Investing in generations of filipinos

MANILA, Philippines — ‘The greatest honor we can give him is to make him proud and be the best of what we can be because he has given us that opportunity. MVP not only invested in the country’s infrastructure through his companies, he invested in us, too.’

When Chaye Cabal-Revilla looks back on more than two decades of working with Manny V. Pangilinan, she doesn't remember being told what she couldn't do.  

Instead, she remembers a leader who never placed limits on what she could become.

While women were fighting for gender equality, she says there was never a glass ceiling under Pangilinan’s helm.

There was only a ladder of opportunities, and it was up to his people to cease the possibilities,

Cabal-Revilla began at PLDT as an executive trainee, and was PLDT SVP and Group Controller and Smart CFO before being moved to MPIC, in her current position.

Over more than two decades, her responsibilities expanded from finance into risk, sustainability, governance, health-tech, and advocacies such as Gabay Guro.

"He allowed us to do what we want to do, to excel in it, for as long as there's purpose, and it helps other people and the country," she says. 

That empowerment, however, is never freedom from responsibility. The freedom to lead comes with the obligation to answer for the results.

That principle is reinforced by the rigor Pangilinan demands. MVP expects executives to understand both the broad strategy and the difficult details beneath it.

“He expects both the big picture and the granular details,” Cabal-Revilla says.

“Over the years, we learned to anticipate his questions and to prepare beyond the presentation itself.”

The result is a culture in which opportunity is accompanied by accountability, and trust must be answered with performance.

When Gabay Guro was still a young idea with little funding, Pangilinan became its first donor. His support helped provide scholarships for aspiring teachers.

More than 3,000 scholars have since graduated, many of whom now teach in public schools. Gabay Guro will mark its 20th year in 2027.

Whether the investment is in a teacher, a farmer, an athlete, an artist, an executive, or a young employee, the belief is the same: Filipino talent can succeed when given serious support, high standards, and the opportunity to perform. 

As Pangilinan marks his 80th birthday, his legacy cannot be contained in a list of companies or infrastructure projects.

It is present in the services millions of Filipinos rely upon, the jobs created, the communities reached, and the opportunities made possible. 

It lives in the leaders he challenged, the professionals he trusted with responsibilities larger than their titles, and the young Filipinos whose potential received support before success was assured.

“He sometimes says that he never had children,” Cabal-Revilla says.

“But we are all his legacy, and our children will be his legacy and extended family.”

Perhaps the most fitting tribute to Pangilinan is not simply to recount what he has built, but to continue the work: to keep the power on and the water running, connect people and communities, make roads safer and healthcare more accessible, and invest patiently in Filipino ability.

An opportunity given to one person can change the future of a family. Trust extended to an employee shapes how that person will one day lead others.

“The greatest honor we can give him is to make him proud and be the best of what we can be because he has given us that opportunity,” says Cabal-Revilla.

MVP not only invested in the country’s infrastructure through his companies, he invested in us, too."

This may be the most enduring form of nation-building: creating institutions that serve the country and developing people capable of carrying that service forward.