By Jenalyn Rubio
Published in the November 2008 print edition of Computerworld Philippines

For Edgardo Dajao, there are no real secrets to success—just plain hard work and learning from past mistakes. Better known as “Ed” by colleagues and friends, Dajao has spent more than half of his life as an IT professional who lives by his philosophy of learning from mistakes and always doing things better the next time around.

“Learning from my mistakes drives me to do better next time, and be more open-minded in exploring new grounds. It’s a balancing act between being a technical person and being a manager at the same time,” says Dajao, who is currently IT operations head and assistant vice president for IT at the Philippine Veterans Bank (PVB).

A graduate of Mechanical Engineering from the University of Bohol, Dajao is a board topnotcher but the IT veteran shares it was only when he took a Masters of Engineering Degree at the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok when he got really fascinated with IT. “Most of our research works and projects involved the need to run computer programs. That was when I decided to pursue a Major in Information Systems which, at that time, was relatively new,” Dajao says.

Before he joined PVB in 2002, Dajao has held several IT positions in companies like the Development Academy of the Philippines; John Clements Consultants Inc.; Guthrie-Jensen Consultants; Philips Semiconductors Philippines Inc.; and Astec International Limited (Philippines), among others, providing him with extensive IT experience in varied industries and environments.

“The thing about IT is that it is a very universal tool; as long as you understand an entity’s processes and business objectives, you can certainly apply IT in practically all fields regardless of your background. So there is never a limitation on when, where and how you use IT,” Dajao says, who adds that what keeps him loving his job is that the challenges of IT just keep on coming and evolving, leaving no room for dull moments.

Asked what the major challenges are in his current post at PVB, Dajao cites optimizing the utilization of existing resources as the most pressing. “It is how you can make or do more for less in terms of improving the business processes, getting the cost economics of your investments, and achieving efficiency and effectiveness both in the workplace and for your customers.”

Having grown with the IT industry over the years, Dajao says the role of the CIO has also evolved along with the industry. “The CIO of today should be that of a techno-entrepreneur whose main role is to be able to support and sustain the business challenges of the company. At the same time, the CIO must be the bridge to transform or harness IT into something very useful that would attract more customers, either through better product offerings or through more efficient services,” he explains.

Were he not brought by fate and his interests in information systems to the IT industry, Dajao says he would most probably have been an industrial engineer and had taken up operations research, but he realized that this field is very limited in the Philippines. One other thing that he loves to do, however, which he has in fact already been doing, is teaching; Dajao has been a professor at the Graduate School of Engineering at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila.

Looking forward, Dajao says he wants to one day be remembered as someone who was always willing to teach and guide “neophytes” to be better IT professionals. Offering advice for future CIOs and IT professionals, he says, “Keep on learning from the front runners and keep abreast of what’s going on in IT. Never forget to innovate, don’t be afraid to lead the pack if there is an opportunity. If you don’t know, ask and never be shy to admit that you don’t know. And lastly, always share your knowledge with your staff as well as with your colleagues in the industry. One should never keep to himself the treasure of knowledge he acquired over time.”

TIDBITS

Name: Edgardo S. Dajao

Title: Vice President, Head of IT Operations

Company: Philippine Veterans Bank

Favorite Technology/Body of Knowledge: IT Information Library (ITIL)

Favorite nonwork pastime: Watching movies and concerts for the baby boomers

Philosophy in a nutshell: Do it better the next time around
Something people don’t know about you: Not many people know that I’m a teacher— both in an informal and formal basis; and I love to go fishing.

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• Harnessing Excellence

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