Clerk graduates to CEO at 36

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines—It pays to be ready when opportunity knocks. And Anelyn Sumañga was more than able when it did.

At 36, Miss Annie, as she is fondly called by her subordinates, is already president of Misibis Land Inc., a housing and real estate firm in Albay. She is also officer in charge and general manager of four other companies owned by the Sunwest Group, including Legazpi’s landmark mall, the Embarcadero.

A year after she graduated with a degree in economics from Divine Word College of Legazpi, Annie started working as a marketer at Liberty Commercial Center, a leading commercial establishment in the Bicol Region.

Hard work pays off

The daughter of a tricycle driver, Annie recalls how, at that time, she worked all day typing documents for the company.

Annie was 21 when she started working. Her first job taught her discipline.

Later, she felt she needed to try other things, so Annie decided to apply for work with Sunwest Construction, a newly established firm.

One by one, people whom she applied with for work received news that they had been accepted at Sunwest. As time wore on, she got worried, believing that the company felt she was not worth its time.

“I remembered how I would follow up my application every day just to let them know that I was really eager to get that job, and it paid off,” Annie recalls.

In 1996, she was hired as an accounting clerk for the construction company. Hard work again paid off because, later, she was promoted as the company’s liaison officer.

When Sunwest expanded into real estate development, Annie was again ripe for promotion. In 2000, four years after she joined the company as member of the rank-and-file, she became an executive officer.

In 2005, Annie was designated manager of Misibis Land Inc., Sunwest’s newest venture into the high-end real estate market.

Determination

“I was really inspired by Zaldy Co, chair of Sunwest Group of Companies. He was a great example … achieving great things at a young age,” says Annie.

Co, who is in his late 40s, is a Bicolano businessman and realtor who heads the Sunwest Group of companies. The group has since expanded, and now has interests in real estate and power generation.

Annie, who has worked as Co’s executive assistant, says she saw how hard he worked to expand the company.

As she came to assume more responsibilities at the company, Annie felt she needed to acquire more skills and learn new things to enable her to work more effectively. Annie never refused any opportunity that came her way.

Annie says she learned a lot from the company-sponsored management training programs, which equipped her with skills and knowledge required of a woman in her position.

Still, experience proved to be her best teacher, she stresses.

Although success in work came easy for Annie, her personal life was an entirely different story.

Ordeals

In 2005, the same year she became an executive, she lost Manuel, her husband of just two years.

Her husband died in a motorcycle accident.

Annie recalls how hard it was to accept the death of Manuel, especially since she would be left alone to care for their son, Charles Emman, who was then only a year and five months old.

“Charles Emman was my inspiration. Even though I felt I lost a big part of my life, I knew I had to go on for our son,” she says.

Annie says that after her husband’s death, she decided to work even harder, not only to keep her mind busy but because she needed to focus on providing for her son.

On March 22, 1998, Annie figured in another tragedy.

She was aboard an airplane bound for Bacolod City when it overshot the runway, killing three people on the ground and leaving dozens of people injured.

She suffered a fractured right arm at that time. But she was thankful for having survived the ordeal.

“After that incident, I developed trauma in riding airplanes, even sea vessels. But I was able to overcome that fear over the years,” she says.

Annie now regularly travels from Legazpi in mainland Albay to the island of Cagraray where the company’s posh Misibis resort is located.

For Annie, there is not much more she wants out of life. She says she is happy with her achievements, having gone far in little time.
Aiming high
Now, she is busy trying inspire people to aim high and work hard.

Getting along with the people she works with is important in the corporate world, and she hopes to mentor some of her subordinates, to guide them on the road to success.

Annie says her parents are proud of their daughter.

They are still residing in Camalig, Albay where Annie has built them a house where they can enjoy each other’s company.

Annie says her father and mother worked very hard to give her an education. She owes them her good fortune.

Giving back

Annie hopes to build her own house in a place where she can have a good view of the city.

“I think Legazpi City is still the best place to settle because it is peaceful and pollution-free,” she says.

Annie also aims to help the company grow further still, and generate more jobs for Bicolanos.

“I want others to realize that they need to take the initiative … to make things happen. People should also recognize the importance of communication in their jobs and become solution-oriented as they mature,” she explains.