The former Binibining Pilipinas Grand International titleholder and heiress to the Panlilio business empire is about to take her passion for public service to the next level.
By JOYCE A. RAMIREZ
Samantha Panlilio is not your average girl.
At 28 years old, she’s already a top company official and a hardworking entrepreneur. Samantha also happens to be a former beauty pageant title holder, a media personality and philanthropist. She’s also a huge golf enthusiast.
Overall, she’s an independent woman with a mission: to make real change happen.
As chief operations officer of the Panlilio family’s land holdings and leisure empire, most notably Puerto Azul Land Inc. and Fridays Hotels and Resorts, the daughter of property magnate Jose Marcel “Jocel” Panlilio has proven that she can juggle serious responsibilities with her wide array of passion projects. She is currently at the helm of the Fridays Boracay rebrand that will transform the resort, located in Station 1, as part of the Radisson Collection. She also oversees the development of a new Fridays Siargao in Surigao del Norte.
And “SamPan,” a nickname fans gave her, is just getting started.
Finding her roots
In 2019, the Business and Computer Science degree holder from the University of California, Irvine felt the need to return to the Philippines after finishing her studies and building a portfolio working abroad.
“I could have stayed overseas and set up a life elsewhere, but I always felt a greater calling back home,” she says.
For Samantha, the journey back home wasn’t just about continuing her family’s legacy in business. Deep within, she always felt a strong desire to pursue other opportunities.
While her time in the US gave her a strong foundation and professional discipline, her return was much more meaningful: it allowed her to reconnect with her roots and more importantly, to prove herself.
“In the eyes of my seniors, I didn’t want to be reduced to being a mere COO or ‘child of owner,’” she says.
Beyond titles
For Samantha, securing a position in the family business wasn’t the be all and end all.
Sometime in 2021, she surprised everyone by entering the prestigious Binibining Pilipinas beauty pageant. As luck would have it, she clinched a major title and went on to represent the Philippines at the ninth edition of the Miss Grand International pageant, held in Bangkok, Thailand.
After all, one must not forget what lies in her DNA; Samantha’s famous aunt is the late Myrna Panlilio-Borromeo — the first-ever Binibining Pilipinas to represent the country in the Miss Universe pageant in 1964.
But behind the pomp and glamour, it was her beauty pageant exposure that eventually sparked the fire in her soul to develop a passion for social advocacy and goodwill work.
Unable to stay put at the height of the pandemic, she kept herself busy by preparing meals for frontline health workers and volunteers in her community.
Inspired by the act of supporting a good cause aimed at improving the well-being of others, she immediately made efforts to further her own company’s corporate social responsibility programs.
In January 2024, she led a philanthropic drive for Fridays Boracay to help the victims of a fire in Aklan, which ravaged 76 households. Together with the local municipality and non-government organizations, Samantha conceived an action plan to provide prompt assistance to those affected by the tragedy.
More recently, she joined the Agimat Partylist in conducting relief efforts, and organizing and distributing food and care packages for fisherfolk in her home province, Cavite, who were affected by an oil spill in Bataan.
As of this writing, she’s about to launch her own foundation geared towards making the world a better place, especially for women and children.
More than a beauty queen
According to Samantha, “being known as a beauty queen is just one aspect of the many roles I play in life.”
Showcasing tremendous diligence and dedication, her willpower enables her to stick to whatever path she sets for herself, with full determination and confidence.
Despite her busy schedule, she manages to keep her creative side fully occupied by running a handful of enterprises outside of the family business.
These entrepreneurial pursuits or “passion projects,” as she calls them, include a soon-to-launch beauty and makeup line, an art and furniture deco store specializing in bespoke pieces, which she personally handpicked during her travels abroad. She also manages her own photography studio located in Quezon City.
A greater calling
Fast forward to 2024, Samantha is now ready to take on her next big challenge – the possibility of joining public service, in order to make a greater impact.
As doors continue to open, she now finds herself amid a whole new and unchartered territory: the world of politics.
“The thing is, I really want to help more people while I still have the energy for it,” she explains. “As a beauty queen, you are provided a stage to showcase the pride of your country to the rest of the world. But in public service, you get to show true competence on a much larger, more impactful scale.”
And that scale goes beyond physical attributes.
Winning a seat, she explains, will provide her “a viable platform to reach even more people and the chance to bridge the gap between the wealthy and the marginalized to enact change, which makes a greater impact on society as a whole.”
She’s also looking forward to bridging potential collaborations with both the private and public sectors.
While her earlier experiences in life have provided her the tools to make a difference, she also knows how to keep things real. “Most people think I am merely idealistic, but you can’t achieve the dream without a vision, one that is meant to be supported by others,” she said.
For Samantha, it’s not just about the ideology but more about “action, results and completion.”
She knows that finding the sweet spot balancing her vision to do good paired with a grounded strategy is the key to making things happen. And she believes that there’s nothing naïve or ambitious about this outlook in life.
“For me, it’s the combination of reality, strategy, execution and managed outcomes,” she shares.
Just do it
While Samantha’s journey is just beginning to unfold, she’s already keen on sharing tips for women who want to turn their vision into reality. “Do not be afraid to take risks. Go and chase your dreams, no matter how impossible they may seem. When you’re unsure and uncertain, that’s when you go for it,” she says.
Unafraid to admit that she, too, sometimes second-guesses herself, Samantha also knows that the best opportunities come to life when you push past fear and venture bravely into the unknown. “The things that scare you the most are the things that will bring you closer to who you’re meant to be,” she reminds.
Whether in business, the pageant stage, or pursuing the path of the greater good, Samantha is a role model when it comes to stepping out of one’s comfort zone — a true ambassador for the popular phrase “just do it.”
“And do it right,” she ends with a smile.
Photography by DIX PEREZ
Art direction by DEXTER FRANCIS DE VERA
Styling by PERRY TABORA assisted by KRIS DELEON
Hair by NELBERT SEBOY
Makeup by DAVE QUIAMBAO
