Mr. Andres Soriano III’s designation as acting chairman of San Miguel Corporation ought to mark SMC’s realization that decent companies do not coerce their employees, suppliers, and customers to support individual politicians.

Unfortunately, the executives who spearheaded the politicalization of their company see it only as a "balimbing" move -- a changing-of-the-guard that will help preserve SMC from a consumer boycott.

Little do they realize that it will take more than a change of personnel in the executive committee to get the consuming public to associate SMC once again with the motto, "Profit with Honor."

And it will take far, far more to get SMC employees to regain the confidence in management that they had before the fall of SMC into the clutches of Mr. Conjuangco, Jr.
 

FRANKLIN TAN