BIZ BUZZ: Sayonara, Okamoto-san

After steering Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. through the Taal eruption in Jan. 2020 and the devastating COVID-19 pandemic before putting the market-leading company on the path to a strong recovery, TMPC president Atsuhiro Okamoto is soon ending his “most unforgettable” tour of duty in the Philippines.

But Okamoto is not going to cut all ties with the Philippines as he is poised to take on a regional sales role when he goes back to Japan early next year. Formal turnover is expected in February 2024.

Besides, the avid golfer who was able to bring down his handicap from about 26/27 to 22 over his four eventful years in the Philippines still has four courses to visit before he completes the list of 25 best golf courses in the Philippines chosen by Inquirer Golf.

Set to succeed him as leader of the country’s largest automotive company is Masando Hashimoto, currently the Senior Vice President for Marketing of TMPC, a member of the Ty group of companies that boasts of a commanding share in the automotive market pegged at 47.4 percent as of November.

With a smooth turnover, Toyota in the Philippines is looking forward to keeping a stranglehold on that formidable market share in the coming years under its next leader.
As for Okamoto-san, it’s not goodbye, just see you later … at the golf course. —Tina Arceo-Dumlao

Back on the radar

The Panlilio family’s listed property company Boulevard Holdings Inc. might find itself on the radar of investors once again after unveiling a series of plans with a new chief operations officer at the helm.

We’re talking about hotel heiress, beauty queen and businesswoman Samantha Panlilio, daughter of company CEO Jose Marcel Panlilio and part of the family’s fourth generation.

The former Binibining Pilipinas Grand International, who holds a degree in Business and Computer Science from the University of California, Irvine, told Biz Buzz she was comfortable in her recent career shift and is eager to play a bigger role in the family business.

It’s also an opportune time given Boulevard’s new expansion plans in Boracay and Siargao. Boulevard, which operates Friday’s Puerto Galera, recently signed a license agreement with Radisson Hotels Asia Pacific Investments to launch a five-star hotel under the Radisson Collection brand, the first of its kind in Southeast Asia.

Set to be finished in 2026, the 110-room hotel project will rise on the former site of Boulevard’s Friday’s Boracay Resort, which was closed down during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Panlilio said they would operate the new hotel while maintaining some of the “nostalgic” feel of Friday’s Boracay, which was the island’s first dive shop.
Another upcoming project is Friday’s Siargao, which will target a younger and upscale crowd.

The Panlilios are getting aggressive after striking a deal last year with tycoon Enrique Razon Jr.’s Bloomberry Resorts, which picked their massive Puerto Azul Resort as the next expansion area for his casino empire.

The group is now developing a commercial center called Puerto Azul Gateway, which will offer 1,200 square meters of leasable space in Ternate, Cavite. —Miguel R. Camus INQ