Awardee thanks dad for letting him make mistakes
An article published in
BusinessMirror, March 10, 2006
SIX jurors led by Bankers Association of the
Philippines president Cesar E.A. Virata chose Tourism Entrepreneur of 2005
awardee Lance Y. Gokongwei to vie in the search for the Ernst & Young World
Entrepreneur of the Year in Monte Carlo, Monaco this year.
Gokongwei, chief executive of Cebu Air, Inc., was named Entrepreneur of the
Year Philippines 2005 among seven other awardees and 13 other
non-Chinese-sounding names.
"Thank you, dad, for allowing me to make these mistakes," the son said
during the late evening awards in Makati City, with father John Gokongwei
Jr. standing beside him on stage.
While he didn't stipulate what these mistakes are, Lance earlier told
reporters Cebu Pacific would post revenue loss in 2005 due to rising fuel
costs.
Lance has been at the helm of Cebu Pacific, which celebrated its tenth year
March 8 and a little more than eight years as the country's second national
flag carrier after the Philippine Airlines.
The firm's anniversary promotion of a P10 fare for the first 100,000 seat
online booking was reportedly all taken up in just four days after its
announcement.
Profitability, revenue growth and performance are the three pillars of
Gokongwei's business principles, which he cited during the video
presentation of 20 finalists.
"I'm very competitive," he said before receiving the two trophies he was
awarded 11 p.m. on Thursday.
The Entrepreneur of the Year awards by accounting firm Ernst & Young
recognizes businessmen and women in each of the 40 countries culminating in
the selection of the World Entrepreneur of the Year. In the Philippines, the
first launch of the local selection feted Jollibee Foods Corp. president and
CEO Tony Tan Caktiong. Tan Caktiong in 2004 bested 39 other executives of
other nationalities to bag the top award.