The magic of the name Manny
With the new school year, those going to college or high school may be looking for inspiration, models for successful life and career.
May I recommend the three most successful and wealthiest Mannys in the Philippines; Manuel V. Pangilinan, Manuel Villar, and of course, the phenomenal, Manny Pacquiao. The name Emmanuel and Manuel are both derivatives of the Hebrew name Immanuel meaning "God is with us."
Pangilinan was a simple boy from Pampanga who studied hard, worked hard, and even stayed single to focus on career and business. He earned his MBA from the University of Pennsylvania and was chosen by Indonesia's richest man, Sudono Salim, to be the chief executive of the First Pacific Group. He owns the Philippines' Metro Pacific, PLDT, Meralco, SMART, Maynilad Water, Philex Mining, Channel 5, a string of hospitals. His secrets: Hard work, focus, and discipline. He hired the country's best and brightest executives, managers, and personnel, and demands from them nothing less than sterling performance.
Villar was a poor boy from Tondo whose father was a struggling government employee and whose mom was a fish vendor. Manny studied in a public school in elementary, Mapua High School, then Accounting in UP. He passed the CPA Board and joined SGV but left shortly. With P10,000 capital, he brought two reconditioned trucks and delivered sand and gravel to many customers, one of which was the family of his former UP classmate, Cynthia Aguilar. He married her and founded Camella Homes, then Vista Land. He also founded Golden Haven Memorial Parks, Vitacare Health Group, All Home appliance centers, and All Day malls. His secret: Hard work.
Pacquiao's story is the most dramatic and inspiring. From a construction worker and bread vendor, he rose to have a net worth of no less than $200 million. He owns four mansions, one in Beverly Hills, California, GenSan, Boracay, and Forbes Park, Makati. He owns a Ferrari 458 Italia worth P13 million and more than fifty other mostly luxury vehicles. He also owns a Rolex worth P30 million. Manny has investments in hotels, restaurants, real estate, resorts, sport complexes, and water businesses. Manny is a senator, a preacher, and remains a very simple man. President Digong always loves to call him teasingly as the next president. He is the only one who can fund a national campaign without accepting contributions from taipans. His secret: Hard work, hard fights.
The next time I have a grandson I want him named Manny. There seems to be a magic to that name. But only if and when that boy follows the secrets of hard work and good human relations. What matters most is that the name means God is with us.