Network Operations head Jude Pambid left and Engineering and Core Network head Lito MapolonAs Sky Cable Corporation celebrates its 25th year of wowing Filipinos with unparalleled programming choices, two executives, each with over 20 years of service, tell us why they and their fellow veterans have stayed.

SKY Engineering and Core Network head Lito Mapolon and SKY Network Operations head Jude Ariel Pambid are licensed electronics communications engineers (ECEs). They could have left for greener pastures because of the high demand for ECEs and other experienced professionals in the global workplace.

For Mapolon, it was a conscious decision to stay.

‘In the service of the Filipino’

“Engineers are highly valued in countries like Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada and the US. But for me, there was a reason I was born here (in the Philippines). Being ‘in the service of the Filipino’ resonates with me. Where can you find a job that allows you to serve customers directly, and pays you for watching TV or using the Internet?

“Way back in 1994, in order to make cable TV available in Muntinlupa proper, my team had to put up posts. Until now when I see any of those posts, I tell my son that it was my team that put up that post. Working in SKY has given me plenty of stories to tell my children and future grandchildren,” says Mapolon.

Pambid, who has been posted all over the SKY Metro Manila and provincial franchises from South Luzon to Visayas and Mindanao, says SKY taught him to make the best of whatever situation he finds himself in. He rose from the ranks to a leadership role by training people and helping them imbibe the mentality to serve.

Spread culture of ‘wow at saya’

“It is part of my job to help other people learn and improve themselves and their lives. We want to spread the culture of ‘wow at saya’ because if that kind of attitude is deeply and passionately felt by our fellow SKY employees, then it will be genuinely felt by our customers as we deliver our services to them,” Pambid says.

Mapolon says his work that requires permits to implement projects gives him and his team many opportunities to practice integrity, which to him is nonnegotiable.

“To deliver our commitment to customers, we are flexible. We forget all our engineering training, scrap all the mechanical processes, if that will mean we will serve the customer better. If the project is delayed because we refuse to engage in underthe- table transactions, then we suffer but still find ways for the customers not to be affected,” Mapolon says.

Singular focus

Pambid admits that SKY’s singular focus on the customer has been deeply ingrained in him.

“My constant thoughts are about our network and how we serve our subscribers. Were we able to serve our customer in the way that they want to be served? I get updates on my mobile phone on the status of the network practically all day. Being conscious of the situation motivates me to do well,” says Pambid.

Mapolon notes that SKY over the last two decades has been in a never ending process of transformation—from an analog cable service with about 70 channels, to a partially digital service to a pure digital service with 230 channels, then offering broadband, and now high-definition channels and high-speed Internet. These changes have required its people to transform as well, to gain new technical competencies, to catch up with technology and become true engineers in the digital age.

Adding value to Lopez Group

“SKY is an access company. Its purpose is to provide connectivity, deliver entertainment and information, and enable communication through the internet. We at SKY are committed to do our share of work in the Lopez Group. We will provide access, deliver information and entertainment, and allow communication through our network. With these services, we will gain loyal subscribers, be the best in customer service, and add value to our group of companies and to t h e nation also,” Mapolon says. (Story/Photo by: Carla Paras-Sison)