The finale of 8th annual AmCham Business Orientation Program, marked by the customary Awards Dinner, was held at the Marriott Hotel Manila in Newport City last April 24, Saturday.
BOP committee member and Senior Director of Sea Change Mr. Christopher Stolk hosted the evening, and was accompanied by 2008 BOP alumni Conrad Lee and Mary Love Sy. Mr. Rob Sears, AmCham Executive Director opened the program by welcoming the attendees and thanking them once again for their support for the program.
In her keynote address, Ms. Leslie Bassett, Deputy Chief of Mission for the US Embassy encouraged the students to find one person that inspires them, and have mentors who are successful but will share their life lessons in order to help shape them to be who they want to be in the future.
The awarding of the BOP certificates was presented by Mr. Sears, Ms. Bassett, Mr. Jun Salipsip, Executive Director of the AmCham Foundation, and Ms. Carol Dominguez, 2010 BOP Chair. BOP partners and corporate sponsors were given a certificate of appreciation and a group picture with the students in recognition of their support, and in exchange, the partners gave a message of thanks and related some of their memorable experiences with the students. Marriott Hotel Manila GM Mr. Richard Saul gave a few words of advice to the students regarding their personal life and career, while Ms. Marla Alvarez of Thomson Reuters assured that they will sponsor the BOP next year.
The most anticipated part of the program came next with the awarding of the winners of the BOP Case Study. After a careful deliberation by the prestigious panel of judges headed by Mr. Ernest Cu, President of Globe Telecom, the team of Carlos Yu (UP Diliman), Marielie Sablan (Miriam College), Robbie Lim (Ateneo de Zamboanga), Marian Adriano (Ateneo de Naga, Bicol), and Maria Elena Alfonso (DLSU) was declared the winner. Second place went to Ayessa Gadia (Mindanao State University, Marawi), Emmanette Crisostomo (UP Diliman), Joemar Detalla (Siliman University, Dumaguete), Christian Patacsil (St. Louis University) and Ivan Lim (DLSU), while the group of Aldwin Dumago (Ateneo de Davao), Emmanuel de Vera (DLSU), Aimee Bacallan (UP Diliman), and Pamela Guingona (Xavier University, Ateneo de Cagayan De Oro) won third place. Athena Plaza of University of San Carlos, Cebu was also awarded Best Presenter.
The response from the students was given by Aldwin Dumago, wherein he thanked AmCham for the lessons, challenges, and memories that made up the whole BOP experience. “Last week, I came from Davao empty-handed, and tomorrow I will leave with excess baggage,” he concluded. As a gesture of appreciation for all their efforts and hard work, the students serenaded Ms. Carol Dominguez and Ms. Abbie Flores, BOP Coordinator, with a rendition of Tyler Collins’s ”Thanks to You”.
In her closing remarks, 2010 BOP Committee Chair Carol Dominguez reminded the students, “The objective of this past week was to make an impact on your life,” and ended the program and the evening with a quote by Peter Drucker: “Learning is a life-long process of keeping abreast of change, and the most pressing task is teaching people to learn.”
AmCham would like to thank the corporate sponsors/partners, the US Embassy, the 2010 BOP Committee, the BOP alumni and everyone else involved who made the 2010 BOP a success!
- Marge F. Friginal
Official BOP Writer
