Exceeding expectancies

Exceeding expectancies
When Bautista become a kid, the son of public college instructors, growing up in bucolic Cabanatuan, jetting to a long way away locations become the closing component on his thoughts. He recalls in reality admiring the “lovely residence owned via a CPA along with his name on a sign out of doors, and running beneath it become the identify CPA”. That’s when the idea of turning into an accountant with all its attendant perks “like proudly owning a stunning residence” took root. Fast ahead and Bautista, after years of steady exemplary academic performance (excessive faculty class valedictorian and a complete four-yr scholarship at San Juan de Letran, BS Commerce, Major in Accounting), now lives inside the Makati suburban home that he and his wife Joji made considerate changes to once they first moved into the brand new construct. A believer within the benefits of feng shui, he had their front gate moved six inches, following the advice of an professional. He sees no warfare among his accountant’s rational training and geomancy, announcing: “There are some medical reasons in feng shui practices.” Not having a tree block one’s the front door or a lavatory above the eating room makes best feel to him.

Greatness or prominence has a manner of foisting itself on those who least assume it – men like Bautista who commenced out with modest expectancies, best to exceed them. “Being a VP for Finance” become the highest rung within the company ladder he aspired to.

Joining the prestigious Sycip, Gorres and Velayo accounting firm at 20, he spent three soaking up years, below the ambitious Washington C. Sycip, whom he describes as a “jack of all trades”. Wooed by the Lucio Tan Group of Companies, he moved over, finally reporting to the magnate’s brother and finance branch head Mariano. While it took five years for Bautista to work along “El Kapitan”, the come upon caused a 37-12 months partnership that has withstood the gamut of business climate conditions, from sunny days of fat returns to squalls of unsure futures to even an actual tsunami of close to bankruptcy.

Bautista thrived being involved along with his boss’ various acquisitions along with Asia Brewery, Tanduay Distillers and Asian Alcohol. His challenge changed into to convey them into line with Lucio Tan Group standards. “I preferred arising with new ideas and ideas of how to show them around,” he says. “After I had achieved my task, I went again to move office.”

Then got here his stint as leader finance officer of PAL for the duration of one of the maximum brutal durations in its history – the Asian Financial Crisis of the mid-Nineteen Nineties. Bautista had the unenviable venture of restructuring the business enterprise’s debt, the airline having ordered a number of plane earlier than calamity struck. As if topics couldn’t get any worse, the downsizing of operations coincided with a pilots’ strike. Did Bautista buckle to strain? “It became a stressful time,” the daddy of 1, his namesake Jaymee, admits. “I was very serious at work, but I made positive to forget about the problems as soon as I become out of the workplace. You can’t clear up them besides at domestic, despite the fact that I ought to say it was difficult getting a great night’s sleep!”