All One Family

CEBU, Philippines - "Be fair always, enjoy the job and never lose the fun part of it." This is the philosophy that the Unchuan family lives by. Francisco Unchuan taught it to his children. And the children imbibe it.

Francisco and wife Marissa exposed their children early in the operation of the family-owned White Sands Resort and Spa, at Mactan. During weekends and school vacations, Melissa, Anya and Jonathan would help in small chores, like giving plates to guests at the buffet and handing towels to swimmers at the pool.

Melissa, the eldest, was the first to officially join the company, while still studying business at the University of the Philippines-Cebu. She would be at the resort whole mornings, doing various tasks - from attending to guests at the front desk, to doing housekeeping, to checking on the over-all operations -  and then attend class in the afternoon. When she graduated her dad appointed her comptroller of the company, looking after the finances of White Sands and of the other family businesses, including a real estate company, construction business and a farm.

The middle child Anya, who according to the father thinks and works like him, is White Sands' Operations Director. A nurse by profession, she wanted to work in the United States after she passed the NCLEX exam, and work there for three years. But when her father learned about her plan, he turned it around - for her to work first at White Sands for three years, and then she could go to the US after. They had a deal.

It's been seven years since, and Anya is still with White Sands. She is enjoying her job. And she still gets to practice her nursing skills at the resort; now and then she assists guests with little emergencies, like a stomachache, fever and the like.

Jonathan, the youngest and the only boy, is a civil engineer, having graduated cum laude at the University of the Philippines-Diliman. He's also the only child who has had the chance to work outside the family business.

Upon graduating and passing the board exam, his father asked Jonathan to join his sisters in running the business. But he chose to go back to Manila and work as a structural engineer for a well-known construction firm, C Squared. He stayed in the capital and worked for more than two years before he heeded his father's invitation to work in the family business.

Now all three siblings are working together, with their young minds always thinking up innovations and improvements at the resort. They have turned White Sands into a world-class resort and spa. It has come far from how it started many years ago - as a simple clubhouse of their subdivision just across the street.

The Unchuan family is not all work and no play. The family loves to eat, travel and go island hopping - together. Their shared faith in God is a big unifying factor and, Francisco believes, the key to their successful family life. They pray the rosary together every night and regularly attend Sunday mass.

The mother, Marissa, bakes. Her wedding cakes have been a favorite at weddings, especially in famous hotels and resorts all over Cebu. She is the magnet that keeps her family together.  "She is very important in our family," Francisco says of his wife. "She keeps us together especially during hard times, and she keeps [White Sands] beautiful." They have been married for 34 years.

Aside from her famous cakes, Marissa is also known in Cebu as the lady with the dreamy and beautiful Christmas Village, which is often featured in the local media during the holiday season. Every year she diligently sets up her Christmas Village, which often takes five days to complete, with her children helping in putting on the snow.

The way the Unchuans run their business makes it look all easy and fun. But, truth is, it entails a lot of hard work, perseverance and patience. And, while it is a family business, they each do their job assignments professionally.

At the moment, they plan to expand and improve White Sands even further. New rooms are now being added. Extending the lobby and construction of a bigger restaurant are to start soon, while the existing rooms are also being upgraded.

The resort's Anahata spa is one of the highlights of the White Sands experience for guests. The spa undergoes regular checks and assessment of its services and standards to assure quality massage and therapy. It's a service to come home to for guests who are game for an adventure with the resort's offered water sports - jet skiing, banana boating, parasailing, snorkeling and wake boarding, as well as island hopping and fishing.

White Sands is also famous for its food. Every weekend, there's a buffet of Filipino and international dishes, complete with a delectable selection of desserts to cap the meal.

What really sets White Sands apart is that the way the resort personnel care for guests. The homey customer service is delivered by the staff - over a hundred of them - who themselves are treated like family by their employers.  It's true that good vibes really go around.

Many of the workers have been with the Unchuans since White Sands started in 1995. Proof that the family is no longer limited among those of the same family name. Big as their number has grown, they are all one family.