Dateline: Incheon, South Korea- November 2006

Four years ago, at around this time, I travelled to south Korea to attend the 1st SouthEast Asia Iron and Steel Institute (SEAISI) Technical Training Program at Pohang Iron and Steel Works, more popularly called POSCO, at the seaside city of Pohang from November 4-10, 2006.

We arrived on a cold winter early morning at the spanking Incheon International Airport at the height of another gripping tension between the North and the South following the test firing of the North of its much vaunted missiles in the Korean Sea, a move vehemently protested by the South and its main supporter, the US and their Western allies. Both sides came to a full red alert and the seeming all out war was looming anytime. This is almost the same situation as it is today, following the bombing by the North of an island significantly just near Incheon.

Our group from the Philippines was composed of us three from the steel industry, the other two being the two young scions of the families that own Pag-asa Steel and Capitol Steel, both manufacturers of steel bars, apparently as part of their exposure and preparation for joining management of their firms eventually. At our pre-departure briefing conducted by the Philippine iron and Steel institute (PISI) which sponsored and endorsed our attendance to the training, a major part was spent in the discussion on what we should do in case war indeed erupts while we are still there. I was fully aware of the situation ( as I have always been because world affairs and history is my major interest), but it really did not cross my mind that we will be caught in the crossfire in a war nobody wants, except perhaps the stubborn North Korea. As
one of the measures, the president of PISI appointed me as the leader of our 3-man delegation precisely because of my “seniority,” both in age and experience. I remembered asking half jokingly, half serious, “So what am I gonna do?” except to contact the Philippine embassy, I could not recall now what the other things we needed to do.

Incheon International Airport is just a few minutes away the capital Seoul by train and even by bus. So the recent attack was indeed serious because it happened just at the very doorstep of its capital, perhaps reminiscent of the 1950’s war when the North invaded Seoul itself.

Clearing the immigaration and transferring to the nearby Gimpo airport for our connecting domestic flight to Pohang, everything seemed normal. There was never any sign of the full alert status anywhere which we expected. Security was never tight. This observation held true throughout our 1-week stay at Pohang and nearby places. Nor did we hear this being discussed anywhere, anytime. I fact, I never saw any uniformed military man on the streets or elsewhere. The only time I saw a man in uniform was on our final day at the bus station bound for Seoul and Incheon (how we ended up taking the long bus ride instead of the much shorter plane ride is another story) two young military men in their early 20’s apparently homeward bound for a vacation. In short, life went on in South Korea; there seemed to be no alarm at all. And I guess, today, when the news reports says, everything is normal there, everybody goes on, I could say, this is very true.

My personal take on this is this: The South Koreans are used and perhaps tired of these antics and bullying of the North’s King Jong Il. So they just leve it to their government and the US to be alarmed and do the preparation and to look tough and ready for an eye to eye encounter. So normal was the situation then that on our last day, we even planned to spend the whole day, not to see downtown Seoul, but to travel and visit the DMZ (the Demilitarized Zone) at the 38th Parallel border. We figured out, that would be more fun, adventurous and unique. But no
thanks to the slight weather foul up and Korean air’s super safety consciousness, which all of us delegates from the ASEAN region protested as improperly placed (in contrast, the other local airline, Asiana continued its normal flights in and out of Pohang) , we were forced to take the long solitary bus trip to Seoul and Incheon for our evening flight home. Our wish and plan to see more of the Land of the Morning Calm up north and perhaps smell the cold nuclear air came to naught.

Unpredictable US tennis Open

Last night, I watched the replay of the ladies final between former champion but now unseeded Kim Clijster and Danish teen sensation and 9th seeded Caroline Wozniacki. The former is trying a comeback after more than 2 years of leaving the tennis scene in favor of marriage and motherhood. The latter, fresh and good looking, trying to enter into big time and make a name despite her already top ten ranking. Who would have thought that these two ladies would make it to the finals, particularly kim who admitted that she was just trying to feel again the big scene therefore not expecting much. But as the tourney progress, and her march also progressed, it was evident she still has what it takes to be a champion. And who else could beat the Williams sisters in the same tournament? And this is the story of the US open, unpredictability as in making history. With her victory, Kim became the ist mother champion since Evonne Goolagong of Australia in 1980. And Caroline made Denmark in the world map of tennis by becoming the first Dane to reach a final in any major.

Clijster may not really be an unseeded player to win this Open. She was a wild card but her seeding defied her true stature. Remember Goran Ivanosevic of Croatia? Also a top player in his time but never won big until Wimbledon of , was it 2002? He was also unseeded, barged into the tourney proper as a wild card. But he went on to win that tournament in a historic marathon 5 set match that left him and his opponent ( just forgot who was it) truly exhausted after rthe match.

The unpredictable again happened this morning. I woke up past 6 in time to see del Porto taking the tie break in the 2nd set with Federer, a hands down favorite to win a record 6 consecutive Open, taking the upper hand in the ist. Then the crucial 3rd set, close as it is, but with del Porto serving and giving the set to Federer through 2 successive double faults. I thought that was the sign and soon it will be over and the usual face raising the champions cup. From 2-4, Federer came back to take the lead at 5-4. At del Porto's serve, it came to 15-30 and the suspense was seemingly coming to a climax. Two points more and it will be over. But even at that moment, del Potro still appeared dangerous with his power serves and crosscourt passes and Federer appearing vulnerable. And it indeed came to another tie break which the young Argentine also won. T'was already 8 and time to go to office. By the time I arrived at the office at 9, came my wife's message: del Potro dethrones Federer. Oh no! But yes. Finally, the inexperienced but talented big man from Argentina won his first ever major title and also the first for Argentina since their great Guillermo Vilas won in 1977. Fittingly, Vilas was in the stands, witnessing history in the making. For this moment, Argentina will cry for them no more.

Drama, controversy, history... well that just make the US Open great. How I wish in the near future, I could watch it live at Flushing Meadows.

25 Years Ago in Moscow, USSR

July 20, 1984
Moscow, USSR

Twenty five years ago today, the world celebrated the 15th anniversary of man's landing on the moon, and Miss Gloria Diaz's crowning as the first Filipina to win the Miss Universe crown. There was no such celebration much more euphoria that day when we arrived in Moscow from Zaporozhye (Ukraine). It was after all, the age of space race, and this time around, Russia lost to America in their race to put man in the moon. We were homeward bound, after 4 months of in-plant training in Zaporohztal Works and other big steel plants all over USSR. By the graciousness of our hosts, (UNDP, Moscow), they book us last to leave, a good one week stay at Rossia Hotel with nothing to do but count the days and explore the city.

Moscow was all white when we came in March, the minus 10 degree C considered already as spring time, not winter time. Now the city is in bright summer, the boats merrily cruising along Moscow River, passing the walls of the Kremlin. This is the sight we always watched every afternoon.



Moscow is big and beautiful, rightfully the capital of the mighty Soviet Empire. Here lies the greatest symbols of its power; the Kremlin and Red Square, and the famous Lenin Mausoleum, where its top leaders stand and view the greatest parade they perform every year, in celebration of the Great October Revolution, marking the communist rise to power from the czars. Red Square, ancient as it is and deriving its name from the Russian word, "grazeba", meaning beautiful, is the mother of all squares in this world's largest country. It continued to amaze us, enclosed by St. Basil's cathedral at the south end ( this cathedral is itself a beautiful work of art and architecture), the Kremlin and the seat of power at the westside, the GUM shopping mall ( Russia's largest) in the east, and the north entrance where downtown Moscow starts. From the restaurants in Rossia Hotel, we would view its splendor in the night, with another famous attraction, the changing of the Red Guards at Lenin's tomb.



Everyday then, we would accompany our co-trainees to the airport for their flight home, to Brazil, India, Peru, Yugoslavia, Pakistan, Mozambique, Laos, Egypt, etc. When it was our turn, there was nobody left to bid us goodbye.

We left Moscow on a bright summer afternoon on July 26, 1984 for our trip back home via Bombay (India) and Singapore. I was at the window seat, the sight of the city from above I kept on staring. Images of our 4 month stay keep on flashing; predicting that in the near future at the turn of the century, something big which will rock the country and the world will happen. Finally, just as our Aerofloat plane was about to be lost in the clouds, I muttered in silence, "Dosbedanya, Russia. Spaseeba, Spaseeba Bolshoi." (Goodbye, Russia. Thank You. Thank You Very Much)

Tennis in my Steel Life

Tennis was and still is an important part of my steel life. And this holds true also to many of my former steel colleagues who also got hooked in this beautiful game.

Tennis was introduced to us at National Steel Corporation (Iligan City, Philippines) sometime in the early 1980's by the then newly appointed NSC President, Jose Ben R. Laraya, JBL to us. Many of us, men and ladies, instantly got hooked that the first tennis court built was just not enough to accommodate these budding and aspiring tennis players.

It's funny to recall that we would quarrel, argue, or what not on the time slot, pairings, etc. On Saturdays, some would camped out overnight just so they would have the first crack of slot the next day. Then, another court was added. Still it wasn't enough. By then, tournaments were held on different class levels. We were then in awe and got inspired by the first class players every time they played. Bettings, in kind or cash, was not unusual.

Everytime JBL would come to Iligan, tennis in the evenings was a required schedule. Meetings were adjourned at 6pm and would resume after he would finish playing. At first, he played against the other managers and executives. But as a serious competitor himself, he could not somehow get satisfaction from these officers with their limited skills to match his and his passion to a good, real tennis game. In due time, he chose the first-class players as his partners and opponents where he could really enjoy the game. That time, too, tennis, together with other sports, like NBA, would be our language, in and out of work.

On rainy days, JBL and us got disappointed. So he approved the construction of a roof where we could play anytime and uninterrupted, come rain or shine. We were proud to say then that our shell clay court was the best tennis court in Mindanao. Then a third court was added.

Around Iligan, tennis also flourished. Big games were held in Bacayo Courts in Rosario Heights, in Benitez courts in Palao, In mSU-IIT, in Sanitarium hospital, in Tubod, etc. Camoy Palahang, who later became a stand out in the Philippine team was just then a promising young boy. Many outstanding players were noticed. Surprisingly, they came from towns in Linamon, Tubod, Bacolod, Kapatagan, and even across Misamis Oriental.

It was the era of Borg and McEnroe, then Lendl and Wilander, Becker. Until Agassi and Sampras came. For women, there was Navratilova, Austin, Seles and my favorite, Steffi Graf. Now it's Federer, Nadal, Murray, and company. In the women's draw, the Williams sisters, Henin, Cljisters, Sharapova, Ivanovic, Safina, Dementieva and other Russian ladies.

Tennis is indeed royalty. I do not play it anymore, though I hope I could in the near future. There is a tennis court near our neighborhood and it's just a matter of going back to it. Meantime, I do not miss the games on TV especially the Grand slam events. I grew up with it as I grew up in my world of steel.

Michael Jackson, The Steelworker's Son

I was surprised to learn from CNN that the father of Michael Jackson, the man who drove them to music, is a retired steel worker. And when it was further revealed that he was born in Gary, Indiana, wow, I said to myself, there goes Michael Jackson's steelconnect.

I could easily surmised that Joe Jackson, the father, had worked in US Steel, Gary Works. Fifteen miles from Gary Works is Bethlehem Steel, Burns Harbor Plant. This is where we stayed and trained from February 28 to May 9, 1986 in the operation of Blaw Knox 5 Std cold rolling mill which our company. In fact, days before our training ended, some of our co-trainees from the production group were allowed to visit the Gary Steel plant. When I learned that I was not included on the list to go there, I decided to visit my relatives in New Jersey. I took a Greyhound bus from Howard Johnson in Portage for a short trip to Chicago's O'Hare airport. I could not forget that ride, for I rode alone, and I remember too well where we made a one city stopover: Gary, Indiana.

Gary, Indiana is a steel city near the border of Illinois (near Chicago) and Indiana. It is in fact a city built by steel. It was named after Elbert H. Gary, then the president of US Steel who in 1900's, built this steel mill along the sand dunes of Lake Michigan. Soon after, four other big integrated steel mills, namely, US Steel, Bethlehem Steel, Inland Steel, LTV, and National Steel were built along the shoreline of Lake Michigan stretching 50 miles between the Illinois Stateline and Portage.



I have fond memories of this tiny county, Portage. During our stay there, our official address was 164 Oak Tree Park, Portage, Indiana, a subdivision of mobile houses where mostly retired and old Americans live.


In those early years of steelmaking, steel was king in Indiana. In its heyday, Gary Works accounts for a little more than half of US Steel group total operating production. For many years, it was also the center of automobile industry, not Detroit, Michigan whom we knew is home to the Big 3 auto companies.



I don't know if these steel mills are still there and operating. Starting in the 80's, US steel industry has declined and until now, it has not yet recovered to its once lofty position as one of the world's greatest steel manufacturer.

MJ's father, Joe Jackson, may have seen the writings on the wall early; just as we also experienced and felt in our days the downfall of National Steel Corporation. So he jumped ship and dedicated his time and effort to developing his children and making one of them, Michael Jackson, a music icon, a pop legend. How he pushed his son(s) to stardom is another story.

Michael Jackson of My Time

It's not difficult to relate to the worldwide outpouring of grief and tributes to the fallen music icon whom they call the " king of pop". After all, he lived in my time and I grew up with his music and artistry. He was 5 and I was 8 when he started to anchor as lead singer of a "brothers act" known as the Jackson 5. The rest is history.

In my teenage years, we would mimic his falsetto voice and studied in guitar their songs which we would sing in private and in gatherings, including caroling. To cite my favorites, Happy, La la la Means I Love You, I'll Be There, Ben, Maybe Tomorrow, Music and Me, and of course Little Drummer Boy, and Give Love on Christmas Day which I would still sing every Christmas.

His One Day in your Life came out in my senior year in college, at the time when we were grappling with the thought that soon we'll be entering the real world and part with friends. His melancholic " Out of My Life" somehow reflected my own love life in those days, so how could I not feel sad and sentimental when now it is being played and replayed all over again?

Then came the 80's and by now going solo, Jacko hit the top. Discos were filled with his signature danceable hits, Billie Jean, Beat It, Thriller, the highest selling album of all time, with over 50 million sold out copies. To me he revolutionized or even originated the MTV.

As a young professional by then, we hooped and wooped it out. They say he broke up the barriers of race and culture, black and white, as his songs transcended all these. He also somehow broke up political ideologies. I was in Communist Soviet Russia in 1984, the year the Thriller album was released. Anything Western, including music, especially American were of course a disdain to the Communists. But I would often hear Billie Jean in the air waves, and that alone was already phenomenal.

Heal the World, the song he said he would dedicate to the Filipino people was a message universally addressed to the world (in addition to the 1984 We Are The World Single of USA for Africa which he and Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones composed). Heal the world, make it a better place for you and for me. This is the song which our group, Philipine Institute of Chemical Engineers (PIChE) , Iligan Bay (Philippines) Chapter sang with glee and passion during the fellowship night of the PIChE National Convention which we co hosted in Cagayan de Oro City.

I write this tribute to Michael Jackson, not the man (for I didn't like his private life) but the musical genius who had touched those of us who lived in his time. He was up there in the hierarchy of music legends, along with the other genius whom I adore, the Beatles.

We've been together for such long time in music. Now he's out of our lives. His was not a small way to change the world. We'll surely remember him and his place, one day in my, in your life.

The Beginning of My Journey to Steel (Life)

It all started 33 years ago today on April 21, 1976 when barely a month after my graduation in college with a degree in Chemical Engineering from University of San Agustin in Iloilo City, I, together with 25 other young engineering graduates from prestigious schools in Visayas and Mindanao were formally welcomed to National Steel Corporation in Iligan City. We were selected from among thousands of other engineering graduates who survived the tough written and panel interviews. We were officially called Industrial Engineers assigned to the Industrial Engineering Department, an elite think tank of the company doing standards, methods, and economic analysis in practically all aspects of the business and operations of the company.

Our batch was indeed "star-studded". We were all honor graduates, with a summa and a number of magna, and cum laudes. For the next 18 years, I would stay with the company. We were honed and exposed in managerial, technical, human resource, training and organizational development, marketing, corporate planning, and financial and economic aspects of steel business. Many of us were trained abroad sponsored by JICA, AOTA, UNIDO/UNDP and equipment suppliers, plus our own company sponsored trainings and seminars. I myself had the privilege to undergo a four-month training in Russia and a two-month training at Bethlehem Steel in Indiana, USA. During those years, we were not just witnesses to the company's rise and fall but we were in fact actively involved in all of these endeavors, from concept to implementation and maintenance. Those of us who stayed longer spent perhaps our best years in our professional lives.

In the next few years, National Steel Corporation would recruit more IE's (and later on EMT's or engineering management trainees). This was in preparation for a larger operation of an integrated steel plant. This was a dream, conceptualized in the early 1950's by our predecessors and dreamed about by those who came later, us included. Sadly, until now, this remained a dream. And for those of us who experienced those glorious years of expansion and activities, it is utter disappointment and frustration to see how the steel industry in the Philippines has gone on a backward direction when most of our neighbors have gone a tremendous leap towards integration and industrialization.

Many of us are now in foreign soils, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, Malaysia, Vietnam, etc. A number are still left in the country, many in the Metro Manila area. This dream is the bond that binds us of our past, present and perhaps optimistic that in our generation, that dream will still be realized. THE DREAM LIVES ON.