“The government cannot do it alone, and it has always been the initiative of the private sector to help address the country’s housing needs.”
Teodoro Alexander Po
Vice Chairman, President and
Chief Executive Officer Century Pacific Group Inc.
To others, it is a piece of management jargon that has become a cliché, but to Century Pacific Group Inc. (CPGI)’s CEO and President Teodoro Alexander “Ted” Po, this is a simple principle that guides the management and staff to deliver on their promise of quality products and services that consumers will not only constantly buy but endorse themselves.
He shares that this is very basic in brand building, and yet, it has been arduously fought for in any market that wants and demands consistency at all times.
“Claims of any product or service are harder to back up if we do not deliver what has been promised, and you have to consistently do that or the trust in the brand perishes in an instant,” he notes.
CPGI is one of the Philippines’ largest consumer-focused companies. With an established track record in brand-building spanning more than 40 years, the conglomerate has developed a roster of household names, which includes Century Tuna, Argentina, 555, Angel and Birch Tree. It is likewise behind Shakey’s Pizza, one of the leading operators of fast casual restaurants in the Philippines.
“It is CPGI’s thrust of providing ‘affordable quality products’ and this expertise and commitment that is now being applied to our real estate arm,” Po adds.
As the second eldest in a family of four siblings, the executive is not used to being in the limelight. However, when called upon to lead the company built by their father, the late Ricardo Po Sr., he does not hesitate to speak up. “True humility is staying teachable regardless of how much you already know,” hangs a framed motto in the company conference room. It is what their patriarch impressed on Po and his siblings, and informs their day-to-day operations.
CPGI adheres to the core values of respect for the individual, teamwork, passion for excellence, customer-centric, humility, integrity, malasakit (concern and empathy for another), and entrepreneurial spirit.
According to Dappy Tecson, manager for investor relations of CPGI, Po, as a leader and manager, epitomizes these values in their day-to-day operations. “He sums up our company’s values, especially the entrepreneurial spirit and malasakit. In business, he is quite astute — always open to maximizing opportunities and taking on hurdles with a healthy mix of strategic thinking and ingenuity. As a leader, he empowers and inspires his team and is always open to new ideas and respects each individual, rallying them behind a common goal in both good times and challenging ones.”
The work diligence of his late father has inspired Po all these years.
He graduated summa cum laude, Manufacturing Engineering at Boston University. He also completed the Executive Education Program (Owner-President Management Program) at Harvard Business School. However, he still opted to work for the family concern despite being given a choice to remain overseas.
Although he is versatile in both business and science, Po prefers to remain in the background and does not mind yielding centerstage to others, especially the experts in their respective fields.
“Seek first to understand, then to be understood,” he quotes from the lvate US business consultant Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, because he believes in delegating more to their hiredcompetent executives.
“We listen to our people. There is no monopoly on brains and ideas here. We want to get as many sides as possible to an issue,” he says.
The culture of trust is a valuable component in CPGI’s team because managers and staff can openly voice their suggestions. Feedback is always welcome.
However, Po warns that management trust can also be fragile and must be respected at all times.
A voracious reader of business and non-fiction books, Po says that he always looks forward to the titles recommended by Microsoft legend Bill Gates. “I am currently reading Lights Out: Pride, Delusion, and the Fall of General Electric by Ted Nabb and Thomas Gryta,” he says. “It offers insights into the 150-year-old company.”
He believes what has kept him grounded all these years is the enduring thought that his father built their family business out of sheer will and hard work.
New venture
Another driving force has been his late father’s simple commitment to give back to the community, kept alive by CPGI’s feeding program and currently, its foray into affordable housing.
Po could have chosen to just focus on keeping CPGI’s margins growing. Instead, he has expanded into affordable, but high-quality real estate — Pacifica Homes Development Corp. (PHDC) — that aims to serve the enormous Philippine housing backlog which is expected to hit 6.8 million units this year, according to data gathered from the Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department.
He believes their corporate mantra “to serve and to delight” should also enhance Philippine real estate and make it as vibrant and ecologically sustainable especially for future generations.
This particular arena has experienced tremendous growth in recent years, with a recognized industry boom for more than a decade now. While the industry was not spared by the Covid-19 pandemic, proving to be one of the most resilient businesses as evidenced by the continuing construction activities and increase in house and lot sales across market segments.
“The government cannot do it alone, and it has always been the initiative of the private sector that has continuously helped address the country’s housing needs,” Po points out.
“These are the main reasons why the PHDC management and shareholders decided to focus its efforts in offering superior-value homes that remain affordable in the Philippine real estate market. More so, the developments that PHDC brings help create more jobs to aid the country’s economic recovery and lessen the country’s chronic housing backlog.”
n its first foray into real estate development, Po says that PHDC has a primary goal to stand out from the existing market players with their services and products.
He adds: “Many developers claim that they are offering affordable homes. PHDC, through its first project Hamana Homes in Magalang, Pampanga, provides superior-value homes that are not just affordable, but walks its talk by offering real estate novelties that homeowners will delight at — most notable of which are Hamana Homes’ more livable space and bigger lots in each of its house and lot packages.
“The neighborhood of Hamana Homes is thoughtfully planned to provide you more space so you can enjoy the privacy of your home. A total of 40 percent of its area for development is allocated for streets, open spaces, community facilities and amenities. Hamana Homes showcases a conducive enclave for biking, jogging, leisure walking and communing in a holistic eco-friendly atmosphere that promotes a distinct sustainability in housing developments.
“PHDC’s very first project here in Pampanga will not only help lessen the gap due to the huge housing backlog, but it would for sure set the bar in the affordable but superior units,” says Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Region 3 OIC Director Atty. Felix V. Brazil Jr.
The official remarks it is high-time that superior housing products and quality shelters inspired by sustainability are served affordably to customers.
He notes that PHDC brings with it the trustworthy corporate brand of CPGI, the same owners of one of the largest branded food companies in the country.
Judging by Po and his siblings’ latest corporate decisions, Tatay left his business in competent hands, indeed
