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Vol. 3. No. 2 - June 2004
KPE APPOINTED AS JAKA PRESIDENT AND CEO
by DSMarabillon
The principals of JAKA Investments Corporation recently appointed the
company’s well-loved Chief Operating Officer, Ms. Katrina Ponce-Enrile,
as the JAKA Group’s new President and Chief Executive Officer.
Coming as it did right after the news of Senator Juan Ponce Enrile and
Congressman Jack Enrile’s re-election in Senate and the House of
Representatives respectively, the news of KPE’s appointment to the
top management slot in the family-owned corporation capped a grand slam
of good news for the whole JAKA Group of Companies. “This surely
must be the start of something big for the company,”enthused Jeilenn
Blanco of HRM. “Hopefully the string of good luck that our principals
are experiencing will also bring good luck to JAKA.”
And just a little more luck is just what the company needs on the eve
of its founding anniversary. The JAKA Group of Companies has been under
the able stewardship of KPE during the most difficult times of its corporate
history. It has been a long and arduous recovery period forefront of the
company’s recovery efforts – setting the example for corporate
frugality and financial prudence that allowed the company to bear the
brunt of an adverse economic environment.
Ma’am Katrina graduated with an AB Political Science degree from
the University of the Philippines, before taking up legal studies at the
Ateneo College of Law. She entered JAKA as Group Treasurer and President
of the Property Group in January of 1989, before being appointed as SEVP
for Operations for the whole JAKA Group of Companies in December of 1994.
KPE become the Chief Operating Officer of the JAKA Group in December of
1996.
Difficult decisions were made and implemented by KPE during her term
as Chief Operating Officer – decisions that allowed JAKA to hurdle
the worst challenges that the business environment raised against the
company. After the biblical seven years of drought, the proverbial light
at the end of the tunnel is glowing ever so bright and hopefully, the
company’s 30th anniversary celebration will signal the advent of
seven years of plenty.
Congratulations Ma’am Katrina on your well-deserved promotion!
JDI MOVES TO A NEW HOME
by ISCantos
 JAKA Distribution,
Inc. (JDI) has a new home! JDI is now located at California Manufaturing
Compund, Km. 18, East Service Road, South Superhighway, Paranaque. More
spacious and strategically located, the new warehouse is expected to further
improve company efficiency and productivity. The main warehouse is 5,380
sq.m., the office space is 404 sq. m. while warehouse 2 has about a thousand
square meters. JDI moved to its new home last May 2004.
JDI’s human resources office and the other departments are in
the building adjacent to the warehouse.
JDI products include the following: Royal and Guitar matches, Stix Styling
Gel, Blooms Bathroom Tissue, Prestige facial tissue, Oracare toothbrush,
Lucky Strike and many more.
PALAWAN PROPERTIES
by ELBasilio
 It was a trip
to be remembered, I thought. Sure there was plenty of work ahead and it
was just a five-day trip, but the feeling of treading on new grounds where
perhaps only a handful of our growing population has set foot on made
the work load worth it. I had a feeling that the same applied to my two
companions for the trip.
I have never been to Palawan before, moreso the less traversed, less
commercialized but more virgin southern islands of the province. Hmm .
. . fresh sea breeze, wonderful beachfronts, cool azure water, fine-combed
sands, sumptuous fresh seafoods . . . I was already salivating in gastronomic
anticipation.
While on the plane and about to touch ground, I thought of capturing
the “moment” via my hand-held videocam. But as I was about
to peer through the window, a pretty stewardess, er, female flight attendant,
caught my attention. Apparently, Gerri, that’s her name, noticed
I was wearing my El Nido T-shirt and started a conversation with me on
that topic (yeah, right).
But, before anything romantic could happen, the plane landed ground.
I barely noticed it because I thought I was still in “heaven”
exchanging pleasant conversation with the beautiful damsel. Knowing time
was against us, we quickly exchanged names.
So, I and my two companions trooped down to the grounds of the Puerto
Princesa airport. We were greeted by Zosimo “Ike” Padong,
senior property manager of JPDMC assigned to the Palawan Properties. Upon
checking-in to our hotel destination, Sir Ike brought us to a restaurant
called Ka Lui, and may I just say those are fine eels they serve there.
Another nice restaurant there is Badjao.
At that moment, everything was falling into place. We arrived safely
in Puerto Princesa, we were far away from the manic metropolis, we were
being served great food, the weather was fine, our hotel had a pool that
really refreshed, Ike was telling us about the beauty of our properties,
Spurs defeated Lakers in Game 2 of Western semifinals.
Then all of a sudden, it was Day 2, or may I say 2 am of Day 2. We had
to leave that early for a 7-hour road trip from Puerto Princesa to Rio
Tuba, the southernmost town of Palawan main island. Half of the trip includes
negotiating through rough roads. And for about every 10 minutes of the
trip, the driver has to stop his vehicle to put in water in his leak ng
radiator.
The 3-hour boat ride from Rio Tuba wharf to Candaraman island, which
would be our working base for the duration of the trip – was fine,
although we were jampacked like sardines inside the ferry. It was the
week prior to election 2004, and we learned that all the other boats except
for the one we were in have all been used for campaign purposes.
Oh, but when we reached Candaraman and witnessed its majestic beauty,
I could not resist reciting to myself the words of William Shakespeare’s
Sonnet 18 while playing (in my mind) Johann Pachelbel’s Canon in
D major. It has the power to transform people.
JAKA owns about one-fourth of the 100-hectare island. The good thing
is that our territories are mostly beachfronts, suitable for resort development
in the near future. The island is covered with moderate to dense vegetation
composed of tertiary growth forest and what seemed to be abandoned coconut
groves. The sand on the surrounding beach is a creamy off-white color
and slightly granular.
Candaraman is but one of the properties that JAKA owns in three separate
islands in the Balabac group of islands in southern Palawan. The other
two islands where we also have properties are the Balabac (Punaguis Point)
and Matangule islands.
Day 3 was for Punagis Point - a 45-minute small boat (or “papit”)
ride from Candaraman. When we heard that there a storm was about to descend,
we fast tracked everything and embarked on a “wavy” trip to
Punaguis. The trip was basically man versus nature as mini waves threatened
to transform themselves into monstrous ones with each moment passing.
We didn’t get to stay long at Punagis. It was pure hardcore work
from start to finish. And we did that in an hour’s stay. Fortunately,
our way back to Candaraman was more peaceful. Rains and winds crashed
around us that nighttime, but we were all safely tucked in our beds by
that time.
Day 4 was upon us and we were salivating for fresh seafood. Up to this
point, we had not tasted any simply because there were no catches. Ike
said it was the first time in his 30-year stay in Palawan that it had
happened. It was strange, unexplainable. Could it be because of the storm
outbreak? Good thing we had prepared contingencies for these things: canned
goods and ready-to-eat soups and meals. Just add one egg.
We didn’t get to visit Matangule. Our boss decided to limit the
trip to the two islands we had visited for safety reasons. On Day 5, we
packed up and decided to head back to metropolis. We were in the PAL plane
that would carry us back to the maddening metros. This can’t be
happening, I thought. Five days is too short. How I wished I was not in
the plane and still in the enchanting Palawan. No, I’m not a victim
of “come back, come back” – a rural legend that says
local maidens mystically charm male visitors so they would never want
to leave the area. But I am a victim of the nature that Palawan had offered
me.
“Excuse me, you’re Erwin right? So, how’s the trip?”
I was flabbergasted. Gerri was before me. We ended up exchanging our
mobile numbers and talked. Nah, forget Palawan for a while, I chuckled.
Here’s Gerri.
But that, I hate to say, is another story.
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