BLP Chronicles (Meeting the US Ambassador)

(This was still part of AmCham BLP's Day 1 activities. I just wanted to share this in a  new post.)

So.. after our sessions for the day, we were told to prepare and dress up for the Cocktail Dinner at the US Ambassador's residence in Forbes Park, Makati.

Our personal invitation letter from the Ambassador himself.

Funnily, when I checked my Instagram account after I finished preparing, I saw Anne Curtis' picture wearing the same dress as mine. (LOL)

Monica and I finished dressing up before 5pm. I made my way to the lobby first because our group agreed to meet up and talk for a few minutes, but then, when I arrived there I was alone (talk about punctuality.. haha). It turned out that the meeting time was moved from 5PM to 5:15PM. 

Most punctual awardees. Haha

I think it was around 5:25PM already when we departed from the hotel to our destination (Forbes Park). We arrived there by 5:45PM (not quite sure) and was greeted by very strict security.

US Embassy logo/seal at the front of the gate.

We provided our names to the security guards then we were ushered inside.

The ambassador's residence was overwhelming. The garden was landscaped beautifully and well maintained as well. In the front porch, we signed the registration sheet and were greeted by our AmCham executives, Mr. David Caldwell, Mr. Ebb Hinchliffe and Ms. Leslie Murray.

We toured around the garden, took pictures, and chatted for a while with some executives before the start of the program.

BLP Chronicles (Day 1)

Our official activities started on Saturday, April 11. We were woken up by a phone call from Ms. Pinky around 5 am. Honestly, I was still very sleepy at that time but we had no choice but to rise up so we could be on time. 

I let Monica be the first one to bathe while I fixed my attire for the day. I discovered that we had the same bathing pace, and that's no good because I normally spend 30mins in the comfort room. We really need to wake up very early everyday, I thought.

We were not late; instead, we were among the first ones to arrive in the lobby.

Sorry for the blurry photo taken by my phone :(

We then walked to AmCham Hall, our venue for the day. 

Pancakes were prepared for breakfast, and the session immediately started at the same time.  (One thing I've easily distinguished from this program compared to others I've attended was that - time is of essence.)

Mr. Ebb Hinchliffe, Executive Director of AmCham, introduced us to The American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines.

Fast Facts about AmCham of the Philippines:

▪️ Private, Independent & Non-Profit Association;

▪️ First AmCham abroad (1902), formerly known as the Manila Round Coffee Table and later on the Manila Merchants Association;

▪️ Incorporated in July 1920;

▪️ Affiliated with the Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.A. (COCUSA) and the Asia-Pacific Council of of American Chambers (APCAC);

▪️ It has also established a foundation (AmCham Foundation) and works closely with its members on serving and helping the Philippines;

▪️ It works closely with the American Embassy in Manila; and

▪️ It exists to serve the interests of U.S. businesses through the participation of members in promoting their long-term objectives, while contributing to the civic and economic development of the Philippines.  

(Read more about AmCham here.)

Aside from introducing AmCham to us, Mr. Ebb also presented the 5S system that the organization uses. 5S stands for: Sort, Set, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain. They use it to produce a more efficient and effective work.

Mr. Ebb Hinchliffe pointing out how much they value integrity in AmCham

He ended his discussion (while we were still eating our meals) by sharing to us the most important aspect that AmCham provides its members - the Integrity Commitment. When a company/business wants to join the Chamber, it has to sign (through a representative) the Integrity Commitment, which it will promise to be fair and honest (to not commit to fraud) at all times especially when delivering its products/services to the consumers.

After his talk, we were psyched through a team building activity. Ms. Maita Beltran of AmCham facilitated our activity.

We first did the "Massage-the-person-on-your-front-and-back" exercise before having the "Evolution Game" of jack-en-poy, from egg -> chick -> eagle -> superman/woman. (Until now I still don't understand the logic of the evolution. But I got to be superwoman! Haha)

Ms. Maita Beltran heading the team building activity.

The very eager and curious BLP participants. (Hi guys and gals!)

Best meets Best

The 13th AmCham Business Leadership Program (BLP) kicked in last April 10, 2015. Student delegates from different parts of the country started arriving at Asian Institute of Management Hotel & Conference Center, our board and lodging sponsor for the entire week. 

In the afternoon, almost everyone already arrived. They even posted in our Facebook group "Where are you's" and "Watching movies here at Room 913". 

I was still at the airport at that time, quite envious of their early acquaintance and very much irritated with my delayed flight.

I arrived at NAIA T3 later than what I told Sir Kent from AmCham who was tasked to fetch me. I thought I'm the last delegate to arrive, but tadhana worked its way, another delegate was also there. Jundey was the first friend I've met among the participants. He's from Caraga State University and a fellow, proud bisdak (bisayang dako).

After checking in, we rushed to AmCham Hall for dinner and formal acquaintance. We were the last to arrive (the last to check in, since Eric wasn't there at the dinner table yet) and was immediately asked for an informal introduction of ourselves.

Everybody was so quiet and seemed nervous at the same time. I think we were all feeling the same at that moment. Nobody yet dared to break the ice; maybe that's why dinner was immediately served to crack some bones and let conversations strike. 

During dinner, I gazed upon everyone and noticed the familiar faces I've already added as a friend in Facebook. While the others were new to my sight.

After dinner, we were oriented on the next day's events and strict schedules. We went back to our rooms in the hotel (just across the street) to freshen up.

I met my roommate Monica. She had me with the "all-you-could-want-in-a-girl" impression. She's very nice, beautiful, and of course smart. We chatted for a while while arranging our things. I told her that she looked like Gretchen Ho, then she added Mo's impression of her being more like Sandara Park. I don't usually get along very easily with my room mates  on conferences I've attended before, but this was different. I think we were meant to be room mates. We immediately 'clicked'.

After a while, we went to Room 913 where we initially agreed to hang out and let the latecomers (that's us) catch up with the acquaintance. We were the first to arrive there, the others, we speculated, were too tired and might be resting already. We posted updates on our Fb group and asked everyone where they were; then, people swarmed one by one.

So, that's how the best of the best met. Letting the anxiousness and tension of the first day ebb away with a (gruesome) movie and late night conversations.

(P.S. We watched Perfume that night. LJ and Monica couldn't take some explicit scenes.)

 

Continue reading my BLP Chronicles, here's my post for Day 1 ;)