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S.M.N.I. Truth That Matters

Welcome back to Business and Politics. We're talking to Dr. Cecilio Pedro of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce.

Sir, very interesting discussion. I'm almost at the loss of where to pick up our discussion.

But let me switch it up a bit because you do a lot of CSR projects.

I don't know if you can call that because it seems like a work of passion for you to be helping the deaf community in the Philippines.

Could you talk to us about why that particular cause, what got you started, and what do we need to know that maybe others can join you in helping that community?

Yeah, I'm a Christian since I was eight years old.

So, the thrust of the Christian community is to bring gospel to everyone.

And unfortunately, the deaf will not be included unless you can speak their language.

And since they cannot hear, they cannot speak, the only way to reach them is using sign language.

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.

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.

At the same time, bringing the gospel to the hearing impaired.

This became a ministry where I joined in 1982, 41 years ago.

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.

where we provide education, college education, to train professors or teachers to the deaf.

Through sign language.

Through sign language.

And this ministry, we have produced over 800 college students, as of now, who are scattered all over the place.

Not only in the Philippines, but also in other parts of the world.

We have teachers in Korea, teachers in Japan, teachers in Guam, Hawaii, and even in the States, even in Africa.

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.

This is a ministry.

This is where I've been passionate about for the last 30 or 40 years.

Aside from the college, we also set up, through the federation, we set up classrooms.

And I sent teachers from our school to teach, to maintain what we call SPED, special education, which is provided by law.

So we've gathered some people with disabilities and provide them with some form of education, including the deaf.

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.

How big is the problem, sir, of hearing impairment in the Philippines?

Is it very prevalent?

And does it, you know, how much intervention does the government need to, or private sector needs to provide?

Yeah, there are, according to government estimates, there are more than 800,000 deaf-mutes in our country, 800,000.

And the government is only providing a handful of schools.

Imagine if all that can be productive.

Yes, yes.

And they're very productive, kasi they value their work, kasi hirap maghanap ng trabaho.

So if you give them, which is what we're doing.

What you do, give them opportunity.

Yes, and they're very loyal and they're very productive.

Among the top ten, you have six or seven of them coming from the deaf, ranking them as productive, very efficient.

The education sector, we are also going high-tech.

Kasi kailangan din ng computers, kasi they cannot hear.

So you have to use signs in the computer for them to sign.

So they can sign to each other using cell phone.

I see, okay.

Hindi nakakarinig, pero nakakasign, may view, may video.

O yun ang bagong technology that we are employing or we are adopting to teach the deaf, to reach the deaf.

So again, maraming areas of improvement where we can do.

And it is also dependent on the internet.

Ang internet natin medyo mahina, medyo mabagal.

Hopefully with time, more investments will come in and I think we should improve on the internet.

Pag naging mabilis na yung internet, maraming matutulungan.

Hindi lang education, pati yung negosyo papasok din dito.

The government can help push.

Sometimes it's also dependent on the government.

Kasi some areas kailangan may investment from the government.

Kasi kung private sectors, puro profits ang tinitingnan nila.

Kung this area is not profitable, they will not invest.

So you have to let government to come in and invest.

All of these areas are considerations where a strategic group in the government,

together with the private sector coming together to think and plan what to do to help our economy as a whole.

Sir, how do you encourage or maybe teach the next generation about entrepreneurship?

Because you said you have to have a competitive mindset.

Sabi niyo, if you can't deal with competition, then you will find it very difficult.

But you're saying that there are these new developments now, particularly with AI.

What would you tell to maybe if you were talking to your younger self?

How could you be as successful as Cecilia Pedro today?

It's a mindset. It's a framework where you grew up with.

I grew up with business parents.

GoNegosyo is at the forefront promoting business.

You have to start young.

I started when I was in grade two.

Many times I talk about this.

I was trying to sell ball pens to my classmates.

Wala kaming pera. Pangbaon na ako. Sige-sige, pa-utang na lang ako.

Binigyan ko silang lahat. So, bankrupt ang negosyo ko dahil ako hindi ako binayaran.

Wala pang bayad.

First thing I learned when I was in grade two, a sale is not a sale unless collected.

Okay.

Puro receivables.

Puro receivables.

Kung bibili ka ng toothpaste ngayon, COD.

Cash only. Walang utang.

That I learned when I was in grade two.

Okay. It's a hard lesson to learn.

It's a hard lesson but it's stuck in my mind and in my heart.

You want to do business, make sure you can collect.

Otherwise, COD.

But there are other lessons you can learn.

And you have to start young. You have to learn it.

So, values?

Values could be one of them.

The values of savings.

You save. You don't spend unless you have money to spend.

And you have already set aside.

Let's say you set aside P10, you spend P2, okay lang yan.

Yung mga iba, hindi pa kumikita.

They make P10, they spend P20.

Oh, they spend P20.

Tumubo kasi may kikita pa lang.

Hindi pwede yun sa negosyo. Kailangan...

You always have savings just in case there is an emergency.

You have enough money to help save the business or to help you move, sustain you in bad times.

Like itong pandemic, maraming sarado. Bakit?

Wala na silang pambayad eh.

Those who are with enough savings, you can sustain it.

These are things you learn, values as you said.

In the family and also in the culture.

The culture of savings is among many Chinese.

Dami po sa kanila galing sa mahirap na environment in China.

Pag wala silang savings, wala silang kakainin bukas.

So that's how they grew up.

We are more fortunate here.

Pag wala kang pagkain, pumunta ka sa...

Mang-utang ka.

Oo, sa kapit-bahay, sa sari-sari.

Mang-ungutang ka, pa-utangin ka eh.

We're very kind.

In China, they won't do that.

You die when you don't have savings. You die.

So the culture is very important.

Family culture, sir.

I know my dad was one of my hardest bosses.

Are you difficult with your children when they were...

How were you as a boss?

I mean, not as a father, but as a boss.

To them growing up and learning the ropes.

The same thing. We teach them savings.

We teach them that.

Huwag ka magpapa-utang.

Sa negosyo, walang utang-utang dyan.

Pag nagpa-utang ka, chances are you will lose some money.

And no matter how much you tell them,

at the end of the day, it's experiencing it personally.

Dumaan ka sa...

Hawak mong hawakan yung apoy,

masusunog ka, mapapasok ka.

Hindi nangyayawala until nahawakan nila.

And then, oh, sakit pala.

That is what we have to go through.

That's why you have to start early.

And hopefully, the things that you got burned

will not burn you totally.

Hopefully.

Yung learnings mo will not kill you

or will not affect you totally.

Learnings is the key experience.

I was invited to speak in Harvard

for their business school.

They talk about how to compete with the giants.

You competed with Colgate.

Oh, with Colgate.

How many of you would like to be in business?

I think 90% raised their arms.

We want to be in business.

You're wasting time sitting here learning from us.

You have to be out there learning

from experience.

That way, you will hasten your business entrepreneurship.

The key is all about experience,

about learnings in the real world,

not inside the classroom.

Having said that, we also said

there are so many things you have to learn

in the classroom.

You can read books.

You can join seminars.

That will hasten your learning.

That will improve, maybe make you learn more.

It's all about learnings.

You don't stop learning until the day you die,

until the day you meet your God.

Whether it's in business, in culture,

in your values, you evolve.

Life is a constant evolve.

I don't know what is the word.

Constant change.

Until you reach a certain point,

you still change until you die.

The day you stop changing is the day you die.

There's nothing you can do.

Other than that, you change,

you move forward, you adapt,

and you make yourself a better person

at the end of the day,

making a difference for the glory of God.

Sir, I feel that we don't have enough time

for this program, even though we've exhausted

all of the episode's time slot.

But before we go, sir, maybe you'd like to

leave us with a final message,

maybe a message from Dr. Cecilia Pedro,

maybe a message from the Chamber?

The Chamber is at the forefront of

promoting investments in this country,

in this beautiful place called the Philippines.

We want to strengthen the relationship

between China and the Philippines.

We believe China can provide a lot of

opportunities for us to look into.

We believe that even the local Chinese,

we are dugong Chino, pero usong Pinoy.

By blood, we are Chinese, but by heart,

we want the Philippines to move forward.

And moving forward, benefiting the country

is benefiting us, benefiting all of us.

We are in one world.

Nobody can exist without our neighbors,

without the whole world involved.

So we have to work together

towards a peaceful environment

and towards a better environment

by providing jobs and helping

our next generation through education

to become a better person

and to be competitive so that

we can sustain the Philippines as a whole.

Well, Dr. Pedro, very well said.

Thank you very much for your time.

I look forward to seeing you again

and doing another interview.

In the meantime, sir, thank you also

for those watching this program

and thank you to Pastor Pablo Ibalo

for making this program possible.

This has been Business and Politics

and I will see you next week.

Sir, maraming salamat.

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