Saturday, June 16, 2012

LPDC: We Build We Care!

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Above is a picture of myself together with a young and budding business executive I have recently met along the stretch of my dysfunctional writing career. Her name is Amabelle Selma-Canedo, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Legacy Plains Developers Corporation (LPDC) who was recently leading the 10th year founding anniversary celebration of one of her family's businesses, the LPDC memorial park.

Canedo, a UPian, is making a distinct impression on memorial park industry as LPDC becomes one of people’s top choices when it comes to availing of memorial garden plans and services in Metro Cebu. The prestige and credibility of her company is anchored on the fact that it has pioneered the development of private memorial gardens in Cebu.

Back in 2002, LPDC started with 1.5 hectare memorial garden in Minglanilla, Cebu, the time when Canedo was designated by her family to venture into a memorial garden business. Two years thereafter, it was followed by an 8000-square meter Legacy Plains Memorial Garden in Naga, Cebu. It indicates that Canedo was rising from being a neophyte to becoming a player in the memorial garden industry.

Establishing a branch in the southern part of the province was just a beginning.

In 2008, she opened another 2.1-hectare memorial garden in Toledo City, midwest Cebu. And later this year, the 3.8 hectare environmentally-slick Divine Mercy memorial park designed from a Mediterranean architectural style will be in a full swing in the idyllic town of Moalboal; the first premiere memorial park in southwest Cebu with scenic terrains, serving the coastal townspeople of Moalboal, Badian, Alcantara, Ronda, and Dumanjug.

It is a revolution in the business sector when you encounter the idea of a low-cost, affordable service coming from the private sector. It was the impression I mulled over while listening to Canedo’s speech in front of guests and business executives early last month. I commended her passion and ardour in providing a decent and quality memorial infrastructure to Cebuano people. I was impressed with her kindness to grant helpful incentives, health care benefits and parcels of land to LPDC employees. The gist of her talk was that investing in any kind of business is not just to gain profit but also to provide care and support to the people and employees. “There is always a room for improvement”, she said during her speech. “We must move forward”, she added. She delivered an awesome speech full of conviction and zeal to making a difference in the unique path she’s taking.


(Ms. Selma-Canedo with Mr. Leonardo M. Roa, Sales and Operations Head)

The event was not just an ordinary anniversary celebration,  it was also the official unveiling of LPDC's new company logo and slogan.

In a press release, Canedo said the change of company logo was seriously thought of in order to mark how far the company had gone and how far it aims to go. It also signifies a redefinition of the whole business organisation; a realignment of functions ranging from brokers to top positions. With the new logo and slogan, Canedo quipped that “the LPDC will be more visible to the market and will adapt a more client-centric and community-oriented approach in its information and marketing campaign.”



(Ms. Selma-Canedo delivering her speech)

In a press conference, I asked her about the challenges she has been possibly dealing with for the past 10 years managing the business. With much fervor, she answered, that the only difficult thing she has been experiencing so far is when giving orders to her much older subordinates. However, she said she is not intimidated with challenges. She would rather become more resilient and willed.

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(Mr. Dennis D. Catipon, Human Resource Development Head)

I stole a quick chat with this energetic HR Officer of LPDC, Mr. Dennis Catipon, along with other media personalities who I used to get along with when I was working in one of Cebu's daily news outfits a few years ago. I was exchanging nods in obvious agreement with them that having an early burial plan is indeed not an intimidating idea at all. Having attended the event reminded me that death indeed is the most inevitable thing to happen to man. It’s a universal truth nobody can refute.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Peregrination in Bohol with iTravel iExplore!

This summer season everyone may look for an excitement place to go for a family picnic, or an island to go for vacation with office mates or extreme adventure with peers. This is not only the upper class Filipino norm, but downtrodden as well if given a chance, would enthusiastically favor to this initiative. And because life is short, I never miss every limited chance that comes my way.
As a glimpse of a beautiful chance and wonderful experience, for example, was the opportunity I had to tour in Bohol island and marvel its diversity as one of the country’s best tourist destinations.
The trip was organized by the newly opened travel agency iTravel iExplore, partnering with the Soil and Water Conservation Foundation Inc (SWCFI), a non-governmental organization advocating for environmental protection.
It was about my first time in Bohol, and for many failed plans with pals and gals, I could finally go to the Island that known in its peculiarity. Aside from the tarsier, Bohol, has exceptional identity on its rare geographical shapes called chocolate hills which were nominated as one of the Seven Wonders of the World in early 2008.

The island also has plenty of historically significant places like Danao where the brave Francisco Dagohoy fought the Spaniards in the late 17th century. This is also the island where one could find a different ambiance for pleasurable relaxation in any of the beach resorts in Panglao, or could go trekking and experience breathtaking extreme adventures in Danao, as well as marvel in the island’s many natural abodes like Loboc and Makapiko River.
I had an overwhelming feelings when the fresh airwave brushes into my body when we arrived in Tubigon, Bohol, a manifestation that I’m closer to a good environment but nothing to worry about except to submit myself to the beauty of nature.
I found myself in complete admiration to the environmentally shrouded climates with trees and local crops like coconut and rice fields when the group were on way to Bilar, Bohol where native menu for lunch waited in the island’s newest landmark, Balay sa Humay (House of Rice). I was delighted with the idea that although El NiƱo besets our country, Bohol remains tough and still has water in its rivers except to some badly affected peninsula.
Together with my colleagues we met the Executive Director of SWCFI, Mr. William Granert, his wife Mrs. Aida Granert and their son Mr. Christopher Granert. They hosted our tour to Bohol’s center for Biodiversity where Sir William taught us the proper way of planting trees and imbued many important things about ecology especially the Karst terrain and the Dipterocarps tree. Sir William said Dipterocarps is
a family of forest trees with 17 genera and has approximately 680 species. This can only be found in the tropical belt like the Philippines specifically in Bohol.
Karsts terrain, on the other hand, is a kind of land lumped with different minerals like lime, sulfur, copper and the like. The Granert family further guided the group for 30 minutes trekking inside the biodiversity zone.


Travelers or guests (especially students on educational tour) can plant and name their own trees inside the protected biodiversity complex. They can also lodge within the compound or choose to camp out few meters off from the guesthouse. The SWCFI has an environmental learning center and a library to be used for climate research, with extensive updated reading materials.
Aside from the Bohol’s Biodiversity Complex, the group also went to Bohol Bee Farm where we bought some organic products and tasted the popular flower salad—it was my first time to encounter the kind of food and I found it weird but truly health friendly according to the farm’s tour-guide.
We made a side-trip to Bohol Beach Club for a much anticipated swimming activity. I reckon that staying for days in the resort is far more interesting than anywhere else. Same remark to Alona Beach Resort where everyone in the group would surely prefer to go back if chances permit because of the sumptuous food they have to offer.
Two days of touring in the island full of natural treasures, will make one’s experience truly diverse.
On our second and last day in Bohol, the last three itineraries included a visit to the Ramon Magsaysay Park where we fed the wild monkeys; lunch at the Jose Gonzaga Farmers Foundation Inc. (JGFFI); and a breathtakingly extreme adventure at The Danao Extreme Adventure Park.
I was indeed naturally reinvigorated to sojourn the beauty of our own environmental treasures which iTRAVEL iEXPLORE (032-236-5253) has to offer. I am appreciative of iTravel’s Ms Juliet Amazona and Ms Vhenice Juera who gave me the privilege to cover their summer packages for environmental tour-adventure. My peregrination in Bohol island was truly one of my wonderful experiences this summer season.


Published on April 7, 2010, Cebu The Voice, Pp 8 and 9.