Man up

Thank you, Manny Pacquiao, for systematically rearranging the face of Brandon Rios and boosting this nation’s waning testosterone levels. That decisive win last Sunday caused hair to spontaneously sprout on my chest, helped me grow an additional set of abs and increased my cojones a third in diameter.

And, speaking of growing cojones, did you know there are many men whose cojones I would like to have? Wait. Allow me to rephrase that lest I be arrested. There are many men whose cojones I would like to emulate. Wait, that wasn’t quite right either. Basta, there are many men with great cojones, and I wish I had cojones just like them.

You see, writing this column of national inconsequence, there are other balls that I juggle as well. These balls include real estate development, food market entrepreneurship, events and TV hosting, and my biggest ball of all, manservant to my wife and two kids. I know, I know, I have more balls than I can handle. But hey, that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to eventually handle bigger balls.

And, for me, these are the men that I look up to when I play with my balls.

Tony Tan Caktiong — Uncle Tony’s (uuuy, nakiki-uncle daw, o) rise to success is the stuff of business legend. After graduating with a chemical engineering degree from UST in 1975, he used his life savings to invest in an ice cream parlor franchise. However, to provide more food choices for his customers, he made the (now groundbreaking) decision to introduce hamburgers, French fries and fried chicken. Then, with a little inspiration from the House of Mouse, he came up with a mascot who would symbolize the happy nature of the store. And then, the rest was fast-food history: Jollibee was born.

But Uncle Tony (uuuy, nakiki-uncle daw, o) is not one to rest on his achievements, no siree. He expanded and acquired related food businesses that included Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Chowking, Manong Pepe’s and Tita Frita’s Uling-uling. One of his recent high-profile purchases was that of Mang Inasal from one of my entrepreneur idols as well, Injap Sia. (Rumor has it that Mang Inasal irritated the Big Bee so much that, instead of finding other ways to compete with Mang Inasal, the Big Bee just bought out 70 percent of the company. It was a match made in chicken heaven). Because of his hard work in developing the Pinoy fast-food industry, he was awarded Entrepreneur of the Year World 2004 by Ernst and Young. Uncle Tony’s example is one that I have studied and admired as I manage the growth of my own business, the Mercato Centrale group.  

How does he “man me up”? Uncle Tony represents the classic Pinoy underdog who went head-to-head with monolithic multinational fast food chains and came out of the fray smiling like a busy, happy bee. Jollibee has become our de facto ambassador to the rest of the world (ain’t that right, Singapore and Anthony Bourdain?). Expatriate Pinoys often remark, while wolfing down a Yumburger and Chickenjoy at a foreign-based Jollibee, it is an experience that helps them to feel like they are back home, even briefly. And that’s a feeling that sets you all abuzz.

I remember spotting Uncle Tony in the front row of an awards ceremony that I was hosting. Once the ceremony had ended, I excitedly rushed down to him and asked if I could have a picture with him. As I grinned ear-to-ear with him for the camera, I explained to him that I was an aspiring entrepreneur myself who ran several night markets around the city, invited him to visit my market and whispered to him, “One day, sir, I hope I will irritate you enough to buy my business, too.”

Gerry Choa — Uncle Gerry’s name might not ring a bell, but his company, Property Company of Friends (Pro-Friends), is one of the fastest-growing real estate developers in the country, which include the Lancaster New City in Cavite. His entrepreneurial roots began in his family’s modest construction supply business, from carrying heavy loads to sourcing inventory from all over the country. He parlayed the skills he gained from his family business into real estate development, eventually putting up his own company called Pro-Friends in 1999. After much hard work, Pro-Friends is now one of the lowest-cost and fastest producers of housing in the country, utilizing its expertise in precast technology to provide thousands of homes in Cavite and Iloilo. Choa was one of the finalists in the 2005 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Philippines.

How does he man me up? Crab mentality isn’t in this man’s vocabulary. He isn’t selfish about sharing his skills, time and talent with a younger crop of aspiring entrepreneurs and shaping them into competent developers. He doesn’t see training other developers as helping the competition, but rather as helping the country. After all, our country has a big (and growing) housing backlog for low-cost to middle-income housing that needs to be addressed by as many competent developers as possible. On top of that, he has used his real estate development skills for nation building. For a time, he generously offered office space and assisted in the projects of Gawad Kalinga. Now, that’s real development.

Edu Manzano — The dude has had a storied career both inside and outside show business. After serving in the United States Air Force, Edu moved back to the Philippines to pursue a career in the movie industry. He has been an actor, comedian, Vice Mayor of Makati, chairman of the Optical Media Board and even a vice-presidential candidate in the May 2010 election. But, in my eyes, his biggest achievement outside of the Papaya dance is his superlative hosting skills. Edu has the ability, skill and charisma to weave in and out of different hosting genres — from game show to morning show to current affairs — while still allowing his charming and slightly roguish personality to shine through. I recently had the privilege of hosting together with the dude during the DLSU Men’s Basketball victory party, and like a well-preserved vinyl record, Edu Manzano hasn’t skipped a beat.

How does he man me up? Tito Edu is the kind of host that I aspire to be. When I was still in high school (a time when cellphones were as large as Tardis, for all you Dr. Who fan geeks out there), I had a chance to guest on his ABS-CBN show Late Night with Edu when I still enjoyed carbonated popularity as Joey from the Royal Tru-Orange commercial (if you remember that commercial, then I know how old you are and how much hair you have left) and during that interview I experienced how hosting could be entertaining, humorous and insightful all at the same time. Trust me: If you’re going to be made fun of on public television, you would want Edu Manzano to make fun of you.

Gary Valenciano – Mr. Pure Energy is an understatement. Although his eternally youthful looks (and equally youthful demeanor) might deceive you, Gary V has been electrifying the Filipino audience with over 26 albums for the past 30 years that have earned him the Best Male Performer at the Aliw Awards 11 times.    The lyrics of his songs (Sana Maulit Muli, Each Passing Night, Narito) have been grounded deeply into our collective psyche because the themes they deal with are so quintessentially Pinoy (depending on where you are in your relationship, Gary V songs are either the best/worst songs when you are making someone ligaw, or you’ve just broken up).  At the same time, his uplifting Christian music (Natutulog ba ang Diyos?, Take Me Out of the Dark, The Soldier Is A Child) were the songs that spoke to our spirits in high school retreats and prayer movements.

How does he man me up? First of all, I would like to dance like Gary. But to achieve that, I would first have to be de-boned and then have someone stick my finger into an electric socket. If other men his age (or even half his age) attempted to do what he does with his body onstage, they would probably need to go to a chiropractor right after. But, more importantly, I have learned from Gary V what it means to be dedicated to your craft. In between performances, he takes an insulin shot to manage his Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes, then heads back to stage to electrify us some more. His faith, his craft, his lack of a skeleton — that is Gary V.

Consul Rene Ledesma – There is nothing better than the original. My dad, a self-made businessman who has been involved in many ventures that have included mining, shipping, sewage treatment, real estate development, video tape rental, prawn farming, and encyclopedia sales, gave me my starter set of cojones to become an entrepreneur. And, as an active member of Couples for Christ, a daily mass-goer, lay minister and former parish council president — my dad gave me the heart to become a responsible Christian gentleman to my mom, siblings, wife and children. The only thing my dad didn’t give me was a full head of hair heading into my late 30s (which is why I go to Svenson). If somebody from Wrock can cue in the Bette Midler right now, I’m proud to say that my dad is the wind beneath my wings. 

Why he’s crushable? Because my dad is my security blanket. I learn something about my relationship with my dad while I am playing with my son. There are times when nobody can seem to stop him from crying uncontrollably, even when they pass him around from his yayas to his titas and even his mom. But when I take him into my arms, he stops crying and starts to flash his four-tooth grin. He motions for me to put him down but would still like me to hold his hand as he goes about his business (well, whatever business one-year-olds have). That’s how I feel about my dad. I feel that I can dream big and do big as long as I have him by my side. But he has since left the task of changing my diapers to my yaya.

And, finally, the last man is technically not a man. And he is usually someone I look down at instead of up to. But hey, he gives me all the reason to work my cojones off.

Rene “R3” Ledesma – This will be the only man that I will ever admit to have kissed again. And again. And again. This is the man who will be the future CEO of the businesses that are still percolating in my head. He will be the host that I have always aspired to become. He will continue my dream of becoming a superhero, if only in costume. And he will be the inheritor of a glorious comic book collection.

Why does he man me up? Son, you inspire me every day. And all you have to be is you.

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For comments, suggestions or extra cojones, e-mail ledesma.rj@gmail.com or visit www.rjledesma.com, follow @rjled on Twitter and @rjled610 on Instagram.