Manny Faustino takes an accounting of his life

As managing partner of the accounting firm C.L. Manabat & Co., Manny Faustino is in charge of 300 employees. Managing people is very complicated in a dynamic organization such as theirs, he says, because each individual is strong-willed and has his own creative goals. Our bachelor faces the challenge of putting together diversified thoughts and talents and making them compatible with the firm’s goals.

The Manabat group started in 1998 with 12 people. They teamed up with the international group of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and zoomed to become the fourth largest accounting firm in the Philippines today.

A loner who deals with so many people, an artist who performs as an exacting accountant, Manny is a true Gemini. After 10 years of being with the SGV group, he retired at 29 years old. For 14 years, he followed his desire to be an entrepreneur in the food business, taking control of his life by giving himself more time to pursue his artistic skills as a painter. Then the itch to get back into the professional world nudged him to be a partner in Carlos Valdez. From there, he joined Chitang Manabat to form C.L. Manabat. Within five years, their growth rate has been phenomenal.

If you had the chance to change something in your life, what would it be?

I would like to have been an architect. My God-given talent as an artist would have been developed and I would have loved to create a landmark that I can be remembered for.

Which living person do you admire most?

I.M. Pei the architect. When I go to Hong Kong, I look at his China Bank Building and wonder if I could have done something like that.

How do you resolve your conflicts?

Listen to all sides.

What sports do you like most?

Swimming. It is one sport I do enjoy mostly because it allows me to be alone.

What do you most value in your friends?

I have very few friends. I demand loyalty although I am not loyal myself.

What film influenced your life?

Blow Up. A photographer is taking photos of a model and when he enlarges the shots, he sees that he has recorded a murder in the background. My interest in phrenology was aroused. What if he had not looked at the photo so closely ? What is real, you or your reflection ?

What book influenced your life?

Kahlil Gilbran’s The Prophet.

Which hero of fiction can you most identify with?

Spiderman. His insecurities left him when he evolved into a superhero. I was also with my insecurities when I was young.

What is your greatest fear?

I hate to fail.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

My lack of patience. I want to do so many things and I have such little time. I want to accomplish great things and yet I am so puny.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

If they can’t keep up with me. I expect from others the same perfection that I demand of myself.

What is your motto?

Equal opportunity. I always say that everyone should have access to the same opportunities.

What is your greatest extravagance?

My five pets who are my children. The eldest is a chihuahua named Andy; then a Yorkshire terrier, Samuel; a toy French poodle, Francois; an Italian maltese, Sebastian; and a German pomeranian, Marc.

Which historical character would you like to have been?

Henry Matisse who loved colors. He broke the rules with his colors and free style. Pablo Picasso, whose work was a continuous antithesis of his previous work. He was not stuck with any one style.

Name a moment that brings back happy memories.

I am not the nostalgic type. The past is past. I look forward.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Being part of an organization that provides so much employment.

What do you dislike most about your appearance?

I wish I could grow wings.

What is your favorite occupation?

Grooming my dogs.

Name an embarrassing moment at work?

I fell off a chair in a client’s office.

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