October 14 ------ Samantha Panlilio felt “very honored and very grateful” to be named one of People Asia's Women of Style and Substance this year. In an earlier interview, the 28-year-old shared how she felt about the “heiress” tag. “I feel very blessed to be able to help the family business but I think what most people don't understand is that… I've been working since maybe I was 10, I've been sitting in business meetings,” she said. “Sometimes during dinners, our conversations really consist of business and at a young age, I really learned how to put my family's business first even before my own needs. Being an ‘heiress,’ I think, yes, it has a good ring to it but also a huge responsibility.”
The former beauty queen and entrepreneur joined the list that included French ambassador Marie Fontanel, Singapore ambassador Constance See, Associate Justice Ma. Filomena Singh, Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president Cynthia Carrion, singer-concert producer Pops Fernandez and reigning Miss Universe Philippines Chelsea Manalo. “For me, it's kind of both recognition and a reminder that you're going the right path and that whatever I'm doing, leadership-wise, seems very effective. It's just very heartwarming to be able to get recognition for that. But again, ultimately, it's a reminder to just keep going,” she told The Philippine STAR in a phone interview on Friday, a few days after the awards ceremony.
In her Women of Style and Substance feature, the former Bb. Pilipinas Grand International titleholder and heiress to the Panlilio business empire said that she doesn't want to be reduced to being merely called COO or child of the owner. The daughter of property magnate Jose Marcel “Jocel” Panlilio is “pursuing different passion projects” besides being chief operations officer of the family’s land holdings and leisure companies, including Puerto Azul Land Inc. and Fridays Hotels and Resorts. “My father always tells me to keep all opportunities separate and try to seize each and every one of them. As you know business here in the Philippines, it's pretty tough especially with the economy so you really have to have tenacity and grit. And to never stop learning, like, he always encourages me to read a book or two in a month,” she told this paper.
Samantha said she has been involved in causes since high school, which started out as out-of-school projects. “And also with my dad, he's always taught me to give back to the community. Again, because we are in land development, so meaning, when we develop a certain area, like let's say, Cavite, we also wanna make sure our employees prosper as well because our business cannot be successful without the success also of the community around us. So, I guess ever since I was younger, I've always been taught to give back.” But it was through pageantry where she really “found a calling that you want to help a greater community, not just your own. It really opened up the doors to different communities, people and organizations that you can work with, and it drove my passion for it. Because when you look at pageantry, akala mo glitz and glam lang but it's really not. At the end of the day, a lot of these funds are given back to the NGOs, and the people who make it possible.”
She has since continued her advocacies beyond the pageantry scene, finally setting up this year her own foundation named Pangarap At Kalinga Foundation with projects primarily focused — or at least for now — on youth empowerment. Her first project is the construction of four new classrooms at the Ternate National High School in her hometown in Cavite. She was a judge at the beauty pageant Miss Maragondon when she learned about the classroom problem from a local official. One classroom construction costs around P800,000, she said. “We have different sponsors for the foundation. We have actually been live-selling my old bags and clothes to raise funds also. We also have partners like Radisson and my dad's company. It's a team effort.” Next big project is a boat for the students who have to cross the sea to a school in Bohol.
Source: philstar.com
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