Pinoy Pilgrim Global Enterprise Initiative (PPGEIC) FAQ

1. Why did you choose UP Diliman for the initial launch of PPGEIC?

There is nothing special about this first choice.  We just happen to want to start somewhere.   We could have done it with St. Louis University in Baguio or in Siliman University.  There is no special reason why we chose UP Diliman first.  We would launch the Global Initiative in the other schools soon.

2. UP has offices that bring out technologies and work towards bringing them to the market.  Isn't your task a duplicate of what they're doing?

No.

In UP Diliman, there is the Office for the Vice Chancellor for Research and Development (OVCRD) and various units that handle the licensing of technologies that originate from the university.  To this day, UP Diliman has yet to come up with a technology or a product that is currently out in the market.  There are several projects in queue from the OVCRD but what limits the projects from being out of the market is that there are some necessary and essential paperwork, like patent or license agreements, term sheets, that have to be completed (i.e. documents to be studied, routed, signed, approved, etc.) before a technology comes out.   We're here to make sure that ideas don't get  killed because of bureaucracy.  We'll work with UP evaluate the ideas, we'll look for funders, we bring the technology or the product to the market, and we give UP its rightful and share of the royalty.

3. What if UP does not get its share of the returns on the project that had been out in the market?

We have done our homework.  Hewlett-Packard and Cornell University recently went to court over patent-infringement issues.  Cornell won.  UP has a bunch of good lawyers and the last thing we want to do is run into problems with them.  We've got good lawyers too but our business in this project is technology development and not lawsuits.  We're here to help you and (with all due respect to the lawyers), not help lawyers make money.  First of all, we're here to help technologies make returns for the country, for the university and for you.

4.  What if our adviser does not want our research to be out in the market?

If your adviser does not want your research to be out in the market, we cannot do anything.  You need not join the competition.

5. What if I was originally from the College of Science but am now in the College of Arts and Letters but I would want to be part of the team under Category A: Science Project Competition for College of Science Students.

No problem.  You could be part of a team under "Category A: Science Project Competition for College of Science Students" as long as you had been in the college requirement for Category A for a full semester prior to January 11, 2010.

6. Is the PPGEIC for real?  Who are the ones involved here?

 Yes, this project is for real! Here they are, the members of the PPGEIC board:

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Carlo de Leon
Executive Director
Pinoy Pilgrim Global Foundation Inc.

Mr. de Leon has vast experience in working with business and enterprise development.  After extensive experience in the private sector, Mr. de Leon currently runs the PPGFI full-time, providing business insights and fresh ideas that spur development in the Philippines.  Mr. de Leon is also into the visual arts and painting.


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Henry Ligot
Project Director
Pinoy Pilgrim Global Foundation Inc.
BS Chemical Engineering, UP Diliman

Mr. Ligot is a consultant for the United Nations.  He has extensive experience in capital raising and financing matters.  Mr. Ligot is an avid golf player.  Besides closing business deals in his office, he also closes business deals in the golf course.

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Carlo Florendo
Project Manager
Pinoy Pilgrim Global Foundation Inc.

Mr. Florendo is currently the Head of the Business Development Division of Astra Philippines, the R&D unit of the Tokyo-based Astra Inc.   He is an alumnus of UP Diliman.  He finished BS Computer Science in 2000 and MS Finance in 2009.  Most of the years in his career had been with Japanese institutions.  When not in his day job, Mr. Florendo plays jazz music on the piano.

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Intet Victoriano
Chief Project Consultant
Pinoy Pilgrim Global Foundation Inc.

Mr. Victoriano is an executive of JG Summit, one of the foremost publishing firms in the country.  He is responsible for the publication of the top magazines circulating in the Philippines.  When not at his desk, he looks for business opportunities and is active in the investment market.

7. Where are the other FAQs?

Ah, ummm, well, we would post them as soon as they get asked :)