Dado Banatao Success Reflection

          We search for heroes, imagined or real. As they serve as guides in our aim to succeed, we appreciate their great deeds. In the midst of adversities, we look up to them for guidance and inspiration. And in this quest, we don't need to look for somebody far from us. We have in our midst. We have somebody from our own roots. I have watched a video presentation of a success story of a man whose simple beginning in a rural area pushed him to dream. The video showed his simple beginnings. In Malabbac, Iguig, Cagayan where no electricity, no telephones at that time, he valued education as a little boy. His father, a rice farmer, worked so hard and let him focused on studies. Going to school barefooted along the dirt roads, he did not want to be like his peers. He Learned Mathematics using moving bamboo sticks. They stopped schooling after elementary to help their families in the fields. Growing up in his place where friends were busy playing basketball, he preferred to study. I learned that we must that hard work is the key to success and we should not get distracted in other stuffs. Reaching college at Mapua Institute of Technology, he felt intimidated by his classmates from the city. But he persevered, and graduated cum laude with an Electrical Engineering degree. We should always be strong and motivated even though others are smarter or better. But for him since there were no designed jobs for engineers in the Philippines, he worked as a pilot trainee. Little did he know that a turning point of his career will come when Boeing pirated him as a design engineer and brought him to US. He then enjoyed engineering and later on pursued further studies which he completed to be trained properly on his craft. I learned that we must accept any opportunity that comes to us and  be thankful instead of complaining. He pursued his masters at Stanford University in the US. While there, he felt he was so behind from others. Thinking that others are better than him, but who else would believe in him but himself. I realized that we should always aim higher and dream bigger because we should never be content in achieving greater success. With full determination to succeed, he persevered. He is Diosdado "Dado" Banatao Jr." He was considered as the Filipino version of Bill Gates since both came up from a technical background, introduced technologies that transformed the computer industry, and built large successful companies from the ground up."He worked at some of the leading-edge technology companies that include National Semiconductor, Intersil, and Commodore International where he designed the first single chip, 16-bit microprocessor-based calculator. While he was working at Seeq Technology, the inventor of Ethernet approached the company to look for a more efficient way of linking computers. Banatao was then assigned with the task that led him to his breakthrough discovery of by putting the Ethernet controller on a single chip instead of big boards. That was then the first 10-Mbit Ethernet CMOS with silicon coupler data-link control and transreceiver chip.

With that breakthrough discovery, Banatao then decided to start his company and be his own boss. Putting up company after company, he made tremendous success in his field.

Now a multimillionaire investor, he invested in a lot of networking companies-an unimaginable financial success now, a far cry from his past. But looking at his country now that despite being one of the fastest growing economies in Asia, still over thirty percent of the Filipinos live miserably. As his way of giving back to the society that provided him with the necessary motivation, he is now on his legacy mode. Through the Philippine Development Foundation (PhilDev), a non-profit organization that works to spark long-term economic growth in the Philippines through education, innovation and entrepreneurship, he envisions that there will be internet connection in every school. He believes the importance of providing scholarships to deserving Filipinos so they don't have to stop learning.  He believes in the Filipino youth and that they should be given the opportunity to land jobs. Ending with a challenge to all of us, he strikingly said: "We know hardship, it's time we learn success. I am not so special, but I am determined. My story could be your story. As Filipinos, it must be our story." I read about the life story of Dado Banatao. He was considered as the Filipino version of Bill Gates since both came up from a technical background, introduced technologies that transformed the computer industry, and built large successful companies from the ground up. I was really amazed on how far Dado already went in pursuing his dreams especially knowing his roots. Dado was then offered a job after graduation at Meralco but then he turned down the offer after knowing the starting salary. I learned that we must also be wise in choosing  our job and the job that is worth our ability. He instead applied as a pilot trainee at Philippine Airlines, which paid much more.  With that breakthrough discovery, Dado then decided to start his company and be his own boss. With $500,000 seed capital that came mostly from friends, he put up Mostron to develop chip sets. As a startup company, he had to be cost efficient and resourceful. He then used equipment from another company that wasn’t used on weekends to debug chips. Later his hard work and dedication paid off when his company developed the first system logic chip set for the PC-XT and PC-AT, which lowered the cost of building the personal computer and made it much more powerful. I learned that when we start a company we should always be careful and budget things wisely because if we don’t manage it well the company might get bankrupt. About the same time, Dado started his second company named Chips and Technologies, which created enhanced graphics adapter chip sets. With its success, sales during the first quarter amounted to twelve   million. In less than a year, the company went public by listing its shares in the stock market and the market’s response was remarkable. It was one of the fastest Initial Public Offering (IPO) listings in the history of US stock market. Multinational semiconductor giant Intel bought C&T making Banatao richer. But even before this huge success, Banatao had already reached millions when he started his third company named S3. It was a company that pioneered the local bus concept for the PC and introduced the first Windows accelerator chip. S3 was then considered as the third most profitable technology company in the world when it went public having an IPO .I learned that we must not be content in one company and create many more because there are more chances of winning. Dado Banatao is now a multimillionaire investor. He invested in a lot of networking companies that were eventually sold before he joined the venture capital firm Mayfield. After two years, the company offered him to promote to a general partner but Dado refused it and instead decided to start his own venture capital firm named Tallwood Venture Capital, all of which came from his own pocket. He then believed that independence is more important than security. I learned that we should know the enemies in the business and don’t fall in their traps and evil schemes to trick the company.Today Dado Banatao manages several businesses. His Cielo Communications is developing the vertical cavity surface emitting laser or Versel, which speeds the transmission of data along optical lines. His SIRF Technology is designing a chip for a global positioning system which utilizes satellites to locate objects. His Marvell Technology had a highly successful public offering with the stock price soaring more than during its first day of trading. He has proven to be a master investor and venture capitalist. He invests, oversees, and sells several companies that include Cyras Systems acquired by Ciena; Newport Communications acquired by Broadcom; Acclaim Communications acquired by Level One; Stream Machines acquired by Cirrus Logic; Marvell Technology Group and New Moo software.He has more than three homes in the US, including resort properties in Lake Tahoe and Sonoma San Francisco. From his childhood roots of walking barefoot, he now drives his high-performance luxury cars and he flies his own fast jets. Yet despite these blessings, Dado Banatao still contributes to the society and to the country. His Banatao Filipino American Fund assists Northern California high school students of Filipino heritage in pursuing a college education in engineering. Aside from this, he also went back to his childhood town of Iguig in Cagayan Valley where he built a computer center at his grade school making it the only public school with the most modern computer network. Truly Dado Banatao has come a long way being a veteran entrepreneur and venture capitalist of Silicon Valley. May his successful life story continue to inspire us to pursue our dreams, ambitions and aspirations despite adversities in life. Keep the fires burning. As this blog says, Dream… Believe… Act… Achieve .Among other accomplishments, Dado is known as a game-changer in semi-conductors, the man who brought GPS to consumers, the innovator whose computer chips made GUI (think point and click) possible, the creator of the PCI Bus which paved the way for “plug and play” with our computer hardware, and the pioneer of the "PC chip set" that makes the internet possible. Moreover, because Dado came up with the concept of a “fabless” semi-conductor company, he transformed that entire industry making it possible for small players to enter the market without requiring huge investments. This had the effect of accelerating technological advancements in semiconductors. These are just a few of the contributions Dado has made to revolutionize the world of technology. The video clip also wanted to send a message that your status in life will and should never be a hindrance for you in aiming the life you have imagined from the very beginning. Dado experienced everything from his childhood years, which should have been the playing and happy go lucky stage of us being a human, yet he still managed to overcome it because he has the confidence and strength inside of him that he know that he will conquer it will and someday somehow all his efforts and all his father’s efforts will make it through for the better future ahead for the two of them. Their status in life never stopped him in achieving his goals yet it became his inspiration for him to be a better and stronger person so that whatever problems, challenges, circumstance and obstacles, he and his father is going to face, the two of them will fight against it and they will win over it and have a happier life than before. Their status in life has been his motivation for him to step up and take the challenges whole heartedly so that he won’t regret when the time comesTrue motivation lies within oneself. The success lies in discovering what you really lies. Hard work requires spending innumerable number of hours working on a problem. Success arrives only after a succession of failures He who has never failed can never succeed. So when you fail, when you are down how do you get up? Where does the motivation actually come from? It comes from within. The zeal comes from your love for the workyoudo.
You can try out different things For once:

· Trying out new areas of work is important. Till the time you do really find peace even after failing you should keep re-inventing yourself. Once you get comfortable in a certain area, you should pursue it whole-heartily.

· Do not measure success by what others say. Quite a few people underestimate the outcome of their efforts, feel depressed at a supposed failure and thereby stop trying. Hard work requires motivation an motivation requires a strong healthy feeling when you try. Believe in your efforts. Every failure is a success in itself. At least you got to know one method that does not succeed.

· Never get overpowered by what others have achieved. Quite a few people will call you crazy and oppose your ideas and methodology of work. You can keep ignoring them for some of the greatest minds have worked in the most eccentric manners. Once you develop a strong faith in what you believe you will remain motivated to prove others wrong and thereby strive hard.

· Have great hopes and dream big. “If your dreams are not big enough, they are not worth pursuing.” At the same time break your targets into small steps.

· Enjoy every little success and challenge every little failure.

· Never stop and keep pushing hard believing that God gave us same powers.

Their status in life never stopped him in achieving his goals yet it became his inspiration for him to be a better and stronger person so that whatever problems, challenges, circumstance and obstacles, he and his father is going to face, the two of them will fight against it and they will win over it and have a happier life than before. Their status in life has been his motivation for him to step up and take the challenges whole heartedly so that he won’t regret when the time comes .The video clip also wanted to send a message that your status in life will and should never be a hindrance for you in aiming the life you have imagined from the very beginning. Dado experienced everything from his childhood years, which should have been the playing and happy go lucky stage of us being a human, yet he still managed to overcome it because he has the confidence and strength inside of him that he know that he will conquer it will and someday somehow all his efforts and all his father’s efforts will make it through for the better future ahead for the two of them.  I also reflected that to achieve success, we must always never give up and do everything we can in order to achieve our dreams. In the video dado strive hard because he knew that his father sacrificed a lot just to send him to school. I learned that if you want to start something, start with your surroundings because it is easier. I also noticed that the father still can send his child to school even though he is not earning a lot, he still can send his son to school and that is a very decision for the father. The father’s priority is for his son to go to school and he work very hard in order to send his son to school and hopefully raise them from poverty. Aside from the lessons that the son can get from school, the father also teaches his son about values and how to work in order to earn and survive. It is really important the parents not only depend on lessons that their children get from their school but also teaches them at home because the home is the foundation of learning and the parents must do their part to teach their students about manners and values so that when they grow up or go to school, they can apply it in the real world. I also learned that when someone didn’t finished school it doesn’t mean that they got no abilities and talents and they cannot teach someone. In the video, even though the father didn’t finished studying he taught his son well by teaching him values and hard work which is very important than any other knowledge in this world. Mothers will always do everything to protect their daughters and not allow any harm to come to them. I also learned that bonding with the family is very important because it makes relationship between family members strong and through this unbreakable bond we share our love to each member of the family. The bond of a father and son is unbreakable. The father also got the inspiration in from his son to continue working hard just to send him to school. Sometimes, we cannot get everything we want and get mad to our parents but we really don’t know how sad our parents feel when they can’t give it to us. I really  learned to value my parents efforts just to give me my daily needs and I also learned how to appreciate more the things that my parents give to me even though sometimes I can’t say thank you to everything that they had given to me, I am still really thankful that they are my parents. I also learned to avoid buying things I really don’t need because I am wasting my parent’s money that they have worked hard for just to earn it. I really feel bad for just wasting money on nonsense stuffs and some people don’t have enough just to buy food for their families. I also learned to be content on what I have because all that I have came from my parents and they worked hard for it and I have no right to complain on what I get. I also reflected that I should study hard because my parents are working hard just send me to school. I also learned to patronize our own products because it would really help our own countrymen and help make the economy of our country good like the father of dado if we buy rice from the farmers and not the imported ones it’s like we already helped the farmer’s family. I also learned to donate to charity because I could help kids like dado with great skills and potential finish her study. Unconditional love is known as affection without any limitations, it can also be love without conditions. This term is sometimes associated with other terms such as true altruism, or complete love. Each area of expertise has a certain way of describing unconditional love, but most will agree that it is that type of love which has no bounds and is unchanging. It is a concept comparable to true love, a term which is more frequently used to describe love between lovers. By contrast, unconditional love is frequently used to describe love between family members, comrades in arms and between others in highly committed relationships. An example of this is a parent's love for their child; no matter a test score, a life changing decision, an argument, or a strong belief, the amount of love that remains between these bonds is seen as unchanging and unconditional.  Even though the daughter is still a child I can say that she is already and entrepreneur. Poverty is not a tourist attraction. It is an overwhelming social blight, and even more difficult to cope with. The world of the poor is a world all by itself. Today's world is divided into two groups the"have's" and the "have-nots". The gap between these two groups is enormous intellectual, social, and spiritual, economic. But the have-nots are no longer satisfied with their lot. They are going through "a revolution of rising expectations''. Radio and TV have opened new horizons. The poor are learning that there is a different world besides their own. Occasionally they visit towns and stroll around modern shopping plazas. They see stores selling the latest appliances and gadgets. Who are the have-nots? How do they live? Do they have a future? What is our Christian responsibility? In the cities, many of the poor live in squatter areas  in makeshift homes to escape paying rent. In the Barrios, they live in nipa huts or in shacks made of pieces of board, sheet metal, flattened out tin cans, or whatever can be used for a wall or roof. Come and visit with me a residence of a poor family living in a nipa hut. One or two rooms. Two broken down chairs. Mats for sleeping. They are rolled up each morning and put on the rafters. A small mirror and a few photos of relatives on the walls. A statue of a saint and few candles. A small portable radio. A kerosene lamp. No toilet facilities. No electricity. No running water. A few pigs wallow in the mud under the hut. Scrawny chickens scratch away in the yard. Children, dressed in rags, play in the mud. Food is cooked over a few sticks. A typical residence. 

What is the lifestyle of the have-nots? Their diet is meager  rice, fish and a few vegetables. They cannot afford to count calories. Only the rich can afford such a luxury. Their life expectancy is low. They have no savings. Two thirds of their low income budget is required for food, transportation: to purchase fuel, water, medicine. They are politically unsophisticated. Their values are traditional and static. They are not easily persuaded to change their lifestyle. The poor masses are the disinherited, the landless, the shirtless, the sharecroppers, the sugar cane cutters, the semi-literates. The have-nots contribute to low production cost, competitive exports, and high profits. They have little opportunity for advancement. They speak only one of the many Philippine dialects. They have no working knowledge of English, the language of education and commerce. They are clumsy at best in their new national language  Filipino. Why poverty? A simple question for which no simple answer can be found. I will attempt to survey the why of poverty as I see and experience it in the Third World. Why hasn't The Philippines been able to secure for itself the benefits of a well developed nation? The energy crisis has skyrocketed the outflow of dollars. Electrification projects have halted in numerous areas as the cost of oil has become prohibitive. Increased transportation cost has contributed to the rate of inflation. Economic rivalries among major industrial nations are intensifying, creating hardships for nations without a strong political clout. The major powers struggle for political mastery in their sphere of influence. Noncommunist Asia is doubtful about U.S. military commitment since the fall of South Vietnam and the recognition of Red China, abandoning Taiwan. The Philippines is still in the process of shaking off its colonial past. It does not feel economically free. And as long as The Philippines remains a Third World country, it will continue to find itself in a disadvantageous position in its relations with stronger nations. Philippine society, despite the rapid growth of its cities, is still largely rural in scope. About two thirds of the population lives in rural areas. Over half of its population derives its income from the agricultural, forestry and fishing sectors which contribute approximately one third of the national output. As a result, the largest percentage of the people live by subsistence farming or by menial occupation.  But the rich are getting richer and the poor poorer. As a consequence, there is an inadequacy of production and an excess of luxury imports. The rich live in palatial homes and have expensive cars, the latest in modern appliances, works of art and holidays abroad. The current economic situation has centralized and institutionalized wealth. And nowhere in Southeast Asia are fortunes more secure than in The Philippines. The Philippines, more than any other nation in Asia has been blessed by natural resources. Copper, chromate, iron, ore, manganese, and mercury are important products. The mining sector is a vital source of exports. Production of fuel is still limited to low grade coal. But some small oil wells will be producing this year. This will help reduce the dollar outflow. Rapid population growth means more mouths to feed. This calls for extraordinary efforts in food production. The high birth rate also puts a strain on economic development. The largest single expenditure of the national budget is for education. In spite of the financial outlay, the government is unable to keep up with the expansion of facilities and quality of instruction to meet the growing demand. The Philippines has a high literacy rate, but this doesn't mean that everyone falls in the category of "true functional literacy". Many adults do not go beyond the level of reading comic books. Even the step of entering high school is a difficult one for families of low income. Public schools are free, but the parents have to pay for pens, paper, books and uniforms. Only 3.4 percent of the nation's total population holds an academic degree. Although the quality of higher education leaves something to be desired, it contributes to socially useful attitudes, and skills. The Filipino places great emphasis on education. It is seen as a means to end. It may give a person a chance to move from a lower to a higher class. And this is important in a class conscious society. A diploma or a degree is a highly-priced possession. In the Philippines, agriculture provides a livelihood for about two thirds of the population, although only one fifth of the land is under cultivation. Until recently, most of the land was owned by a few wealthy families. The government is now enforcing  with some measure of success  a land distribution program. Farm income is low because of poor methods, worn out land and crop failures. On the one hand, the crop yields in the Philippines are among the lowest in the world; but on the other hand, agriculture and land development have kept abreast of population growth. Rapid development of mechanized farming may provide better crop yields, but a huge part of the population will be thrown out of work if they are replaced by machines for the sake of efficient and economic farming. Filipino peasants, in their desire to support their families, have migrated to different parts of the Philippines in search for unoccupied land to claim and cultivate. But the peasant migration is slowing down as it is increasingly difficult, due to the population explosion, to find a plot of land that can be worked. The weather often creates havoc. The typhoons are as destructive and numerous as ever. One of the worst typhoons last year resulted in the death of 118 people. An estimated $50 million worth of crops was reported lost in the ravaged areas, particularly in Central Luzon. Our own area was only hit by the tail end of the typhoon. One of the results of the worldwide population explosion is the mushrooming development of the enormous cities. Manila is a case in point. For example, our province, Negros Occidental, continues to have a rapid population increase accompanied by a lack of available work. Manila is seen here as a haven of opportunity for economic advance. This city has impressive building projects. More tax pesos are spent in Manila in proportion than anywhere else in the Philippines. The migrant to Manila becomes a part of a new humanity. Here are men cut from contact with nature. The old structures and norms no longer provide security. They are uprooted and away from the powerful influence of the traditional extended family. Migration to the city compounds the crime and poverty problem. Impaired health and poverty go hand in hand. The increased number unemployed or underemployed contributes to the poverty level where dietary insufficiency and poor health care are harsh realities. There are government financed health centers where a medical team attempts to provide limited care for thousands of people in widely scattered areas and Barrios. Their task is difficult. Facilities are inadequate and medical supplies limited. In our province alone, 60 more medical doctors are required to meet the existing needs. Prevalence of dysentery, typhoid, bronchitis, tuberculosis and other diseases claim a high toll in human resources. Hospital care for the poor leaves much to be desired. I visited a charity hospital and was shocked by the dirt, and poor care given to the patients. The hospital was overcrowded. Patients were on cots in the hallways. Cats and dogs were running around. Many poor consider the charity hospital only when they are desperate for help. No wonder that "herbolarios" (herb "doctors'') do brisk business. They are receptive to the poor and are comparatively effective in treating local ailments. Proper health care is further complicated by traditional and religious practices  even in more developed nations than the Philippines. What do you think of these remedies traditional Chinese in Singapore use? Elderly Chinese, suffering from tuberculosis, believe that coffin fungus can cure them of the disease. They go to the death houses, scrape the fungus of a coffin lid opposite Poverty is more than an economic misfortune, a social catastrophe. Its problems are complex, and some are deeply rooted in man's rebellion against God. In the face of glaring poverty, and large scale inequity, Christians need to speak and live prophetically. Scripture says, "Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard." (Proverbs 21:13) We needed bunk beds for the dormitory of our theological school. We had difficulties getting them by the time of the school opening. Why? Power brownouts! The furniture shop could only operate whenever electricity was available. Local industries have been chafing for a long time under the recurrence of power brownouts. They are counterproductive in a developing nation that is exerting efforts toward industrialization. I have read many pamphlets, books and articles, written in the developed, industrialized West, on how to solve the poverty problems of the Third World. I recall few articles that pointed to religious belief as a poverty factor. Some authors give the impression that  if only the American multinational corporations change their ways, or even pull out of the Third World; and if only all men of good will get together, and if more foreign aid is given, a just and progressive society can be built. As we reflect on the urgent need to come to the aid of the poor, we must not fall for the temptation to let the Church become an agency devoted to the multiplication of loaves and fishes. To sum up everything Poverty is not a reason for someone to be uneducated and unskilled, if there’s a will there’s a way! According to Bill Gates “If you Born Poor It’s not Your Mistake, But if you Die Poor It’s Your Mistake”. The story of Dado Banatao is really an inspiration to everyone especially to the poor because Dado has already proven that even though you are poor but you have the courage and passion to get up from poverty, nothing is impossible.