Speaking before TAO Corporation's Breakfast of  Champions last March 10 at the Shangri-la Makati Ballroom, PLDT CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan shared his insights on corporate governance and ethics, sports and "Doing the Right Thing."  Mr.  Pangilinan lauded  TAO Corporation  President  Jun Sy and the TAO Community  for "supporting in a significant way the youth programs of the "Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas," and was "delighted" over the Community's  enthusiasm  for    sports.  According to Mr. Panglilinan, sports is "a strong metaphor for life," where excellence, focusing on goals and winning  the right or ethical way determines success or failure. He also stressed the passion that everyone must have to rise above trials and adversities and the courage to lose in order to win.  Team spirit and the selfless effort towards an objective were also pointed out by the prominent speaker. This echoes TAO's own commitment to teamwork where shared efforts are critical towards success.

On the principles of Corporate Governance and Ethics,  he shared his  pragmatic view as "when it comes to success—in business or in sports—there are no mysteries, no short-cuts. Success springs from old-fashioned values - values as being honest and truthful, especially with yourself. Values as essential as working hard, playing fair and seeking no harm on others."   He continues by noting his own formula for achievement – the spirit of enterprise and the passionate determination to succeed. This mirrors TAO's  own mindset in complementing excellence in the workplace with a firm belief in integrity.  For Mr. Pangilinan, Corporate governance embodies four key doctrines --- protecting the rights of shareholders (or stakeholders), creating a board that is active and participative,  having competent & ethical management, and providing accurate and timely disclosures. On management, he described an ethical management/corporate culture  as "a corporate culture that encourages and rewards integrity as it does performance," further depicting a company's management and CEO as "not only as stewards of its assets, but also its moral compass."

Mr. Pangilinan spoke lengthily on the principle and practice of corporate ethics.  He cited  that several studies have shown that, in a national  and macro-economic point of views, a set of values or ethical standards must co-exist with a nation's economic components and both are needed for its growth and stability. "A country that is morally poor is likely to be materially poor," he added.

Specifically on business/corporate ethics, Mr. Pangilinan said that it was imperative for business to have ethics,  " Management without ethics is impoverished" adding that "we need to recognize that ethical behaviour and sound business practice are inseparable."  The PLDT Chair  sums up his perspective on corporate ethics as an effort where management creates an environment that "encourages and rewards integrity as much as vigorous entrepreneurship and that is precisely the challenge of leadership in our time: to create a culture where honesty is paramount, where integrity starts from the top and where success is built from the ground up."