BALIKBAYAN REVOLUTION

Pinoy 2.0 is a new breed of Filipinos who have taken their expertise back home and are making a difference in the process

Back in the day, to make something of yourself you had to leave the country. Today though, as the Philippines has established itself as an emerging economy, it is becoming evident that this way of thinking has become long outdated.Times have changed and it’s becoming a trend that more and more well-known and accomplished Pinoys abroad are returning home to continue their journeys of success. Here, we highlight Filipinos who have brought their skills home and are displaying what the Filipino spirit is all about.—DM

CARLO ENDAYA

THERE SEEMS TO BE A RUNNING THEME IN THE LIFE OF CARLO

ENDAYA—being open to life’s many possibilities. A UP Diliman bred industrial engineer, being the Head of Brand Equity Managment and Content Marketing of Smart Communications seems like the other end of the career spectrum. But for Carlo it all makes perfect sense. “I just wanted to always see different options,” he shares. His career took a fateful turn when he went through the managementtraining program of Unilever and he fell in love with marketing—at first sight it seems, as he expresses nostalgia. And luckily, he says, marketing enjoyed him, too. It has been his professional trajectory ever since.

When asked how his rigid and technical world of being an engineer and the fluid and creativity world of marketing collides he boldly declares, “There is method to the madness.”

Armed with method and madness, his view on being a global Filipino was strengthened when he worked in the United Kingdom up until last year. It was in the cultural melting pot that is the United Kingdom where he realized how everyone in the world, especially Filipinos, are of equal footing. “We can make a lot of difference. We all have the same potential,” he shares, “We just have to release it and to have the right mindset to make things happen.”

A paradigm shift then happened. “I really wanted to work in a category that has the potential to change the Filipino life.” This is why when the opportunity to work with Smart presented itself, he said yes, precisely because he wanted to be part of the company’s vision. “I wanted to change more lives,” which he says is integral to Smart and its thrust of nation building.

The potential, as he says, is out there for us to grab. The world is simply connected more than ever. There is no reason for the Filipinos to not be part of this global movement.—ARDC

APPLES ABERIN

FROM MODEL TO JOURNALIST AND EDITOR TO TODAY’S GLOBAL PR HEAD FOR

UNILEVER, the evolution of multi-hyphenate Apples Aberin truly defines the new generation of Filipinas.

She began her path as a model in high school, doing shows on the side before eventually getting discovered. Apples took up Journalism in the University of the Philippines, and in spite of the success of her modeling career, she never stopped writing. “Some careers are short term and I wanted to develop myself in other aspects, so I kept on trying to learn new things.”

She then switched to journalism, working as an editor for a bridal magazine as well as a columnist in one of the country’s top dailies. People acknowledged and respected Apples’ great insights through her writing. Because she knew what her readers wanted, she then tried her hand in public relations, opening a boutique agency specializing in bespoke PR. It was through this venture where she serviced Unilever Philippines. Her efforts, outlook and unique discipline when it came to public relations and communication were something that her clients admired. As fate would have it, Unilever soon welcomed Apples into the family as Global Head of PR for Pond’s in Singapore before eventually finding her way back home with a role made especially for her, Head of PR for Personal Care for Unilever. “I knew I would end up back here, it was just a matter of growing and preparing for a bigger role. I was and still am fortunate to be working with visionaries like Vice President for Personal

Care Gina Lorenzana and Unilever Chairman Mr. Peter Cauan* who also believed in my vision.”

“I was who I was then. I’m the same person except I always strive to be better. It’s really about curiosity and humility to accept that you don’t know everything. When you’re moving into a new field, you need to understand that you don’t know anything, and you need to rely on other people to [help] you grow.”—CT

MARLON STÖCKINGER

THE 22-YEAR OLD FILIPINO-SWISS HAS COME A LONG WAY SINCE HE FIRST CLIMBED INTO A KART

AS A CHILD. Born and raised in Manila, Marlon left the Philippines at age 16 to enter the TwoLiter Formula Renault series, to pursue a driving career in Europe. His British campaign started promising enough—with a few qualifyings at the front of the grid and several podiums in his first year in professional motorsport. However, it was in 2010, his third year driving in the series, that he won the British Grand Prix at the Croft Circuit, becoming the first Filipino to win a formula race. 2012 proved to be an even better season for the expat as he took pole, won, and drove a flying lap that surpassed all the other drivers in the Monaco GP3. In February 2013, Marlon joined front-runner team Lotus Formula One as one of seven junior drivers honing their driving skills, physical fitness, health and nutrition and mental development. Lotus F1 Team Principal Eric Boullier says he “has every chance to be in Formula

One... he’s fast.” Marlon is the closest the country has been to securing a seat in the prestigious sport. “The doors [of my career] have been as wide as ever,” he declared. Proud of his roots, Marlon always wears the Philippine flag on his suit and helmet. After his victories, he points to it to “let everyone know that Filipinos, no matter where they are in the world, can chase their dreams.” When quipped about his mixed heritage, he says that “the [Filipinos] themselves, they accept you. If they know you were born here, you were raised here—to them, you’re a Filipino.” Backed by a team whose former drivers include seven-time World Driver’s Champion Michael Schumacher and legendary Ayrton Senna, Marlon Stöckinger could well be the next Lotus World Champion—and a Filipino one at that.—KS

MUTYA LAXA BUENSUCESO

IT’S LIFE IN THE FAST LANE FOR MUTYA

LAXA BUENSUCESO. In fact, it only took about 30 minutes for her to give us a summary of her personal life and career. “I didn’t see my full heart in showbiz and fell in love with marketing,” she shares. Starting off as a management trainee from direct selling company House of Sara Lee then before becoming the company’s brand manager. “I handled and reinvented everything.”

She took on the role as Marketing Manager for Pond’s after almost a decade at Johnsons & Johnsons. In two years’ time, she then moved to Singapore working as one of Pond’s Global Brand Directors. It was also in Singapore where she met and married her husband and got pregnant with her first child. “My life was always on the plane. The brands that I used to handle would make me travel a lot. I’ve lived in Jakarta, Bangkok and Singapore. It’s now that I found the right person that I wanted to start a family.”

Inspired by pregnancy, she along with her husband Jinggoy, started a baby line called Spinkie. The venture, which started with Mutya’s first industrial design patent, the Butterfly Pillow, flourished as soon as it was launched in Singapore. Mutya’ endeavor in mom-preneurship went successfully. She soon launched the line in the Philippines and on international website Etsy. com. “It’s passion. When you have passion it’s like gasoline. It just fuels you.” After settling down and setting up Spinkie, she found her way back to the corporate industry as the Country Manager for Asia’s leading distributor in luxury beauty brands, Luxasia. “When you do a shift, it has to be something very natural to you. You have to know that you’re born to do it and that you have the talent and competencies to make the shift, as well as a support system.”

“Pinoy 2.0 for me is a Filipino who can increase their sphere of influence beyond the Philippines. Be different. Think differently. People who talk differently, dress differently, think differently, those are the ones to watch out for. Those are the ones who become the rock stars. When we have that kind of thinking, that’s when we shine.”—CT

DONG RONQUILLO

MOST PEOPLE KNOW DONG RONQUILLO SIMPLY AS FIERCE

DONG ON TWITTER. He is also strongly associated with Globe Telecom’s broadband and wireless internet provider Globe Tattoo. But what do you really know about the man behind the successful Globe Tattoo lifestyle? In his early 30s, Dong already had a highly accomplished career. The current Head of Tattoo Nomadic Broadband Business forged his career immediately after college, working with multinational consumer goods company Unilever. In the ten years that he was with the brand, Dong had been expatriated twice—to Bangkok and then later to Tokyo. But while life abroad was good, he craved new and bigger challenges.

Dong was eventually offered to head Globe’s marketing arm for broadband and landline. The challenge? He knew nothing about the telecom industry and its subscribers. But with his determination and business acumen, he was able to re-launch the brand quite successfully. From the change in logo and design, to the integration of both broadband and landline into one brand, “It was really meant to disrupt the market,” he says. “We wanted to make it cool and edgy so we got lifestyle ambassadors to expand our demographic and inspire our subscribers.” He wanted to “move the world of others” through campaigns that encourage people to “speak what they think” and “pursue what they want in life.” Dong also pioneered the Globe Tattoo Awards, the only award-giving body that gives recognition to “social media rock stars” who have touched the lives of others. As of this writing, he is currently working on a new campaign called Catalyst, which urges people to identify the cancers of society and provide solutions. Globe Tattoo will select five to ten winners and “fund their respective organization or advocacy.” This is Dong’s way of giving back, by sparking a movement. “It’s not only about revenue. The end goal should be beyond me. It should be for the greater good.”

G TÖNGI-WALTERS

BORN TO A SWISS FATHER AND FILIPINA MOTHER, MEGA YOUNG DESIGNER COMPETITION (YDC) HOST G TÖNGIWALTERS spent the first few years of her life in Zurich then divided time between Manila and the States. At 16, she was discovered by a talent agent while at the mall. The chance encounter led to her joining ABS-CBN’s talent program, Star Circle, the movies and TV shows followed shortly after, racking up the film and TV roles than most industry veterans in the process. She signed up as an MTV VJ at 19, affirming her status as one of Manila’s foremost It-Girls.

In 2000, at the height of her success, she moved to New York. “I left to study. I wanted to learn how to act and New York seemed like a place where serious actors go to study. “I had never gotten any formal training prior. Being single in your early 20s in New York was pretty fun. I was very sheltered being in Manila, barely even allowed out of the village gates. It was my first time to live on my own. I had my own apartment. I felt so grown up.” She ended up in Los Angeles, reenrolling in college, despite having a two-year old son and a daughter on the way.

Living away from home, independent of Manila’s comforts, was an experience that she considers invaluable. “Leaving the country has definitely changed my perspective on a lot of things. People think you can just leave the country and it’s just fine and dandy. It’s not easy, it’s tough,” says G, who also worked as a part-time bartender to pay the bills.

Despite the laidback energy of California, G decided to move once again—this time, to return home. “My children were getting to an age where if they didn’t learn Filipino they might not grasp it. It was really important for my husband and them to learn to speak Tagalog. It’s a good tool to have to be bi-lingual,” she clarifies, rationalizing her homecoming. “Second my mom is getting older. I want my kids to get to know her. I also have a lot more opportunities producing wise. And most importantly, it was my husband who made the decision, it’s time we go home to the Philippines.” —DM