Paying it forward
Suntrust Properties executive vice president and chief operating officer Deanna Jean Claveria believes that Bentengkyu campaign could help better the lives of its recipients.
It’s usually the simple gestures that give life meaning.
An act of kindness could go a long way, most especially if it is given at the most unexpected time. But what further makes the act of giving truly meaningful is the essence by which such an action has been executed.
People give for various reasons, either to show appreciation, to return a favor, or to simply make someone feel special.
Showing appreciation
And for renowned property developer Suntrust Properties Inc., the reason is quite simple: it was to return a favor and to show appreciation for people whom the company believes continue to play a critical role in ensuring its success.
The goal was clear from the start, and that was to ensure that every individual who contributed to the steady growth of Suntrust Properties and had allowed it to reach new heights would be properly commended.
Suntrust Properties president Atty. Harry Paltongan believes that no individual should be left out if the company were to ensure its success and retain its good standing in the market.
“There’s still a lot of room for us to grow and the goal now is to expand our reach. But for us to be able to do that, we needed to look into ourselves and try to pay homage to everyone who have contributed to these little successes that we have gained,” Paltongan said.
“We had to explain and make each member of the Suntrust family understand how, for many years, we have been recognizing their efforts and thus we want them to do the same for those people who helped us get to where we are today. For our 20th year, we encouraged (our employees) to again look back on the little achievements that we have had through the help of a number of people, especially those involved in the construction and overall development of our projects,” Paltongan explained.
The employees from Suntrust Properties’ Planning and Design Group wasted no time in granting Dinah Erbina’s long time wish to see her family again.
Spreading happiness
Thus the start of the company’s “Bentengkyu: Benteng Taon, Benteng Saya” program, wherein Suntrust hopes to continue to spread love and happiness through a series of activities that serve as an avenue for the company to recognize the people behind its success—workers and the so-called “Suntrustees.”
In today’s issue of Inquirer Property, we give you a glimpse of the people behind the company’s success and whose wishes were granted by Suntrust Properties’ own employees.
Here are their stories:
DINAH ERBINA
It has been four years since Erbina saw her kids.
But the cost of going home to Gen. Santos City to be with her family—even just for the holidays—was too much for Erbina, who currently works as a caretaker for one of Suntrust Properties’ model homes.
“I have to work as I single handedly provide for my kids. It’s been a while since I last saw my children, but I think the most painful part in all this was when my aunt told me that my youngest child no longer recognizes me. It really pained me and the thought that I could not afford to go home and be with my kids made it even more difficult. I don’t have enough money and I deemed it better to just send the money I earn to my family,” Erbina said in Filipino.
“My wish really is to be with my kids even just for a while. They want me to be home in time for Christmas and honestly, I also long to be with them. I miss them and I want to see how big they’ve grown. It’s also my child’s birthday on December 23 and this is why, given the chance, I would like to go home. This probably will be the best gift I can give them—a Christmas that we are all together,” she added.
Upon hearing Erbina’s story, the employees from Suntrust Properties’ Planning and Design Group wasted no time in granting her long time wish. The group decided to pool resources from their own pockets and bought Erbina her round trip plane ticket to GenSan.
Erbina is set to arrive before her child’s birthday celebration, making this homecoming even more special and meaningful, not just for her, but for the whole family as well.
JAIME GONZALES
His positive outlook in life is quite inspiring and is contagious enough to make anyone believe that no matter how difficult life may seem, there will always be a reason to smile and be thankful.
Gonzales, an elf truck driver at Suntrust Properties, admits there are days that are more difficult than the others. But they always manage to get by.
“Some of my children would still, sometimes, rely on me for food. But that’s fine. I’m just glad that I’m still strong and able to work and that the only problem that I have now is tooth decay. And this is most probably because I have a sweet tooth,” Gonzales related.
While always positive in the way he looks at things, Gonzales however has one wish, which he believes could help augment their family income.
“I’m really shy, but there is one thing that I wish to have and buy for my family—a second hand personal refrigerator as this would help me and my family in our planned ice and ice candy business,” he added.
Learning about Gonzales’ wish, Suntrust Properties executive vice president and chief operating officer Deanna Jean Claveria wasted no time to act on this wish. Claveria even went beyond fulfilling Gonzales’ request as she gave him a brand new refrigerator instead.
Indeed, these acts of of generosity would definitely go a long way. For Erbina, the ticket will allow her to reconnect with her kids and create memories that would inspire her to work even harder for her family. For Gonzales, the refrigerator would not only jumpstart their business, but could also potentially serve as a ticket to a better life.
