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Message from Lopez

#SKYat25: A celebration of ‘wow at saya’

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SKYat25 A celebration of wow at sayaSKYat25 A celebration of wow at sayaAs a teen, Alex’s family had four channels on their TV, five on a good day. Residential landline phones were objects of wonder found in only a few homes, even in the 1990s. Computers and cellphones were like extraterrestrials—one heard about them but didn’t actually see them.

Then SKY Cable came to their sleepy Visayas city. With their TV viewing options ballooning— there were dedicated music, movie and news channels in addition to the general entertainment channels they grew up watching—the newcomer became the fount of information, the arbiter of cool, especially for Alex’s generation.

Today, Alex is in his 40s, and his tastes and interests have evolved, the gadgets and appliances available to him much more sophisticated and powerful. Now he doesn’t even have much use for the landline telephone, that most coveted device of his teenage years.

But his family remains subscribers of SKY. And SKY, too, over the past two decades, has constantly reinvented itself in order to be able to deliver content experiences that give “wow at saya” to subscribers.

‘Me and My SKY’

This June, SKY Cable Corporation celebrates 25 years of serving families like Alex’s, which the company is marking with a campaign called “Me and My SKY.” Complemented by a theme song written especially for SKY, the fresh campaign is inspired by “the realization that SKY has made a meaningful difference in people’s lives on a personal level”; that whoever and wherever they are, SKY made things better for them.

The activities lined up for the 25th anniversary include the launch of a station ID as well as a coffee table book outlining watershed events and profiling the personalities who shaped SKY, such as ABSCBN chairman Eugenio Lopez III and his father, ABS-CBN’s Kapitan, Eugenio Lopez Jr.

And, true to ever-evolving, pioneering form, the company is rolling out more first-in-the- Philippines products: A fastspeed mobile internet service that lets the subscriber enjoy their favorite SKYcable channels and shows anytime, anywhere; SKY On-Demand for catching up on one’s favorite local and foreign cable TV shows and watching movies anytime, anywhere; and a more affordable set of prepaid plans for SKYcable.

Ex and Current Employees Reunite during the SKY Employee GAEx and Current Employees Reunite during the SKY Employee GA“It’s really about providing you the content that matters to you, the channels, the programs you enjoy. We’ll give you the power to watch them wherever you are, whenever you want,” SKY president and CEO Carlo L. Katigbak stresses.

Room in Benpres

Katigbak remembers a time when SKY was a much humbler operation with a bare room in Benpres Building as its headquarters and a manpower complement of two engineers. Then an analog operator, it had 20 channels which it offered as a single bundle.

Katigbak helped steer SKY through one of its most challenging periods a decade ago, setting in motion a five-point plan that included sitting down with suppliers to renegotiate program contracts, restructuring debt, cutting costs and bringing in a strategic partner that paved the way for the retirement of a major chunk of its debt.

Lastly, the pay TV operator invested in digital boxes for its customers. Of all the steps they had taken to get out of debt, Katigbak recalled, going digital was the gutsiest one because no one knew just what the outcome would be. Fortunately, the risk paid off.

“I would attribute all the growth we’re experiencing today to our digital platform. It allowed us to create different price points to meet different market needs, to expand the number of channels we offer, and it introduce our own high-definition (HD) service,” he said.

Added the SKY president: “The company is in a new place today. We’re less worried about financial issues and more concerned about making sure we can deliver SKY-quality experience anywhere in the country. We’re also focusing a lot on broadband because we feel that the market is starting to change.”

Sales and Marketing Team during the Sales RallySales and Marketing Team during the Sales RallyThis means more avenues to explore, more directions for SKY to branch into. In fact, the company has assiduously funneled all profits back into the business, the better to be able to improve the quality of its network and the content it offers to customers.

“But over and above providing coverage and content, ultimately the heart of everything we do is really to be of service. We want to make sure that’s what our products are,” Katigbak said.

Jude Pambid was one of the two engineers who worked alongside Katigbak during SKY’s early years.

Currently the head of SKY’s Network Operations, Pambid has had several assignments under the engineering and business operations groups. He has turned start-ups around and been assigned to various parts of the country to expand SKY’s regional network, specifically in Cavite, Laguna and Bulacan.

Pambid, an electronics and communication engineer, is especially proud of SKY’s efforts in the Visayas post-Yolanda, an endeavor that won the team a trophy in the 2013 Lopez Achievement Awards’ Public Responsibility category.

“We were there four days after the storm hit and were the first to reach those areas,” Pambid recalled of the viewing and charging stations they set up in communities in Tacloban, Ormoc and Roxas. “More than providing them with information, we gave them hope when they saw on the news that the world wanted to help them.”

While Pambid’s team provides “wow at saya” to customers by ensuring the smooth operations of the SKY network 24/7, Lito Mapolon, head of Core Network and Engineering, molds his people to be “engineers in the digital age.”

According to Mapolon, SKY is a company in flux, transforming from pure analog with 70 channels to pure digital with more than 200 channels; introducing and upgrading 70% of its Metro Manila network to broadband; and now, switching over from cable TV company to telco. These, in turn, require not only adjustments in the equipment in the customers’ homes, but also in SKY’s processes and human resources.

“You have people trained in analog who will now offer digital and broadband. But in the Lopez Group, we don’t say ‘There’s new technology so we’ll need new people.’ As much as possible we use the same resources because they’re what brought us to where we are today; we just need to equip them to be able to meet the requirements,” Mapolon explained.

Even as it ensures the welfare its employees, customer service remains way up there among the company’s priorities.

“The products, the content, the speeds you offer and the facilities you install will change. But we want our relationship with the customer to be such that when he dies, he will remember that he got this level of service only from SKY. As to how to do it, it’s something we try to figure out every day,” Mapolon said.

Katigbak and SKYCOO Ray Montinola pose with the Sales awardeesKatigbak and SKYCOO Ray Montinola pose with the Sales awardees
SKY Employees perform during their Employees DaySKY Employees perform during their Employees Day

Sales at workSales at work

Yolanda Survivors crowd the Tacloban Astrodome to witness SKY27s Solidarity ConcertYolanda Survivors crowd the Tacloban Astrodome to witness SKY27s Solidarity Concert

SKY Employees do their pre-game stretching during their Employees DaySKY Employees do their pre-game stretching during their Employees Day

 CLK speech during the SKY Employee GACLK speech during the SKY Employee GA

 

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Archive

  • ► 2022
    • ► December
      • • Let’s help one another heal
      • • Building a resilient Philippines
      • • Our hope this Christmas
      • • Remembrance, reflection, gratitude
  • ► 2021
    • ► December
      • • Honoring the reason for Christmas
      • • Prosperity for all
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  • ► 2020
    • ► December
      • • Humanity at its finest
      • • Moving forward in a new world
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  • ► 2019
    • ► December
      • • The truest treasure
      • • Continuing our great work
      • • The gift of life
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  • ► 2018
    • ► December
      • • Let’s help keep the lights on
      • • Family is our place of love
      • • Spreading Christmas cheer
      • • Renewing family ties
    • ► March
      • • Keeping the lights on in the transition to an all-renewable future
  • ► 2017
    • ► December
      • • Together we have stepped up
      • • A year of rebirth and gratitude
      • • Looking forward, looking back
  • ► 2016
    • ► December
      • • Choosing to be powered by good
      • • Our mission remains the same
      • • Remember God’s love
      • • Changing with the changing times
      • • Each Christmas is a new opportunity
    • ► June
      • • Keynote Remarks of First Philippine Holdings chairman and CEO Federico R. Lopez at the 3rd Annual Summit of the Shareholders’ Association of the Philippines on June 17, 2016
      • • Keynote Remarks of Lopez Holdings chairman emeritus Oscar M. Lopez at the 3rd Annual Summit of the Shareholders’ Association of the Philippines on June 17, 2016
  • ► 2015
    • ► December
      • • Continue to push the boundaries
      • • We cannot lose hope in the Filipino
      • • Let us count our blessings every day
      • • Thank you for a remarkable year
      • • The wonders of Christmas
    • ► October
      • • Remarks of Chairman Emeritus Oscar M. Lopez, on the Lopez Achievement Awards 2014 held at Studio 10, ABS-CBN Compound on October 15, 2015
      • • Remarks of Federico R. Lopez at the 2014 Lopez Achievement Awards Ceremony held at ABSCBN Studio 10 on October 15, 2015
    • ► July
      • • For love of country, we are prepared to take action to make it better
    • ► May
      • • Remarks of Ambassador Manuel M. Lopez, Chairman and CEO of Lopez Holdings Corporation, at the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting held at Power Plant Mall Cinema, Rockwell Center, Makati City
      • • Remarks of Federico R. Lopez, Chairman and CEO, at First Gen Annual Stockholders Meeting on May 13, 2015
      • • Remarks of Federico R. Lopez at the Annual Stockholders' Meeting of Energy Development Corporation on May 5, 2015
      • • Oscar M. Lopez: even at 85, there are worlds left to conquer
    • ► April
      • • The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name
      • • Oscar M. Lopez on Longevity and Success
    • ► March
      • • Remarks of Lopez Group Chairman Emeritus Oscar M. Lopez at the 2012 Commencement Exercises of the University of the Philippines and Conferment of the degree of Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa
    • ► February
      • • Excellence is a Habit
    • ► January
      • • Towards A New Year of Promise
  • ► 2014
    • ► December
      • • Christmas is a time for gratitude
      • • Christmas message from Eugenio Lopez III
      • • Christmas message from Federico R. Lopez III
      • • Christmas message from Presentacion L. Psinakis
      • • Christmas message from Ambassador Manuel M. Lopez
      • • Christmas message from Oscar M. Lopez
    • ► October
      • • The Parley between Lopez and Marcos
      • • Why Choose Philippines?
      • • When War Escalates to Devastating Results
      • • The Inevitable Decline: Did Marcos Finally Go Too Far?
      • • Mayhem in Malacañang: Find Out What Caused Eñing’s Massive Fit
      • • The Yolanda Hero and the Unsung Hero
    • ► September
      • • Igniting the fallout: The unbelievable tactic President Marcos enforced
      • • Inspirational Remarks by Lopez Group Chairman Emeritus Oscar M. Lopez on the occasion of the Lopez Achievement Awards Ceremonies held at ABS-CBN Studio 10 on September 24, 2014
      • • A fork in the road: When two brilliant forces arrive at a point of dissent
      • • Discover what happened when a national problem took a turn for the worst
      • • Guess who came to the Nationalista victory party
      • • Don Eñing fights his greatest battle
    • ► August
      • • Remembering Ninoy this August 21
    • ► July
      • • CSR Challenges to Corporations
      • • Lessons from Typhoon Yolanda
      • • The exciting conclusion to the most epic chapter of the 100-year history of the Lopez Group (page 8)
      • • Lopez Values: a powerful rival makes an unforeseen move
      • • Remarks of Ambassador Manuel M. Lopez, Lopez Group Chairman at the Lopez Service Awards Night on July 2, 2014
      • • Just as Macapagal goes in for the kill, the chink in his armor is revealed
    • ► June
      • • From Bridges to Betrayal: the Lopez-Macapagal battle takes on another surprising twist
      • • Just When Macapagal Thought Victory Was His For The Taking…A Surprise Move from the Lopez Camp!
      • • Celebrating the Filipino Identity
      • • Chaos Warfare: Find out what brilliant tactic Don Eñing used to beat Macapagal at his own game
      • • Don Eñing lost BISCOM to Macapagal but What He Did Next Will Amaze You
    • ► May
      • • Defeating the Enemy with the Power of Unity and Trust
      • • Let’s celebrate something GOOD!
    • ► April
      • • The Start of an Alliance. Read page 8 of Underestimated webcomics
      • • Summer Break
    • ► March
      • • Facing a New Vendetta: Page 7 of Underestimated Webcomics
      • • A Bitter Demise: Page 6 of Underestimated Webcomics
      • • An Iroclad Approach: Page 5 of Underestimated Webcomics
      • • The adversary strikes back. Read page 4 of Underestimated webcomics
      • • Heritage and Love of Country
      • • What happens to Montilla in the Battle of Biscom?: Page 3 of Underestimated Webcomics
    • ► February
      • • How far have we come since EDSA 86 People Power?
      • • Outsmarting the Foe: Page 2 of Underestimated Webcomics
      • • Hope for the Laborers’ Plight: Page 1 of Underestimated Web Comics
    • ► January
      • • Resilient and Unsinkable: Why the Lopez Spirit Is Never Underestimated
  • ► 2013
    • ► December
      • • This season, Selflessness is more than possible
    • ► September
      • • To Fly and Fly Again comic series
      • • A Letter from Oscar M. Lopez
    • ► July
      • • Eugenio at Heart series
      • • A Lifetime of Excellence
    • ► June
      • • Independence and Nationalistic Pride
    • ► May
      • • Happy Mothers’ Day to everyone
    • ► March
      • • Pope Francis of the Poor and Lent
    • ► February
      • • Remembering the Spirit of EDSA
      • • Chinese New Year
  • ► 2012
    • ► December
      • • The Hope for Unity: The Winning Entries to the “What Do You Want This Christmas” Lopez Values Stars Facebook Contest
    • ► November
      • • What do you want this Christmas?
    • ► October
      • • LAA: Setting Ourselves Apart
      • • EDC and Claudio Bravo
      • • OML on Senator Juan Ponce Enrile’s Memoir
    • ► September
      • • In Pursuit of Education and Social Justice
    • ► July
      • • It’s Good to Go Green!
    • ► June
      • • Winners of the Nationalism Essay Contest
      • • Nationalism in the Workplace
      • • Nationalism and the Lopez Group Employee
      • • How can we express nationalism in our everyday work?
      • • Ang Pagiging Makabayan
      • • We now have our own Facebook page!
      • • Back-to-school this June
    • ► May
      • • Ready, Set, Succeed: OML’s Take on Life
    • ► April
      • • It’s More Fun to Choose Philippines
    • ► March
      • • How can we express our nationalism today in our everyday work?
    • ► February
      • • Dragon Energy
  • ► 2011
    • ► December
      • • This Season is the Best Time to Give Thanks
    • ► November
      • • A Whole New World
      • • Giving Voice to Lopez Values
    • ► October
      • • Serving the Kapamilya
    • ► September
      • • Social Responsibility
    • ► July
      • • Eugenio Lopez on his 110th Birth Anniversary
    • ► June
      • • Rizal the Sportsman and our Palaro
      • • It Is Never Too Late To Try Something New
    • ► May
      • • Giving Back
    • ► April
      • • Why Do I Climb Mountains?
      • • Lent at 81
      • • Creating Trust
      • • Getting Ready for the Big One
    • ► March
      • • Aligning the Values
      • • Unity in Tragedy
      • • Remembering the “Ides of March”
      • • Our Values Unite Us
    • ► February
      • • Love for Country
      • • Eyes on the Prize
      • • Happy Valentine’s, Kapamilya!
      • • Kung Hei Fat Choi!
    • ► January
      • • Are You A Lopez Values Superstar?
      • • Happy New Year, Kapamilya!
  • ► 2010
    • ► December
      • • Happy Holidays!
  • ► 0000
    • ►
      • • To survive and not despair

Web Comics

Enemy of My Enemy (Part 2)
Enemy of My Enemy (Part 2)
Enemy of My Enemy (Part 1)
Enemy of My Enemy (Part 1)
Underestimated
Underestimated
To Fly and Fly Again
To Fly and Fly Again

Under Estimated

 

Man in the Frame

 

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