"The awards we give do not make our awardees any more distinguished nor do they enhance their reputation. In fact, the opposite is true."
"The awards we give do not make our awardees any more distinguished nor do they enhance their reputation. In fact, the opposite is true."
In the age of the Internet, Facebook, Instagram, Tweeter, Viber and Uber, half a generation is a long time for a magazine to exist. A publication like mine really has to be viable, sustainable, and incredibly resilient to last 17 years.
What is the secret of BizNewsAsia? Simple answer: It focuses on the things that count—business, the economy, the Philippines.
In the course of the last 17 years, at least four local magazines tried to copy my format—a newsweekly devoted to business and economic news. They all failed eventually and miserably. This year alone, two foreign branded business magazines folded up locally, their print version, that’s Entrepreneur and Forbes Philippines.
Even BizNewsAsia’s own annual excellence awards have engendered copycats. PLDT has its Bossing Awards. Meralco has its own Luminary Awards. A Canadian with little else to do launched an Asia CEO Awards. Even the PCCI and Metrobank now have their own awards.
Indeed, Now, nearly every business group or a big company or a foreign person has its own awards.
Despite the proliferation of such awards, those of BizNewsAsia remain much sought after, because we know our awardees at heart.
The awards we give tonight do not make our awardees any more distinguished nor do they enhance their reputation. In fact, the opposite is true. It is they, who enhance our magazine’s stature and make us standout above the rest.
I know intimately most of the awardees. I have interviewed them or interacted with them. I met them when they were just starting or on their way or were very young.
When we give out awards tonight, they are real awards because I’ve known my awardees by heart. I know their background and I can guaranty for them.
Some of them are my good advertisers like San Miguel, GMA7, Rustans Group with a hundred premium brands. And of course, SM Group and BDO.
Some of them do not advertise at all. They probably hate competition. Some of them want to publish their press releases even if they do not advertise. That is life for me, give and take. That is the algorithm of life.
Tonight’s event is our way of saying thank to you all.
I also want to thank the most important people in life—my family, my children, and my grandchildren.
Noreen Lopez, my daughter and her daughter Anika. Ciara Lopez my youngest daughter, my youngest child and her husband Mike Galang, an insurance, entrepreneur on his own right.
They have two lovely sons, Rafa, six and Nacho, barely three. They are my pride and joy and my inspiration why I keep going on in spite of 36 years of occasional arthritis.
I thanked my brother Vic Lopez, my senior editor. And my sister Lorna, who has just retired from the government.
My dear friends thank you very much.
To all my subscribers, please continue to subscribe.
biznewsasia@gmail.com