The accidental chairperson

MANILA, Philippines—Estrellita Anastacio has always believe that there is a purpose for everything and that fate would see her through in every trying situation.

Fate did just that as Ester, as Anastacio is popularly called, has been able to make Servicio Filipino Inc. (SFI) an industry pillar 50 years after its founding.

SFI, now a conglomerate that addresses the manpower needs of various industries, was put up in 1961 by Ester’s husband, lawyer Dante Anastacio.

It was then known as Kleen Rite Services, a venture birthed by Anastacio’s desire to help unemployed Filipinos and contribute to the country’s economy.

The name was later changed to Servicio Filipino Inc., an apt expression of the founder’s vision to serve the Filipino society.

Ester’s husband could have chosen to climb the corporate ladder as he was working for a big insurance company back then. But he believed in the potential of his new company.

His faith was not misplaced.

What started as a provider of janitorial and custodial services 50 years ago has now grown into one of the country’s leading human resources companies.

SFI’s services have expanded to include highly qualified personnel in the engineering, construction, property management, building management and technical services sectors.

It has become the undisputed leader in providing total human resource solutions, including general custodial services, complete manpower and technical services, executive job search and placement, construction and industrial plant and facilities maintenance.

The success did not come swiftly though.

Together with two of his trusted friends Rolando Antonio and Gaudencio Infante, and armed with limited capital, lawyer Anastacio worked hard to get the company off the ground.

“In its early years, it was mostly Dan (lawyer Anastacio), Doy (Antonio), and Guding (Infante) who were involved in SFI’s business operations. I was more focused on my jewelry business at that time,” Ester recalls.

Her husband Dan, on the other hand, lived and breathed SFI, such that even on some Sundays after attending the mass, he would do his usual rounds of the people who were deployed in a big bank in Sta. Cruz, Manila.

While all of this was happening, Ester remained unattached to her husband’s business—until the unexpected happened in 1976.

Lawyer Anastacio passed away, leaving Ester to care for their three children—Vivian, then 9; Lloyd, 6; and, Aileen, 5—and their growing business, all by herself.

“My world fell apart. My late uncle, Judge Cesar Paguio, told me to give up SFI and focus on my jewelry business instead because SFI wasn’t a business that women like me could handle. I was in a dilemma. What would happen to SFI and its people, I asked myself. I knew it was a daunting task,” shares Ester, now chair of the SFI Group of Companies.

“But thanks to my husband’s partners—Doy and Guding—they prodded me to take the helm of Servicio Filipino, assuring me that they would guide me and never leave me. So I told myself I would give it a try,” she continues.

Ester quickly learned the ropes and she says it has so far been a remarkable journey.

“My late husband’s vision to help the unemployed and do something good for the country resonated with my own set of values. That had been my bedrock when I took over SFI’s management. It still is and will always be the cornerstone of SFI’s reason for being,” she says.

As SFI’s business flourished, it gave birth to independent companies – Temps and Staffers Inc., Business Trends (a Kelly Services Company), Comprehensive Business Services and its newest baby, the SFI Career Center, a full-service career coaching and career development center for job-seekers and individuals seeking career advancement.

It also forged partnerships with global leaders in the staffing and human resource development like US-based Kelly Services of America, HireLabs, ACT, the International Career Readiness Certificate (ICRC) and Canada-based Serebra Corporation.

Two of the Anastacio children have joined the company with the eldest, Vivian Anastacio-Guerrero, managing Temps and Staffers Inc., an independent subsidiary.

Ester’s only son, Luis Alberto Anastacio II, was recently appointed president and COO of Servicio Filipino, Inc.

In 2003, SFI was ISO-certified, paving the way for more business expansion. It recently opened two more branches in Laguna and Cebu. Its Bataan branch, which was opened in the 1970s, continues to grow.

Ester can only look back with gratitude at how her faith and the support of her family, friends, and loyal clients helped her make SFI one of the pillars in the human resources industry today.

“I have always believed that somehow, despite all the challenges that we are constantly faced with, things will turn out right by the grace of God. It was hard being a young widow back then and raising three kids. But I have kept my faith. Yes, fate stepped in and saw me through,” she says.