What a great day it was to learn! Thanks to the De La Salle Lipa’s (DLSL) Master in Management Technology (MMT) program, it was a great day to learn from some of the country’s best in their own respective fields. The DLSL MMT Convention 2016, Going Sustainable and Global: Living the Animo in Business, promised to be full of knowledge and awakenings as the convention’s organizers were able to put together some of the brightest names in their own industries in a single room.

If I heard it right, it was the first time that such a convention was put together by the MMT program. For that, I have to give my kudos to the program. If you’ve seen the list of the day’s speakers, then you wouldn’t be able to help yourself but to give your kudos as well.

I was invited to attend by one of the convention’s organizers who happened to be my kababata, Celine Bernadette Francisco of OnTheDotWriting.com and Cyberpreneur.ph. She sent me the list of speakers. I recognized most of the names, and immediately said yes. I couldn’t pass up the chance to hear from these people.

Mr. Sanny Leviste, MDM (Change Management Consultant / MMT Professor)

Sanny Leviste
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Mr. Sanny Leviste, MDM (Change Management Consultant / MMT Professor)

The convention opened with a keynote speech from Mr. Sanny Leviste. He provided quite a trip down memory lane as he took us back to when the Master in Management Technology program started in DLSL. He took special pride in the fact that it’s the first of its kind in the Philippines, so that’s something that the institution will forever be proud of.

He shared how it was back then technology-wise, with hospitals operating on 300 megabytes of data to run a whole hospital operation. Takeaway here is a lot of things have changed technology-wise. Technology is not stopping or slowing down so we can keep up. Mr. Leviste provided the perfect keynote speech for the convention’s speakers

Ms. Ann Hazel Javier (Executive Director, Pusod, Inc.) “Diving through the Core of Sustainability”

Ann Hazel Javier
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Ms. Ann Hazel Javier (Executive Director, Pusod, Inc.)

Speaking of changes in technology, Ms. Ann Hazel Javier opened the floor to prove just that. She held her talk via a web conference. She talked about the importance of a sustainable development – something that she’s doing with the Pusod, Inc as its Executive Director. Their proud mission is to protect and enhance the Philippines’ ecosystem and to showcase its significance to the rest of the world. Pusod issues a challenge to entrepreneurs – to give back to the communities that are responsible for their success.

Engr. Aisa Mijeno (CEO and Co-Founder, SALt) “The Story of SALt”

Aisa Mijeno
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Engr. Aisa Mijeno (CEO and Co-Founder, SALt)

It’s hard to find someone who’s not familiar with Engr. Aisa Mijeno. At the very least, you know her as the unassuming lady who shared a stage with President Barack Obama and Alibaba’s Jack Ma. You also know her as the co-founder of SALt. We know of SALt as “that lamp that runs on saltwater”, but Engr. Mijeno showed that it’s more than that. It’s a social movement.

Engr. Mijeno talked about the story of SALt. She talked about how it started and encouraged the crowd to find their passion. She also shared how SALt is as a startup and provided tips to succeed as one.

Mr. Rodel Lacorte (CEO & President, Taza Mia, Corporation) “The Taza Mia Journey onto Sustainability & Global Innovation”

Rodel Lacorte
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Mr. Rodel Lacorte (CEO & President, Taza Mia, Corporation)

Everyone knows who the number 1 brand is in the coffee industry. While the big boys of the industry haven’t heard of Mr. Rodel Lacorte a few years ago, I’m guessing that they’re taking notice now. After all, they’re probably wondering who this man from Lipa City is who’s going head to head against them. Judging from the branches of Taza Mia sprouting left and right, you can bet that he has their attention.

Mr. Lacorte talked about how Taza Mia started. He also talked about how he’s able to keep up with the big boys and how he’s able to differentiate his brand from them. It was an inspiring story. We have this kababayan of ours establishing quite a niche in the coffee industry and at the same time, promoting a livelihood to local coffee farmers. He also shared strategies on going global – something that most entrepreneurs can learn from.

Mr. Burn Gutierrez (Chairman, Angat Pilipinas Coalition for Financial Literacy) “The Road to Online Entrepreneurship”

Burn Gutierrez
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Mr. Burn Gutierrez (Chairman, Angat Pilipinas Coalition for Financial Literacy)

Mr. Burn Gutierrez wears many hats. He’s a singer, songwriter, blogger, financial literacy advocate, investor, and many more. For this convention, he wore his online entrepreneur hat. He talked about the different opportunities to be an entrepreneur online – from selling to affiliate marketing. In this day and age when almost everyone in the workforce has access to a computer, it’s something that everyone should consider.

Mr. Gutierrez shared how he used to be in a lot of debt which I’m sure hits close to home for a lot of people. He shared how he was able to get out of debt thanks to financial literacy and online entrepreneurship.

Mr. Paolo Lising (Founder, Million Dollar Concepts) “Digital Marketing: A Vital Business Strategy”

Paolo Lising
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Mr. Paolo Lising (Founder, Million Dollar Concepts)

We live in a digital world. No one can argue about that. Mr. Paolo Lising of the Million Dollar Concepts had a clear message – you have to do digital marketing to succeed in business in today’s landscape. He talked about the technologies available today to companies – small and big alike – as being equalizers. With affordable and even free digital marketing strategies available, digital marketing is a vital business strategy.

He made a convincing point with statistics showing how more and more people are getting online. You can reach out to them with the right digital marketing strategies.

Mr. Jourdan Sebastian (Chief Evangelist Officer, Taclob) “Taclob: Equipping, Educating & Empowering the Community”

Jouran Sebastian
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Mr. Jourdan Sebastian (Chief Evangelist Officer, Taclob)

Last but certainly not the least, Mr. Jourdan Sebastian of Taclob convinced just about everyone in the room that the saying, “ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan”, is not true. We are the hope of the nation. We can’t pass the responsibility of change to the young ones. Change begins with us.

He shared how he started Taclob because he wanted change. He got sick of complaining about the government’s inefficiency in handling the Tacloban situation a few years back so he took it upon himself to help empower the Yolanda survivors, no, the HEROES. With his Taclob initiative, he was able to raise funds through crowdfunding to empower the heroes to manufacture upcycled and weather-resistant bags.

Right now, the initiative succeeded in their goal of putting up a manufacturing facility in Tacloban. That’s empowering the community.

All in all, it was an amazing convention. The Hello Lipa was happy to be there. We hope that this won’t be the last. If this is a sign of things to come, then you have to commit as early as now to attend the next one.

Congratulations to Celine Bernadette Francisco, Wendy Cueto-Bautista, and the rest of the DLSL MMT students!

 

 

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