0
Through sign language.
02:12.0
Through sign language.
02:13.0
And this ministry, we have produced over 800 college students, as of now, who are scattered all over the place.
02:22.0
Not only in the Philippines, but also in other parts of the world.
02:25.0
We have teachers in Korea, teachers in Japan, teachers in Guam, Hawaii, and even in the States, even in Africa.
02:35.0
We have teachers also in Southeast Asia, in Hong Kong, in Indonesia, where they teach sign language to the deaf and bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the deaf.
02:48.0
This is a ministry.
02:49.0
This is where I've been passionate about for the last 30 or 40 years.
02:55.0
Aside from the college, we also set up, through the federation, we set up classrooms.
03:02.0
And I sent teachers from our school to teach, to maintain what we call SPED, special education, which is provided by law.
03:12.0
So we've gathered some people with disabilities and provide them with some form of education, including the deaf.
03:20.0
So that has been, we have 16 centers scattered throughout the country to teach the deaf and to bring education and the gospel to the deaf.
03:30.0
How big is the problem, sir, of hearing impairment in the Philippines?
03:34.0
Is it very prevalent?
03:37.0
And does it, you know, how much intervention does the government need to, or private sector needs to provide?
03:43.0
Yeah, there are, according to government estimates, there are more than 800,000 deaf-mutes in our country, 800,000.
03:51.0
And the government is only providing a handful of schools.
03:55.0
Imagine if all that can be productive.
03:58.0
And they're very productive, kasi they value their work, kasi hirap maghanap ng trabaho.
04:04.0
So if you give them, which is what we're doing.
04:07.0
What you do, give them opportunity.
04:09.0
Yes, and they're very loyal and they're very productive.
04:13.0
Among the top ten, you have six or seven of them coming from the deaf, ranking them as productive, very efficient.
04:23.0
The education sector, we are also going high-tech.
04:30.0
Kasi kailangan din ng computers, kasi they cannot hear.
04:36.0
So you have to use signs in the computer for them to sign.
04:40.0
So they can sign to each other using cell phone.
04:45.0
Hindi nakakarinig, pero nakakasign, may view, may video.
04:50.0
O yun ang bagong technology that we are employing or we are adopting to teach the deaf, to reach the deaf.
05:01.0
So again, maraming areas of improvement where we can do.
05:05.0
And it is also dependent on the internet.
05:10.0
Ang internet natin medyo mahina, medyo mabagal.
05:15.0
Hopefully with time, more investments will come in and I think we should improve on the internet.
05:24.0
Pag naging mabilis na yung internet, maraming matutulungan.
05:28.0
Hindi lang education, pati yung negosyo papasok din dito.
05:31.0
The government can help push.
05:35.0
Sometimes it's also dependent on the government.
05:38.0
Kasi some areas kailangan may investment from the government.
05:43.0
Kasi kung private sectors, puro profits ang tinitingnan nila.
05:46.0
Kung this area is not profitable, they will not invest.
05:49.0
So you have to let government to come in and invest.
05:52.0
All of these areas are considerations where a strategic group in the government,
05:59.0
together with the private sector coming together to think and plan what to do to help our economy as a whole.
06:08.0
Sir, how do you encourage or maybe teach the next generation about entrepreneurship?
06:16.0
Because you said you have to have a competitive mindset.
06:20.0
Sabi niyo, if you can't deal with competition, then you will find it very difficult.
06:27.0
But you're saying that there are these new developments now, particularly with AI.
06:33.0
What would you tell to maybe if you were talking to your younger self?
06:38.0
How could you be as successful as Cecilia Pedro today?
06:43.0
It's a mindset. It's a framework where you grew up with.
06:47.0
I grew up with business parents.
06:52.0
GoNegosyo is at the forefront promoting business.
06:57.0
You have to start young.
06:59.0
I started when I was in grade two.
07:01.0
Many times I talk about this.
07:04.0
I was trying to sell ball pens to my classmates.
07:07.0
Wala kaming pera. Pangbaon na ako. Sige-sige, pa-utang na lang ako.
07:11.0
Binigyan ko silang lahat. So, bankrupt ang negosyo ko dahil ako hindi ako binayaran.
07:19.0
First thing I learned when I was in grade two, a sale is not a sale unless collected.
07:24.0
Puro receivables.
07:26.0
Puro receivables.
07:27.0
Kung bibili ka ng toothpaste ngayon, COD.
07:29.0
Cash only. Walang utang.
07:31.0
That I learned when I was in grade two.
07:33.0
Okay. It's a hard lesson to learn.
07:35.0
It's a hard lesson but it's stuck in my mind and in my heart.
07:38.0
You want to do business, make sure you can collect.
07:43.0
But there are other lessons you can learn.
07:46.0
And you have to start young. You have to learn it.
07:50.0
Values could be one of them.
07:52.0
The values of savings.
07:55.0
You save. You don't spend unless you have money to spend.
07:58.0
And you have already set aside.
08:00.0
Let's say you set aside P10, you spend P2, okay lang yan.
08:04.0
Yung mga iba, hindi pa kumikita.
08:07.0
They make P10, they spend P20.
08:08.0
Oh, they spend P20.
08:10.0
Tumubo kasi may kikita pa lang.
08:12.0
Hindi pwede yun sa negosyo. Kailangan...
08:14.0
You always have savings just in case there is an emergency.
08:18.0
You have enough money to help save the business or to help you move, sustain you in bad times.
08:26.0
Like itong pandemic, maraming sarado. Bakit?
08:29.0
Wala na silang pambayad eh.
08:31.0
Those who are with enough savings, you can sustain it.
08:35.0
These are things you learn, values as you said.
08:38.0
In the family and also in the culture.
08:41.0
The culture of savings is among many Chinese.
08:44.0
Dami po sa kanila galing sa mahirap na environment in China.
08:50.0
Pag wala silang savings, wala silang kakainin bukas.
08:53.0
So that's how they grew up.
08:56.0
We are more fortunate here.
08:58.0
Pag wala kang pagkain, pumunta ka sa...
09:01.0
Oo, sa kapit-bahay, sa sari-sari.
09:03.0
Mang-ungutang ka, pa-utangin ka eh.
09:08.0
In China, they won't do that.
09:10.0
You die when you don't have savings. You die.
09:13.0
So the culture is very important.
09:16.0
Family culture, sir.
09:18.0
I know my dad was one of my hardest bosses.
09:21.0
Are you difficult with your children when they were...
09:24.0
How were you as a boss?
09:25.0
I mean, not as a father, but as a boss.
09:27.0
To them growing up and learning the ropes.
09:30.0
The same thing. We teach them savings.
09:32.0
We teach them that.
09:33.0
Huwag ka magpapa-utang.
09:35.0
Sa negosyo, walang utang-utang dyan.
09:37.0
Pag nagpa-utang ka, chances are you will lose some money.
09:40.0
And no matter how much you tell them,
09:43.0
at the end of the day, it's experiencing it personally.
09:50.0
Hawak mong hawakan yung apoy,
09:54.0
masusunog ka, mapapasok ka.
09:56.0
Hindi nangyayawala until nahawakan nila.
09:59.0
And then, oh, sakit pala.
10:01.0
That is what we have to go through.
10:03.0
That's why you have to start early.
10:05.0
And hopefully, the things that you got burned
10:08.0
will not burn you totally.
10:11.0
Yung learnings mo will not kill you
10:14.0
or will not affect you totally.
10:16.0
Learnings is the key experience.
10:20.0
I was invited to speak in Harvard
10:23.0
for their business school.
10:25.0
They talk about how to compete with the giants.
10:28.0
You competed with Colgate.
10:29.0
Oh, with Colgate.
10:30.0
How many of you would like to be in business?
10:33.0
I think 90% raised their arms.
10:36.0
We want to be in business.
10:38.0
You're wasting time sitting here learning from us.
10:42.0
You have to be out there learning
10:46.0
That way, you will hasten your business entrepreneurship.
10:51.0
The key is all about experience,
10:54.0
about learnings in the real world,
10:56.0
not inside the classroom.
10:58.0
Having said that, we also said
11:00.0
there are so many things you have to learn
11:02.0
in the classroom.
11:03.0
You can read books.
11:04.0
You can join seminars.
11:06.0
That will hasten your learning.
11:08.0
That will improve, maybe make you learn more.
11:12.0
It's all about learnings.
11:13.0
You don't stop learning until the day you die,
11:16.0
until the day you meet your God.
11:18.0
Whether it's in business, in culture,
11:20.0
in your values, you evolve.
11:26.0
Life is a constant evolve.
11:30.0
I don't know what is the word.
11:35.0
Until you reach a certain point,
11:37.0
you still change until you die.
11:41.0
The day you stop changing is the day you die.
11:44.0
There's nothing you can do.
11:46.0
Other than that, you change,
11:48.0
you move forward, you adapt,
11:49.0
and you make yourself a better person
11:51.0
at the end of the day,
11:53.0
making a difference for the glory of God.
11:55.0
Sir, I feel that we don't have enough time
11:57.0
for this program, even though we've exhausted
11:59.0
all of the episode's time slot.
12:02.0
But before we go, sir, maybe you'd like to
12:04.0
leave us with a final message,
12:06.0
maybe a message from Dr. Cecilia Pedro,
12:09.0
maybe a message from the Chamber?
12:11.0
The Chamber is at the forefront of
12:13.0
promoting investments in this country,
12:16.0
in this beautiful place called the Philippines.
12:19.0
We want to strengthen the relationship
12:21.0
between China and the Philippines.
12:23.0
We believe China can provide a lot of
12:25.0
opportunities for us to look into.
12:27.0
We believe that even the local Chinese,
12:31.0
we are dugong Chino, pero usong Pinoy.
12:35.0
By blood, we are Chinese, but by heart,
12:37.0
we want the Philippines to move forward.
12:39.0
And moving forward, benefiting the country
12:41.0
is benefiting us, benefiting all of us.
12:44.0
We are in one world.
12:47.0
Nobody can exist without our neighbors,
12:50.0
without the whole world involved.
12:52.0
So we have to work together
12:54.0
towards a peaceful environment
12:58.0
and towards a better environment
13:00.0
by providing jobs and helping
13:02.0
our next generation through education
13:05.0
to become a better person
13:07.0
and to be competitive so that
13:09.0
we can sustain the Philippines as a whole.
13:12.0
Well, Dr. Pedro, very well said.
13:14.0
Thank you very much for your time.
13:16.0
I look forward to seeing you again
13:17.0
and doing another interview.
13:19.0
In the meantime, sir, thank you also
13:21.0
for those watching this program
13:23.0
and thank you to Pastor Pablo Ibalo
13:25.0
for making this program possible.
13:26.0
This has been Business and Politics
13:28.0
and I will see you next week.
13:30.0
Sir, maraming salamat.
13:35.0
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13:36.0
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13:38.0
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13:40.0
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13:43.0
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