Sunday, June 25, 2006

CIE Launches Pearl Principle, Ang Bagong Pinoy in Cebu

The Centre for International Education in Partnership with Ang Bagong Pinoy launched the Pearl Principle and the first local chapter of Ang Bagong Pinoy at the Riga Room of the Cebu Waterfront Hotel last June 23, 2006.

Ernesto "Boogie" Boydon, President of Ang Bagong Pinoy opened the forum by welcoming guests and speakers. Mr. Boydon introduced the Pearl Principle, Ang Bagong Pinoy, to the audience, its history, goals and its vision. Ang Bagong Pinoy is a community of Filipinos all over the world seeking to build a better Philippines by starting within themselves--one Filipino at a time. It aims to recover, nurture and advance the Filipino identity, promote good citizenship, and inspire in the Filipinos the love, pride, and appreciation of their Filipino identity. Ang Bagong Pinoy will dedicate the Filipino identity for the spiritual, cultural, social, and economic advancement of the Filipino nation.

Prof. Nelia Cruz-Sarcol,Founder and CEO of the Centre for International Education or CIE, talked about the Pearl Principle. She started the Pearl Principle Movement a year and a half ago in Manila. She organized a conference of more than 400 participants at the Manila Intercontinental Hotel. She never realized that it would grow into an online group and get organized in the size that it is now of more than 2000 Fiilpinos all over the world. Prof. Sarcol talked about the need to find the leadership within our selves to create the much-needed change within a Filipino's sphere of influence. She declared that man has been waging an unseen war of finding the will to change from within. Prof. Sarcol ended her talked with the hope that the Pearl Principle will evolve into a unifying ideology for the New Filipino.

The talked entitled "A Pinoy Culture of Peace and Excellence" delivered by Lt. Col. Joey Forteza, a Pearl Principle Fellow and an active member of the Philippine Air Force was a very scholarly discussion of aspects of culture as it is viewed by the military minds and security specialists all over the world. Lt. Col. Fortaleza moves from the simple perspective of a glass half full and half empty to the different "isms" that have shaped politics and economics around the different parts of the globe. He ended his talked with vision that we can evolve and even drive a culture not only appropriate for the Filipino but a culture that can be a light beyond the Far East.

Another Pearl Principle Fellow, Jay O. Tabaña, Outreach Leadership Trainor of the Lighthouse Christian Outreaches and Communities, talked about the "Next Generation Social Entrepreneurs" in the Philippines in the coming years. Mr. Tabaña sounded out the many family names of prominent Cebuanos who shaped the development and economy of Cebu and emphasized that most of them continue to participate in Cebu's economy through the new generation of entrepreneurs. The speaker discussed how the next generation of Cebuanos and Filipinos in general, will evolve from a purely profit-centered businessperson to a social entrepreneur. He believes that the next generation of entrepreneurs will become more conscious of social issues and will use their businesses to respond to these social issues.

The last speaker was the Executive Director of the Pearl Principle, Virgilio Y Paralisan of the Centre for International Education. Mr. Paralisan went directly to the introduction of the concept developed by CIE called the Entrepreneurial Development Management Model. He presented the typical model of development for most organizations and the eventual outcome of their programs. Mr. Paralisan presented the Entrepreneurial Development Management Model as a solution to most of the development initiatives whether by government or by community organizations. The concept is based on a model that an enterprise is a better delivery vehicle for any action in the community whether it is for profit or for social action. This is the model that is followed by social enterprises built on the Pearl Principle.

Pearl Principle Enterprises respond to a social need. It is managed professionally. It has a successful model and a plan based on CIE's own success. Pearl Principle Enterprises lend themselves to replication. These social enterprises are created to be profitable and hence sustainable.



More than thirty participants to the forum were inducted by Ernesto "Boogie" Boydon, President of Ang Bagong Pinoy, before the forum ended. The induction happen right after the forum because the participants requested that they be inducted on that very occasion. The forum ended with prizes raffled off to lucky participants of the forum. The newly inducted members of the Ang Bagong Pinoy will have their first membership meeting on July 1, 2006, at the Centre for International Education.

Get details of the meeting from Virgilio Paralisan or Malou Tan-Wong by calling (6332) 4127622 or 2332566.

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