Leading from the front

MANILA, Philippines — ‘Age should never be a qualification for career development. MVP gave me the challenge, the responsibility. and the opportunity to grow.’

For Augusto "Augie" P. Palisoc Jr., working with Manny V. Pangilinan is not measured in years alone, but in a lifetime of lessons.

The Vice Chairman and President of Metro Pacific Health is the longest-serving executive in the First Pacific/MVP Group, having worked alongside Pangilinan for 43 years.

From the early days of First Pacific in Hong Kong to helping build what is now the country's largest private hospital network, Palisoc has witnessed firsthand the leadership philosophy that has guided one of the Philippines' most respected business leaders.

"MVP leads from the front," Palisoc says. "He has boundless energy. He is totally committed to his work, hence those of us who work closely with him learn to imbibe those traits so we can keep pace with him."

His own defining moment came early in his career.

After spending seven years at First Pacific's Hong Kong headquarters helping acquire and turn around companies across Asia, the then 32-year-old executive sought approval for a second investment in Malaysia. Pangilinan agreed, but on one condition.

"He approved this investment provided I moved to Malaysia to run those companies," Palisoc recalls. "I was a young 32-year-old 'head office' guy with no experience in actually running a company, but I took on the challenge."

The assignment changed the trajectory of his career.

"I learned that age should never be a qualification for career development," he says. "Conventional thinking would have required an older officer to be given this assignment, but MVP gave and entrusted me with this challenge, responsibility, and opportunity to grow."

Today, he says, he strives to pass that same philosophy on by giving younger executives opportunities to prove themselves.

Palisoc also credits Pangilinan for expanding his perspective on business itself.

"My first years in First Pacific were about learning how to make money," he says. "As we got involved in more businesses that really affect lives, we learned to balance profit-making and 'making the lives of Filipinos better,' an oft-repeated mantra espoused by MVP within the MVP Group."

That philosophy became especially meaningful when Metro Pacific Investments entered healthcare in 2007. Pangilinan envisioned not simply owning a hospital, but building the country's first nationwide private hospital network.

"It is in MVP's and the MVP Group's DNA to always try to be number one," Palisoc says. "There was no point in owning just one hospital."

He also recalls Pangilinan's willingness to embrace innovation, encouraging executives to adopt digital technologies and invest in robotics to improve patient care.

Despite leading a vast business empire, Palisoc says Pangilinan gives his executives remarkable freedom.

"MVP gives his executives 'enough rope to hang themselves,'" he says with characteristic humor.

"The MVP Group continues to be a very entrepreneurial organization, without the bureaucracy, structure, and formality usually associated with companies of our size."

Perhaps the most memorable lesson came not during a board meeting, but through a handwritten note on a fax while Palisoc was navigating a difficult divestment overseas.

Facing intense pressure from a government-backed bidder, he received a brief message from Pangilinan:

"Don't let the bastards wear you down.”

"These seven words were more than enough to give me the strength to deal with that stressful situation," he recalls.

Beyond business, Palisoc admires Pangilinan's quiet patriotism.

"He wanted to be in Asia, and closer to his country, the Philippines," he says, recalling how Pangilinan once turned down an opportunity to relocate to Europe early in his career.

As Pangilinan celebrates his 80th birthday, Palisoc's tribute is simple but deeply personal.

"Just a sincere thanks," he says, "for giving me the opportunity to build a good career within First Pacific and provide well for my family, and for all that you continue to do for the Filipino people."