A Family’s Continuing Legacy

By: Theresa S. Samaniego – @inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:48 AM December 08, 2018
For the young members of the Robles-Santos clan, there is no other task but to become loyal soldiers who will continue to protect and preserve the company’s legacy.
Talk about family values and legacy and you won’t find them wanting.
A business built on the hopes of providing Filipinos with better living conditions and uplifting one’s quality of life, Sta. Lucia Land Inc. has indeed come along way and has achieved more than what it was tasked to do. For over four decades, Sta. Lucia Land was able to cement its foothold in the market and establish a strong presence across the world.
Coming from humble beginnings, Sta. Lucia Land has grown to become one of the property industry’s solid anchors. By continuously expanding its portfolio of products and finding ways to better serve the needs of its market, the company has not only managed to build a lasting legacy, it has also paved the way for many Filipinos to realize a lifelong dream.
But this would not have been possible without the guidance and perseverance of its leaders and stakeholders who, to this date, continue to pursue a higher quality of life for every hardworking individual. Such discipline and desire meanwhile comes from its founders’ philosophy that it is every man’s basic right to have access to a decent home and a dignified life.
“We have always been taught to value a man’s dreams no matter how impossible that may seem. Growing up, we have seen how hard our parents worked to grow this company and fulfil a promise of making quality homes accessible to every hardworking Filipino. And this enduring commitment is something that we ourselves would want our children to understand and follow as they now take a more active stance in running the business,” said Sta. Lucia Land Inc. president Exequiel Robles.
Sta. Lucia Land chair Vicente Santos added that such was also the reason why early on, they have already exposed every member of the family to the business, to make them appreciate even more what their founders have created and built.
“We saw how hard our parents worked to build this company and this is something that we want the next generation to really appreciate as they are the ones who are tasked to ensure Sta. Lucia Land’s continuing success. This is also the reason why even at an early age, we’ve already exposed them to the business, to make them appreciate the value of the company and the role that it plays in the Filipino society,” Santos said.
Success didn’t come easy for the company’s leaders given the number of challenges they’ve encountered. But all these only made them appreciate even more the fact that they have family members as partners to help them hurdle the storm and emerge as a brand trusted by Filipinos of different generations.
“This is one big family business, even our employees are considered as family. Thus, we always make sure that there is respect and patience in every step of the way. While opposing opinions cannot be helped at times, it doesn’t change the fact that we are family and at the end of the day, we just have to go back to that. Patience, trust and again mutual respect have allowed us to succeed,” Santos related.
“It has always been about putting value to one’s opinion. There is no monopoly of ideas. And while it maybe a family business, we make it a point to run it professionally thus ensuring that no one is left behind. I’ve always believed that Sta. Lucia’s success is not an achievement of one but rather a shared effort where everyone is given a space to grow and evolve. We are here and we are strong because we have our family to lean on to and this is something I think that we will forever be proud of,” Robles further added.
As the journey continues for Sta. Lucia Land, the younger set of leaders have already started to fulfil their share of duties, working doubly hard to preserve what the older generations have achieved and built. For many of them, there is no other task but to become loyal soldiers who will continue to protect and preserve the company’s legacy.
“Ever since I was a kid, just like the other family members who followed after me, it has always been a dream to take care of the family business. This, I think, comes from the fact that we have seen how hard they’ve worked and we just want to assure them that when the time comes that they need to retire, we are here to help them. We will take care of what they’ve built and do everything to sustain the company’s growth,” added SLLI VP for sales Mike Robles.
And while the task of running the business wasn’t something forced on them, this new generation of the Robles-Santos clan is well poised and geared to get the job done and move the company to even greater heights.
“They have allowed us to do and pursue the things that we want to do but eventually, we all decided to come back because it’s family and when you see you the business growing and that there’s a lot to be done its natural for you to go and help accomplish the task. Also, we feel that with their wisdom and the lessons that they impart, we are well equipped for the job,” said the younger Robles.
“Also, there is that natural concern for the company, with Sta. Lucia being a company that was founded by our elders and nurtured by our parents. As the support team, we are confident that we can infuse our own insights which we feel would help make the brand even more relatable to our buyers especially the young ones,” he concluded.
Sta. Lucia Land looks forward to continue its journey with every hardworking Filipino individual and help them not only to achieve their dreams but also create their own legacy.