Atty. Albert Arcilla: When safety is everything to a man

Lawyer Albert Arcilla always stays on the safe side — be it on the road of life or the road where he takes his car.

Sure he takes chances, too, and takes calculated risks. But Albert will always, always emerge on the side of safety.

The safe and secure side, Albert knows, is not without challenges. He thrives on them, too. He’s revved up by challenges and with acuity he overcomes them.

Before becoming the president and CEO of Volvo and Chevrolet in the Philippines, Albert had an accurate outlook that knew, at an early age, that an obedient heart is the key to happiness, let alone success. It is safe to say that Albert’s life follows a great albeit unwritten master plan. He lives his life, both personal and professional, using the simple, tried-and-tested trait: obedience.

While other kids his age dreamed of becoming doctors, pilots and businessmen, Albert was certain about his childhood dream: to obey his parents’ wishes and make them happy.

“I just wanted to please my parents,” says Albert, the lilt in his voice registers gratitude. He obeyed his late father, Calvin Arcilla, who wanted him to take up Law. Albert’s dad, who hailed from Catanduanes, was a businessman and a CPA-lawyer.

“I wanted to take up Industrial Engineering or Management Engineering at the Ateneo. My dad said, ‘No, take up Economics at UP.’ So I had to take Economics at UP because for me, that’s a good pre-Law course,” he narrates.

Albert, who spent his elementary and high school at La Salle, entered Ateneo where he took up Law. “My dad said years after, when I was already in Law school, ‘You know if you took up Engineering, you’d never take up Law because you more or less will be set. But if you take Economics, you knew it’s a preparatory thing.’ So, he had it all planned,” recalls Albert, youngest in the brood of three.

His obliging heart credits his father for inculcating in him the value of education and hard work. He also learned the value of giving back from his father who sent many scholars to school. His mother, Elsa Braganza-Arcilla, instilled in him discipline.

“My parents taught me to be independent and responsible at the same time when they enrolled me in UP, where I stayed in Kalayaan dormitory for one year and three years in Molave. I believe independence was one of the best gifts I received from my mom and dad,” says Albert, the only one among his siblings who did not have a car in college. 

Though born and raised in Manila, Albert remembers that some of the more unforgettable memories of his childhood was courtesy of his summer vacations spent in Davao, in the house of his maternal grandparents who were originally from Pangasinan. He also makes sure his two nieces and one nephew, who “are very dear” to him, also enjoy life.

Albert, whose specialization is Corporate Law, knew that pleasing his parents would not only bring him to the safe side of life but also afford him joy. And yes, he found joy in his first job while serving the government as a lawyer.

“I was assigned as a legal technical assistant to Peter Garucho, he was then tourism secretary under President Cory Aquino. Eventually, he became trade secretary and I joined him there. When he became executive secretary under President Ramos, he took me in again that is why I ended up in Malacañang for a year and a half (1992 to 1993),” recalls Albert.

When Garucho returned to the private sector, Albert became open to other possibilities. In 1994, Richard Lee, now chairman emeritus of Volvo and Chevrolet, invited him to become the lawyer of the Volvo company. “I was the lawyer who was hired to negotiate to get the distributorship of Volvo in the Philippines,” Albert says.

Albert’s skill as a people-person was noticed by Richard Lee and now Chevrolet executive director Selene Yu. “They asked me if I wanted to handle sales. I said yes. Basically, we were selling premium cars. Every time we sold a car, that was a contractual obligation. I thought it was not going to be far (from being a lawyer). I thought I could do sales. And I like meeting people. And most of the people in that market were either parents of friends or their classmates. It was an easy decision to make. So from being a lawyer, I became head of sales. Eventually, after a few more years, they asked me to head it as COO, then as president and CEO. I actually really climbed up the ladder,” he says.

Albert has been steering with precision the wheel of Volvo in the Philippines for 20 years now, and five years for Chevrolet. How does he successfully run the two giants? Even at work, Albert believes in getting the consensus of his staff, knowing fully that democracy at work is always the efficient and safe side to take.

“I’m lucky to have a good team. In both (Volvo and Chevrolet) companies, that really helps that you have both teams to support you. I guess the attachment to your work and the brand that you represent will drive you to do your best; but at the end of the day you really have to work with your team. The team really has to be strong to support you because these are two very big important brands,” he says.

“I’m lucky that the people I work with are also my friends. Despite the fact that work may be hectic, in between our work, we find time to (enjoy) life, we find time to release, to be calm,” says Albert who is out of the country four to five times a year for business. One of the places he finds his quiet time is in the plane. “When I’m alone in the plane, even if it’s bumpy, I still find my quiet time,” he says.

If he were a car brand, Albert would be a Volvo XC60, an SUV, or a Chevrolet Suburban. “I am assigned to use those car models. I like the representations of those cars, which are strong, sturdy and dependable. That’s what I like to be to the people I care about.”

Every day, Albert claims he is on the safe side of the road — the one that guides him to his inner self and the one that leads him to his place of work — because he begins and ends his day with a prayer.

“I am very, very prayerful. The first thing that my mind says as soon as I wake up is the Apostle’s Creed. (Upon waking up) my mind is already praying the rosary. It’s automatic to me. It’s my form of meditation. Even when I’m making coffee, I listen to my phone or iPod that has (a recording of) the rosary. Even if my body is still tired, it sets me in the right tone, the right direction. I pray at work before I open my e-mails…to calm me down from all the challenges that will happen the whole day,” he says.

Does Albert believe God has granted all the wishes of his heart?

“Not yet granted but I think He has planted whatever the desires of my heart are. I think, if He has granted it all na, there will be no purpose anymore for living every day,” he says.

But Albert knows his purpose — to always, always take the safe side of life. And, perhaps, invite everyone to join him for the safe ride. 

(E-mail me at bumbaki@yahoo.com. I’m also on Twitter @bum_tenorio and Instagram @bumtenorio. Have a blessed Sunday!)