Dear Deloittees and Friends, The Philippine economy was looking good, 2011-12-13 were all banner years, but we did start 2014 on a sad note, brought by the havoc and utter desolation wrought by T-Yolanda. Many of us did not celebrate Christmas in the usual fashion but instead poured all we could to relief and recovery efforts. People were aghast at the Napoles – PDAF revelations, and the subsequent plunder charges against three sitting Senators of the Republic. These were followed by the DAP controversy and the Binay father and son investigation by the Blue Ribbon Committee, a drama that continues to unfold day-by-day. Lately, the lavish lifestyles of certain inmates at the Bilibid prison have come to fore. The world seemed forever reeling from succeeding tragedies involving two doomed Malaysian airlines flights; the show of strength by ISIS once described by Obama as a JV; the Ebola outbreak which seemed like a throwback to the black death of the middle ages; Ukraine became the focus of world attention with Russia feeling the economic impact of such unacceptable behavior. The murder of innocents by the Pakistani Taliban makes one cringe with horror and disbelief. Closer to home, China’s bullying tactics also kept the international community shaking their heads in disapproval. There have been shining moments in various fields: the European spacecraft Rosetta landed on a comet; the medical profession responded heroically to the Ebola crisis winning Doctors the Time Person of the Year award; the Philippines hosted successfully the World Economic Forum in Asia and the state visit of Pres. Obama; signed the Bangsamoro Agreement; caught Delfin Lee of the Globe Asiatique fame; and the continued push for both economic and governance reforms which have been duly recognized in many worldwide perception surveys and credit ratings. On the other hand, we still do not have an FOI and Fair Competition Laws, there is a looming energy shortage, infra spending and dismal agri performance have pulled down our 3Q growth, the port congestion in Manila seems to defy solution and the most famous names in 2014 included Glenda, Mario and Ruby (also Vhong Navarro, Cedric Lee, Jennifer Laude, Alan Purisima). Philippine Sports had a rollercoaster ride: Pacquiao up, Donaire down, Gilas Pilipinas, the Azkals and our showing at the Asian games were not up, but Maria Sharapova and Andy Murray came to town and girls volleyball is gaining fans. Grace Poe is fast becoming the nation’s favorite. Makati and Pasig cities were declared selfie capitals of the world by the NY Times. The Philippine Arena, the world’s largest indoor arena was inaugurated during the year, and preparations for the Pope’s pastoral visit are in full swing. We at Deloitte PH were also adversely affected by the super typhoon in 2013, a number of our colleagues lost family members, their homes and livelihood but Deloittees all over the world responded with much generosity and sympathy that we were able, in some small measure, to assist those affected in their hour of need. We also look forward to completing the construction of three school buildings in Bantayan Island by first quarter of 2015. Our training calendar was full. Our mobility program mobilized big time this year with Deloittees sojourning to many ASEAN Countries and the USA, we saw them off and all seem to be having a grand time judging by their FB postings. Employment milestones were recognized at our November GA capped by Audit Leader Boni L’s valedictory speech! There were other significant milestones celebrated by Deloittees in 2014: birthdays, engagements & weddings, delightful cuddly little babies aborning & beloved family members transitioning, a lot of interns, new hires & balik-Deloitte staff a-coming, there was much laughter, there were some tears, plenty travelled and went gallivanting. Our office seems to be getting smaller or are we just individually getting bigger? (conventional wisdom says heat causes things to expand, so if you seem to be expanding – it simply means you’re Hot…) Deloitte has launched our 2020 Global Strategy. “Play to Win” is the new game, we have identified ‘where to play and how to win’ and continue to fine tune the strategy as we roll them out. Our “Take Flight to 2020” activity got us into the Guinness Book of World Records and will hopefully drive Deloitte SEA into scale change management. So far I am happy to report that all pistons are firing. We realigned our outsourcing function into BPS, now part of Tax and Corporate as it is globally and we should realize synergies and efficiencies here. Deloitte PhilHarmonica’s maiden performance brought honor to the firm by getting into the winners’ circle in the Net Group choral competition. They now dream of becoming the Philippine version of Pentatonix or Home Free. We look forward to 2015 with much hope and anticipation, but let’s offer a toast to 2014 for the warmth of enduring friendships, the love and support of life-partners and family, and the peace & joy the celebrations of the birth of the child Jesus always bring to us all. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Cheers, Greg Navarro CEO & Managing Partner
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 01:21:29 +0000
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