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Meet Dennis N. Mendiola. He is 39. He finished BS
Economics, summa cum laude, at the Wharton School of Finance,
University of Pennsylvania. He has a BS Electrical Engineering
Degree, Moore School, also at UPenn.
Pennsylvania is the university
where Lance Gokongwei obtained two degrees, both summa, one in
finance and the other in engineering. On a personal note, it is
where my son-in-law, Benedict Cabaltica, obtained his masters
degree in law, major in taxation. His wife, Ivy Lopez, my daughter
and a lawyer, took up a year’s studies there in real-estate
investments.
Young Filipinos cannot get any
better than Dennis. He is chief executive of Chikka Asia Inc. A
source told me Chikka makes $20 million in annual revenues though
Dennis wouldn’t confirm the figure to me.
I first met Dennis in the early
1990s working for a pittance as one of the technocrats of Dick
Gordon, who had taken over management of Subic when the Americans
left. Dennis was in charge of screening locators at the sprawling
former US naval facility. Dick Gordon introduced him to me as (the
then) boyfriend of Lea Salonga.
Last week SGV and Ernst &
Young honored Dennis by naming him the Information, Communications
and Technology Entrepreneur of the Year. I doubt that he had any
rivals for the plum.
Connecting the world wirelessly
is Dennis Mendiola’s business. He does so using two technologies
dominant during this 21st century—the Internet and short message
service, or SMS, or cellular text messaging.
Doing so, he brings untold
benefits to up to perhaps 35 million subscribers, 70 percent of whom
are from the Philippines, and the country’s eight million overseas
Filipino workers (OFWs).
Having done so, Dennis is looking
at the rest of the world to conquer.
Recognizing the rapid expansion
of broadband Internet throughout the biggest markets in the world,
Chikka Asia is now investing substantially in PC online technology,
and working to adapt mobile technology to the online world. Chikka
Asia is also exploring ways to open up Latin America and Europe to
mobile applications.
Dennis’ penchant for challenges
enabled him to take on the task of bridging what he calls the
“digital divide” between the increasing Internet activity of
over eight million Filipinos overseas and the text revolution in the
Philippines. He connected these two different platforms of
communication through a program known as Chikka Text Messenger, the
flagship project of Chikka Asia Inc.
Launched in 2001, Chikka
Messenger is the world’s first instant messenger that fully
integrates mobile features via SMS. It allows Internet and mobile
users to stay connected through user-friendly applications. Today,
more and more Filipinos locally and overseas are hooking up to
Chikka Messenger. Chikka Asia now has a presence in the USA, China,
Japan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Guam and
Hong Kong, through tie-ups with over 30 international network
operators.
Chikka Asia also offers
applications that allow mobile subscribers to access and manage
e-mail through SMS, settle various bills using mobile call credits,
and participate in mobile-enabled auctions and matchmaking sessions.
Chikka created programs such as celebrity newsletters/updates, as
well as platforms to download ring tones, logos and other MMS
content. Its products cover all areas of mobile space, including
communities, content, commerce, communications and corporate
solutions.
Despite riding high on Chikka’s
wave of success, Dennis is already anticipating the shift of global
trends in Internet-based technology.
Chikka Messenger is also able to
promote social responsibility by allowing its users to donate
microdenominations to charities such as the Philippine National Red
Cross. The application also gives Filipinos a venue to get in touch
with government agencies such as the Philippine National Police
during times of emergency and the Land Transportation Office for
suggestions on service improvement.
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