The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
By Don Greggy Licaros
One great American author who continuously gives inspiration to the youth is Horatio Alger Jr.
Born January 13, 1832, Alger is best known for his rags to riches stories and novels, about impoverished boys and their rise from humble beginnings to lives of security and comfort through hard work, determination, courage and honesty.
I can’t help but travel to the Alger classics upon knowing the life, work, achievements and phenomenal success of Global Filipino techpreneur and innovation champion, Diosdado “Dado” Banatao, the 2018 Ramon V. Del Rosario Sr. Awardee for Nation Building.
In the advent of cyber industry, Dado Banatao is more than a Horatio Alger hero in the age of computer and modern technology. The Dado Banatao story is not a fiction, but a great novel written by himself with many turns of events including the life of rags to the life of noble affluence.
Dado Banatao was a poor boy born on May 26, 1946 in Malabbac, Iguig, Cagayan, Philippines. His father, Salvador Banatao, was a rice farmer. His mother, Rosita Banatao, was a housekeeper. During his childhood, he walked barefoot on a dirt road just to reach Malabbac Elementary School. He pursued his secondary education at the Jesuit-run Ateneo de Tuguegarao. After high school, he pursued his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Mapúa Institute of Technology and graduated cum laude.
After college, he turned down several job offers, including one from Meralco, simply because of the low salary. He joined Philippine Airlines as a trainee pilot, and was later pirated by Boeing. At Boeing, he worked as a design engineer for the company’s new commercial airliner and cargo transport aircraft, Boeing 747, in the United States. With the opportunity to stay in the United States, he then took his Master of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Stanford University and finished in 1972. Banatao also joined the Homebrew Computer Club, where he met Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Thus, his trek to the apex of inspirational success.
In marking the 100th birth anniversary of PHINMA founder Ramon V. Del Rosario, Sr., Banatao was unanimously chosen by distinguised jurors to receive the award at a ceremony held at the recently opened National Museum of Natural History. The event was held last July 25, 2018. This year’s judges included: Former Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban as chairman, Senen Bacani, Amb. Jesus Tambunting and Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, representing previous RVR awardees; Joaquin Esquivas who represented JCI Manila.
Under the spectacular Tree of Life of the museum, Banatao’s monumental lifetime work was aptly honored together with some 200 guests from the business community.
The Ramon V. Del Rosario Sr. Award for Nation Building is an annual program of the Junior Chamber International Manila (JCI Manila) together with the Asian Institute of Management’s Ramon V. Del Rosario Center for Corporate Social Responsibility and with full support and blessings of the PHINMA Group. It recognizes men and women who demonstrate outstanding traits, such as entrepreneurial spirit, national or global business impact, good corporate citizenship, and social responsibility.
Among its past awardees are Amb. Jesus Tambunting, Senen Bacani, Oscar Lopez, Washington SyCip, Vicente Paterno, Jaime Zobel De Ayala, Manny V. Pangilinan, Henry Sy, Sr., and Dr. George S.K. Ty, all of them embodied the spirit and vision of Ramon V. Del Rosario, Sr. for nation building by successfully managing their businesses.
In his remarks during the solemn awards ceremony, Ramon Del Rosario, Jr, PHINMA President and CEO, cited Banatao’s contributions towards building our country’s innovation ecosystem as a key lever for nation building. “Mr. Banatao is recognized as one of the most successful technology entrepreneurs of this generation. His commitment to excellence in science and technology has inspired innovation among younger entrepreneurs,” said Mr. Del Rosario.
Ayala Group CEO, Jaime Zobel de Ayala commended Mr. Banatao’s “continuing efforts in championing disruptive and entrepreneurial thinking among Filipinos, illustrated by his work with AIM in incubating high-impact start-ups; as well as with the Department of Trade and Industry, and Department of Science and Technology on the inclusive innovation agenda.” Mr. Zobel acknowledged Mr. Banatao as the inspiration behind Ayala Innovation, the internal disruptive thinking unit of the Ayala Group.
In accepting his award, Banatao underscored the role of education when he said, “Education comes before innovation.” He also shared his belief that “Filipinos can compete with the best in the world and the best in Silicon Valley.” He was clearly speaking from his own personal journey from a barrio lad in Cagayan Valley to an innovator in Silicon Valley. It also echoed the experiences of the many young Filipinos he has helped become techpreneurs and innovators like him through scholarships and mentoring. Wherein education is the key.
At 72, Banatao is still full of dreams and had never forgotten his humble beginning is Iguig, Cagayan Valley as a barefooted poor boy in kilometers of walk to reach the Malabbac Elementary School aiming for the stars in heaven.
He died on July 18, 1899 at 67.
Banatao’s story is a great inspiration, lining a parallel roadmap drawn by the nine RVR awardees before him.