Widowed at 49 and left with 10 school-age children to raise all by herself, Pacita, now 86 and chair emeritus of Haus Talk Inc., shares with PeopleAsia how she and her children not only survived, but later even thrived through a financial crisis that severely tested and eventually strengthened their bond as a family. Following her own advice to her children that “nothing good in life comes easy,” she also never tires to remind them to this day to continue to work hard, overcome their differences and put their trust in the Lord.
By Alex Y. Vergara
When Pacita Madlambayan lost her husband Jose in 1985 to a massive heart attack, the then 49-year old mother of 10 felt like her world was about to crumble. Losing a partner in life is never easy. What made it much harder for her was the fact that, apart from the prospect of raising 10 school-age children all by herself, Jose, the family’s breadwinner, was almost solely responsible for managing their modest businesses. To top it all, the couple was in the middle of transitioning from one faltering business, which was sugar production, to a fledgling one that offered hope and room for growth.
As sugar prices continued to plummet in the world market in the early 1980s, making the once thriving industry an unprofitable one, the Madlambayan family was looking for other avenues to explore and invest their hard-earned money in. Then all of a sudden, Jose died, pushing Pacita, who had very little hands-on experience when it came to running a business, right in the center of it all. It was a classic sink-or-swim situation, and the weight of carrying her family through from one side of the river to the other rested almost entirely on Pacita’s shoulders.
“The first question that came to my mind was how was I going to raise my 10 children alone?” Pacita, chair emeritus of Haus Talk Inc., one of the country’s leading real estate developers catering to mid- to low-income families, says, looking back.
Looming uncertainty
With ages ranging from 21 to nine years old, all of them were still in school then. Although the older ones had already started helping their father manage the family enterprise, uncertainty still loomed large over the Madlambayan family with the patriarch’s abrupt passing. Even the toughest individual would have buckled under the pressure.
But not Pacita who turned her gaze once more to God, as she shepherded her brood soon after they recovered, in her words, from the “state of shock” they were in. There was no denying though the financial crisis they were about to go through, she adds.
Before the family sold their poultry business, they had already started dabbling into real estate by subdividing their one-hectare property in Pampanga to be sold into smaller lots. Still, with not enough capital to go full blast into real estate, the bereaved family had to eventually move to Manila and open a pawnshop.
“Through it all, I drew my strength and courage by trusting fully in the Lord,” she says. “Not once did I question His plan for us. Such is my faith in Him that until now, we would still pray the rosary together as a family.”
It is this conscious effort on her part to put God in the center of their lives that helped her raise her children. “In turn,” she shares with a hint of pride and joy in her voice, “I was blessed to have children who are kind and beautiful inside and out. They’ve given me the strength to push forward despite the pain and obstacles along the way.”
A family bond
Having journeyed together through thick and thin as a family, Pacita believes, also bolstered their bond. They rose above themselves and their limitations before gradually accumulating enough capital to embark on what would be the genesis of Haus Talk.
Thanks to their initial experience selling the family property in Pampanga, the Madlambayan family was able to venture later on into bigger more ambitious real estate projects over the years that now span developments in parts of Cavite, Laguna, Bataan and even as far north as Pangasinan. In Mega Manila, Haus Talk has projects in Marikina and Antipolo.
In January this year, the company, in its desire to grow and serve more customers while creating more opportunities for everyone, including its employees and future investors, made one of the boldest moves so far since its inception: it went public!
“When we we were starting, we have this vision to grow, but amidst that vision, we didn’t expect nor imagined that we would go this far. That was why during our application period, we kept on praying that His will be done,” says Pacita.
Despite being an optimist and faithful follower of Jesus Christ, this devout Catholic is also a realist. Not only did she raise her children steeped in Filipino values such as hard work, honesty, humility and diligence, she also ingrained in them one life lesson that they still carry with them to this day: “Nothing good in life comes easy.”
Meeting life’s challenges
To supplement this belief, she and Jose also subscribed to the practice of starting their kids early. During summer vacations, for example, it had become like a rite of passage for every Madlambayan child to work part-time in the family business by attending to a number of mundane but necessary tasks like filing documents and doing clerical work.
At the same time, Pacita kept reminding her children while they were growing up to respect each other’s differences and opinions. “It’s okay to agree to disagree, but at the end of the day, despite differences in opinions and points of view, they have to remember that they’re still siblings. Now that they are all professionals, I always tell them that no business-related issue is too big or too important not to leave behind the office,” she says.
Despite the role she has played in steering the family into calm, abundant waters, the still alert and sprightly grandmother of 15 gives all the credit to her 10 children. Now all grownup with families of their own, they have all decided to join the family business and work as a team.
“On top of their office duties, they weren’t exempted in helping with the household chores while they were growing up,” says Pacita with a chuckle. “It helped that their father and I exposed them early on to the challenges and problems they were bound to face later in life.”
Source of strength
She continues: “To their credit, they were generally good children. When their father died, they were the ones who gave me the strength to push forward. We’ve all journeyed and experienced pain and difficulties together as a family. And this, in turn, has further united and brought us closer to God.”
From the oldest to the youngest—Terence, Joey, Maita, Leah, Louie, Agnes, Albert, Edward, Judith and Noemi—they consider Pacita the glue that binds them together, a constant source of guidance and encouragement, especially during uncertain and sometimes confusing periods in their respective lives.
“Whatever we are today and whatever we will be tomorrow is because of the boundless and unconditional love she has given us. For every smile and for every tear that falls, she never fails to inspire and impart her faith in the Lord in us,” says Maita Madlambayan, president of Haus Talk Inc.
For her part, Pacita, even when she was much younger, has always been clear about the legacy she wants to leave behind: “For as long as I can, I will never get tired of reminding them to put God in the center of their lives. To trust Him and keep the faith regardless of life’s ups and downs. As human beings, no matter how successful they become, my fervent prayer is for them to remain grounded and to treat people from all walks of life with kindness.”
