Tiu good to be true

CEBU, Philippines -  Chris Tiu counts off the skills he had wanted to develop to no avail in his years of playing basketball. At 29, he says he has conceded to the fact that he isn’t as “athletically gifted” as sports fans conceive him to be. He’s not “as explosive” as other players, he offers. The court heartthrob further shares that he’s learned to work with what he’s got, and use his other abilities to compensate for these perceived weaknesses.

It’s a surprising tidbit from one of the country’s most popular, well-loved athletes. As it turns out, our 45-minute conversation was peppered with a healthy dose of modesty and disclosures that makes one ask – is there really still such a guy at this day and age?

Chris, in town recently to grace the opening of Happy Lemon at the cinema level of Ayala Center Cebu (beside Red Mango) and Pepper Lunch (Level 4 roof deck of Ayala Center Cebu’s expansion wing), gamely indulged our curious minds despite later on admitting his shyness scale measured 2 out 10. “Because of my job, I’m forced to [be less shy]. I’ve learned to be more outspoken and become more entertaining. But if it was up to me, I’d eat alone in a restaurant and have my alone time. I can actually go abroad by myself, read a book and be quiet, and that’s okay with me.”

The second among five siblings, Chris says that as kids, they were always conditioned to either get involved in the family business, or establish businesses of their own. He would have willingly joined the family enterprise, but an often tight schedule made him decide to invest in ventures that allowed him flexibility.

“I have PBA, plus shows in GMA-7 and TV5,” he explains. “I’m lucky to have great partners who allow me to continue with my other jobs, and they can take care of operations and the nitty-gritty – especially that the food business has a lot of systems and really requires us to be meticulous. I mostly take care of the marketing and business development side.”

Chris’ earliest memory of his entrepreneurial instincts was selling basketball cards during grade school. His first legit venture came during senior year of college at the Ateneo de Manila University, where he put up his first business together with two friends. They put up a small kiosk called Chinky Chicken, serving rice with toppings of everything chicken – chicken teriyaki, chicken curry, chicken lollipops, you name it. It was a hit, and he was able to save up from that start-up, which he used to later on open other businesses.

A former team captain of the Ateneo Blue Eagles, Chris can draw a lot of parallelisms between business and basketball. The discipline the sport taught him was just easily applied in his other ventures.

“In basketball, you have to be prompt, you have to follow rules. The same thing in a business environment; you have certain rules that you have to obey. Teamwork is a big factor in basketball – you obviously can’t win games by yourself. You have to know your role. You have to learn how to be a leader at times. In an organization, you can’t do it by yourself. From the board level to the management team, to the staff – you have to be able to motivate them to set targets and goals, and make everybody understand how to play within a team setting.”

He adds, “Even being humble when you win games, and when you lose. You have to be accepting and gracious in defeat. When you open a business, you won’t be successful at all times. If it does well, you have to be humble enough to know that this is not all because of you. Your success is the result of the efforts of a lot of people, and ultimately, it’s a blessing from God. And then you use that success to do other, greater things, and to give back to the community.”

Chris is juggling many roles at the moment : athlete, TV host, entrepreneur, endorser and public servant. His barangay post often prompts questions of running for higher office, but says his ultimate goal is to be a successful businessman. His dream venture? To provide renewable energy to communities.

“Because how can an economy grow if there’s no power? Provide power to communities at a reasonable cost and at the same time, not harming the environment. I’m also a big environmentalist. I have an eco-warrior’s movement with Migz Zubiri, where we push for a green lifestyle. I admit it’s not the most financially rewarding, but it’s what I can do for the community and the environment.”

Much of what people admire about him, Chris gives back all the credit to his pious, strictly traditional and conservative folks. His wise ways with money, for one, was a trait ingrained to them siblings at a very early age.

“We were brought up to be very practical. My mom always instilled discipline in terms of spending. When I was a kid, I only had one pair of rubber shoes, unlike kids nowadays who have four to five pairs at a time. I wasn’t allowed to buy a new pair until my existing pair was already worn out and can’t be used anymore. Even if I wanted a new one, mom would really put her foot down. She would say, ‘Your shoes are still in decent condition, while a lot of kids out there can’t afford shoes.’ If it wasn’t that necessary, even if I knew we could afford it, I knew we wouldn’t be allowed to buy it. I think that really shaped the way I spend until today.”

They were, however, spoiled rotten in other ways – not just of the material kind. “When we would eat out with our dad, there was a lot of good food for us, because in the Chinese culture, food really plays an important role. Spoiled, maybe in little conveniences, like when we were young and we had to go somewhere, our dad would always find a way for our transportation. Things like that.”

If there’s a thing or two Chris doesn’t feel guilty splurging on, it will be on good food (steak and noodle soup are his comfort food) and travel (Machu Pichu, Brazil and New Zealand are top three on his bucket list, while South Africa was his best vacation thus far).

These days, it’s trips with his wife that he’s looking forward to the most. Chris married his high school sweetheart Clarisse, a former investment banker in Vancouver, Canada last September 2013.

“We were together since 2001, and we got married last year,” he opens up. “Married life is fun. Of course, there are some minor adjustments living together, since we’ve never lived together before. We’ve never even traveled just two of us, because we both come from very conservative, traditional families. Which is good. I’m thankful our parents are strict and didn’t allow us to travel together, because now we’re able to experience things together for the first time now that we’re married.”

Tying the knot made him decide to slow down a bit, and spend time with those who matter to him most. “I believe that if you want to have a strong relationship, you need to have quality time with one another I just felt that for the last couple of years, I’ve been working sometimes to the point that I haven’t been able to spend enough time with my family. I hear stories of families of my friends whose parents passes away and they were not able to spend enough time with them. I don’t want to have that kind of regret. You work hard, you make money, but at the end of the day, you can’t bring your wealth with you. We’re just stewards of God’s creation. What’s really important is time with our loved ones, so slow down a bit…but I think, relative to what an average person does, I’m still a little bit busy.”

Asked what drives him behind his many pursuits, both personal and for the public good, Chris matter-of-factly replies that it all boils down to his passion for excellence. He’s not one to do things half-heartedly, which would sometimes drive him to be too hard on himself.

“I do my research, I invest in whatever I have to invest in. In basketball for instance, I invest in my body by working out and making sure I’m in good shape. So when I compete, I know I’m ready to deliver. When I do business, my eyes are always looking at opportunities and at the competition. My mind just never stops exploring possibilities. In addition to excellence, it’s finding the right platform to be able to give back to the community. In everything that I’m doing, I feel there is a strong avenue for me to give back, whether it’s through business, where I provide livelihood to people, and provide customers with satisfaction. In my TV shows, I don’t just entertain the audience, but the programs I’m part of are also educational. In basketball, which is the number one sport in our country, the young ones often look up to us players. For me, that’s a perfect opportunity to promote good values and to be good role models to kids.”

Being a role model is also what he’s striving to achieve as Barangay Kagawad in Makati City. Whether he’s open to run for higher office is something he leaves up to God’s plans for him. If it was up to him, he’d rather serve his community through the private sector by providing livelihood through his various enterprises and honing future leaders through his CHARIS Foundation.

“Our cause is youth leadership,” he explains of the foundation. “There are many areas where I definitely help such as education, eradicating poverty, housing…we help out Gawad Kalinga, World Vision and Caritas Manila. But in our foundation, we just want to focus on youth leadership, because I think this can encompass everything. I want to develop people who possess leadership qualities, and those who are really grounded and have strong values.”

“We can’t reach out to every individual in the country, but we can tap future leaders, young ones who would eventually be leaders in the public and private sector. If we can plant the seeds early, they might be able to impact their respective communities. That impact will then trickle down, and the effects will be exponential,” the 2013 The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) awardee says. “We have a lot of volunteers. We have forums or weekend seminars where we invite different students from private and public schools. This has been going on for two years now, and we’re very happy so far. A lot of people who we’ve reached out to have become volunteers and sharing their time and wisdom.”

Chris points out that having efficient support groups has been key to his successes.

“I’m lucky to have support groups which help me out – my mom, my manager, my ninangs. My dad’s sister is actually my manager who helps me with contracts, scheduling and negotiations. My mom is also my bookkeeper and spiritual guide. In my organizations, there are people I can rely on to take care of business. I also have a spiritual director that I go to, he’s a priest, and he wants to be anonymous. He has this unique ability to give the best advice and say it in such a way that it always hits the spot. It’s really about using all platforms to do good. In a way, it sounds a little bit righteous, but it’s trying to bring Christ to other people through what I’m doing, which is promoting good values.”

Of his life icons, Chris enumerates: “I like Pope John Paul II. He was very charismatic, not very stiff where you feel you can’t get through him…he’s one of my favorite saints. And he was also a sportsman! He was able to reach out to a lot of people and make an impact to the world. He fought for the cause he really believed in, despite the resistance from different groups. Second would be Michael Jordan; he was just the greatest player because he delivered well when it mattered, he was consistent, great work ethic and a competitive spirit. In business, I admire Steve Jobs for his ingenuity. I also like Warren Buffet for his management style and investment principles. I also admire Nelson Mandela, whom I read a lot about. He was imprisoned for a long time, but he still came out all the more determined to fight for his causes.”

And while listening to him paints a picture of an almost-perfect and worry-free life, Chris would be the first to disagree. He too, dealt with bullies, harsh punishment from parents, and insecurities as an athlete.

“In basketball, there were times when I really struggled. In the court for example, bangko ka, hindi ka ginagamit, or you were playing bad. Especially when expectations are high, and you’re somebody who really pursues excellence, but you’re not able to live it out. Okay lang yun kapag natatalo, because we know we gave it our best. Some things are not meant to be. I believe in God’s time. As long as we do our part. So yes, I’ve had a lot of struggles, since I’m also very hard on myself. If I don’t perform well, I take that badly.”

When obstacles do occur, he simply “works harder. There’s no other secret recipe. Giving up and coming up with excuses are not the answers. You just have to dig deep and really push yourself.”

The world Chris Tiu navigates in – pro basketball and a bit of show business –are rife with temptations left and right. How has he managed to remain on the straight and narrow?

“I’m lucky to have my spiritual director. He really gives me good advice. Not just him actually, but most of the people I work with in my foundation, as well as the people I meet everyday who are so simple and down-to-earth. When you’re in an industry such as basketball and showbiz where there’s so much glamour, money, women and fame, it can no doubt get very tempting. But if you have a strong and spiritual  prayer life, that will really help a lot. Of course, we’re not perfect, we also make mistakes. The good thing about it, the Lord is always waiting for us to come back and repent, and He’s willing to forgive us. We just have to be truly sorry and try to change. When I see how simple, unselfish and happy my foundation volunteers are, that inspires me. There are actually still good people in this world contrary to what we see on media.” (FREEMAN)