Fathers play many roles in their children’s life: provider and protector among them.
For the business leaders featured here, their fathers were also their first mentors and they share here some of the lessons learned from them.
11. Xander Lao
Cebu Pacific president and chief commercial officer
The biggest lesson my dad taught me was the importance of the 3 Cs: competence (which earns trust), consistency (which builds credibility) and character (doing the right thing even when it’s difficult).
My dad’s name is Rene and he’s a retired banker. Among his many traits, his persistence probably stands out the most.
12. Jericho Go
Robinsons Offices senior vice president and business unit general manager
When our family business collapsed during the late 70s and early 80s, we went through difficult times, and he told me, ‘I may not give you material wealth, but I will give you our good name.’
He taught me that even if you lose everything, being fair, honest and delivering quality will define you.
Jericho Go’s parents
He also reminded me never to compromise my integrity for short-term gain, because what you earn through hard work will come in time.
Looking back, he was right.
Protecting our name allowed me to build trust, grow in my career and achieve lasting success.
What makes my father truly special is the gift of time he gave us.
Growing up, we didn’t have much materially, but he was always present.
Whether it was my basketball, volleyball, or football tournaments, he was there to support me, no matter what.
As I’ve gotten older, and now as a father myself, I’ve come to realize how valuable that was. There were times I focused on providing for my own children, but missed some of their important moments because of work, and that made me appreciate my father even more.
He showed me that love is not measured in what you give, but in the time you share.
In the end, it’s the time spent with family that brings the greatest joy, and that is the legacy I will always carry from him.
13. Donald Lim
DITO CME Holdings Corp. president
My father was not a celebrity, a public figure or a corporate executive.
He was a traditional Divisoria businessman who built his lighting distribution business through hard work, discipline and quiet perseverance.
Yet, looking back, I realize that many of the values that have guided my career and life came directly from him.
Donald Lim and his dad -CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
The biggest lesson I learned from my father was simple but profound: profit is more important than sales, and discipline is more important than appearances.
Growing up, I would often hear him say, ‘Hindi benta. Magkano ang kita? (Sales are not what matter. What matters is how much you earn.)’
At a young age, I did not fully understand it. As a child, I only saw that he lived very simply despite running one of the largest lighting distributorships in Divisoria.
His office remained small for decades. He dressed simply, often in a T-shirt or sando and was never interested in impressing others.
Only later in life, after working in the corporate world and building businesses of my own, did I fully appreciate his wisdom.
In a world that often rewards appearances, my father taught me that true success is built quietly through discipline, prudent spending and long-term thinking.
Even today, whenever I make business decisions, I ask myself: Is this expense necessary? Does it create value? That mindset has helped me navigate both corporate leadership and entrepreneurship.
Another lesson he taught me was the dignity of hard work.
From as early as five or six years old, I was already helping in our business-carrying boxes, pushing carts and spending time in warehouses.
During summers, there was no such thing as simply resting; work was part of our upbringing.
At the time, it felt ordinary. Looking back, I realize he was teaching us that no job is beneath us and that leadership begins with understanding the basics.
What makes my father special to me is that he led by example.
He never preached values that he himself did not practice.
He was frugal because he lived frugally. He valued education because he invested in ours. He believed in hard work because he embodied it every single day.
When he passed away during the pandemic, our family discovered investments and savings that even we did not fully know about.
It was a final lesson from him: real wealth does not need to be displayed.
My father may not have left behind a grand monument, but he left something far more valuable-a set of principles that continue to guide me every day.
Whatever success I have achieved in my career is, in many ways, built on the foundation he quietly laid.
14. Saturnino Javier
Makati Medical Center Interim co-president, CEO and medical director
The biggest lessons learned from my father? Hard work will take you to where you want to be. There is no shortcut to success and fulfillment. The road is paved with humps and bumps, but any accomplishment that comes at the price of one’s sweat and tears becomes even more valuable and meaningful.
[My father] personifies determination and perseverance.
Saturnino Javier
As Nelson Mandela decisively stated, ‘It always seems impossible, until it is done.’
15. Gerald Tambis
Robinsons Land Corp. senior vice president – corporate project development, head of Robinsons Destination Estates
The biggest lesson I learned from my father is the value of teamwork and hard work.
My father was a civil engineer, and I grew up visiting his construction sites during weekends.
There is always something fascinating happening at construction sites.
Everything is in the process of becoming. Each movement is devoted to the completion of a vision.
An idea which was intangible and expressed through the language of drawings and building models is being brought forth into the realm of the tangible. Brick by brick, in steel, timber, aluminum and other materials.
The magic happens until the facility is completed, and is occupied and enjoyed by people.
16. Marco Qua
Cold Storage Seafood president
The biggest lesson our father taught us was that everything starts with family: making sure the people you care about are taken care of; putting in the work; waking up early; and doing what needs to be done. All of it was driven by his commitment to family.
That mindset shaped the way we lead today. It taught us that business is ultimately about people. It also made working with family not just possible, but something valuable.
We honor him every day by living the values he taught us. What he left behind goes far beyond a business: it is decades of experience, lessons learned, dinner table conversations and wisdom passed on to the next generation.
The best way we can honor him is to continue the work he started, take care of the people who helped build it, and strive to make it even better than he imagined.