ntonio Laperal Tamayo has chosen the road least traveled. His journey to success has been marked with

colorful adventures, misadventures and sometimes, wanderings. But those events taught him lessons that made him the strength behind the legacy left by his parents and on such platform also built his own.

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Despite his options in life, Tamayo believes he has been pre-destined for his role in life. He believes the Almighty has crafted his destiny, one that cannot be overruled by his free will.

So far, he has proven to be a leader in a growing business organization, whose goal is not only to perpetuate a family legacy but to become one of the most dynamic family-owned conglomerates in the country with a strong social conscience.

e came from nothing, but my grandfather was a brilliant teacher,” says Tamayo. His uncles and aunts took turns in

furnishing their education. His parents were both doctors-Dr. Jose G. Tamayo and Dr. Josefina Laperal, who were blessed with 12 children. Antonio was the eldest of the siblings.

“WWhen the income of his parents was no longer enough to provide for a dozen growing children, they decided to put up a 50-bed hospital at the back of the University of Santo Tomas, the first hospital in Laong Laan. Later on, the couple opened a nursing school. His mother, a devotee of the Mother of Perpetual Help, named the hospital and school after the miraculous Catholic patron saint.

According to Tamayo, the hospital was not really earning, but his parents kept it because it was their lucky charm. The school ended up subsidizing the hospital

operation, which has a bigger investment than most hospitals in the country are not really earning, but they survive because these are mostly owned by doctors.

Now, the Perpetual Help hospital boasts of being one of the best medically-equipped hospitals in the country.

The University of Perpetual Help is also getting recognition as one of the better performing schools in the country. The university offers hands on training and exposure.

aking the cue from his parents’ business model, Tamayo and wife Daisy decided to put up their own hospital and university. Year 1975 saw the establishment of the

DALTA Group, the acronym of Daisy-Antonio Laperal Tamayo, to distinguish it from the JONELTA Group, which was founded by his parents. Tamayo serves as chairman of both groups.

TBoth JONELTA and DALTA groups have a combined labor force of over 3,000 people. It has a student population of 32,000 with

eight campuses and four hospitals.

Their schools are located in Manila: Cauayan, Isabela; Las Pinas; Cavite; Calamba: Binan: Malasiqui, Pangasinan. He hopes to branch out in the Visayas and Mindanao in the future.

Tamayo, however, did not stop in the school and hospital business. The DALTA Group is now composed of at least seven subsidiaries, all revenue stream contributors to the entire organization.

“When my mother died in 1987, my father called all of us his children and told us that I will take his place,” recalls Tamayo. His siblings formalized and affirmed his position as company chairman and CEO when their father passed away in 2002.

“So, I have the full support of my 11 siblings” says Tamayo. There are 8 boys and 4 girls among them. Tamayo said they do have conflicts, but the siblings have always been behind the company’s interest and to their eldest whom they looked up to him as their father.

Tamayo has noted the downfall of some family-owned businesses because of the lack of preparedness of its successors.

“Because I am aware I am preparing the family members for their role in this organization. I have 40 nephews and nieces, who are now having their own families. I have eight children and grandchildren, the pie is getting smaller. So, there is no need to get outside investors, the cake may not be good enough for all of us “says Tamayo.

Part of these preparations is for the clannish family to undergo a structured family seminar annually to blend the family norms with business norms. They always observe simple parliamentary procedures and they are taught how to conduct themselves during board meetings. The Tamayos have even formed a family council.

“Any family should start with that because the reality is you always consider each other an officemate but you are actually working with your brothers and sisters where emotions could sometimes prevail over what is good for the business, says Tamayo.

In his family culture, however, whoever is the most qualified even if you are the youngest you have the right to head the company.

“So, we are trying to develop and train the young and the old at the same time, says Tamayo.

“Even now I am already preparing for my successor”, says Tamayo.

He is now training his two sons, to succeed him someday. Anthony Jose is now running the school which Richard Antonio is in charge of the hospital operation. The other younger children are Anton, Rachel Antonette, Josephina Virginia, Antonia Rafaela, Antonio Jesus, and Antonio Destoni.

This year, he sees moderate growth for the organization because the economy has not really taken off. During good times, school enrollment also goes up as well the medical services.

amayo earned his post-graduate courses in Hospital Administration at George Washington D.C. supplemented with special studies on Hospital Management from Ateneo de Manila University, and Ph.D. in Organizational Development

from the Southeast Asian Interdisciplinary Institute.TTamayo attained these degrees despite his strong dislike for going to school. At first, he objected to his parent’s insistence that he followed their steps by becoming a medical doctor also.

“My father insisted that I become a doctor and physically pushed me only to beg me to stop after my first semesters in pre-med,” says Tamayo.

Instead of finishing college education here, Tamayo went to study at the George Washington University in the U.S. where he learned in earnest hospital management. There he learned that you can only claim mastery in your field of business if you have attained the right combination of people in your organization.

Using Henry Ford as a model, he said, Ford Motor was the most successful automobile manufacturer in the world because Henry had the right combination of people.

Tamayo is trying to emulate the example of Henry Ford, but has yet to find the right combination of people.

The benchmark of having the right combination of people, he said, is having a smooth and viable operation even if the CEO is not around.

Tamayo, however, seemed to wonder at his status in life now, never expecting he would one day be running a school and hospital.

“Look, I did not like medicine but I am running a hospital. I hate school but I’m running a university,” says Tamayo.

“I never expected this because I am a happy go lucky guy,” says Tamayo as he shares experiences that could have led him elsewhere, far from where he is today.

But at this stage in life, it was clear to Tamayo that this was his destiny.

“I really don’t believe in free will, we are all pre-destined,” says Tamayo with conviction.

At first, he thought that his destiny was to own a hospital and run a school, but that was only superficial side of the equation for he was prepared for bigger responsibilities in life-“to take on the big shoes of my father and take care of my 11 siblings.”

He has been the “Kuya-Papa” of the Tamayo clan, who is situated in a big compound in Laguna. The Tamayo siblings are doing well though in their own fields of expertise though. They have four doctors.

“I have relatively successful siblings,” Tamayo says proudly.

“I am a man of destiny. God has pre-designed this path or the role that I am fulfilling now and what a very exciting journey I had. I’ve gone through many threats and crisis in life, but God never left me. He will never leave you,” says Tamayo as he noted his own shortcomings and admitted his transgressions.

amayo said he could have hit a higher mark had he not spread himself thinly when he decided to diversify his business portfolio.T

His diversification move was inspired by his father who told him, “Start somewhere or go nowhere.” So aside from the hospital and school, Tamayo also planted seeds in other sectors.

“We are a little of everything. I am the jack of all trades, master of none,” says Tamayo in jest.

“Aside from the universities and hospitals, the Dalta Group has 10 subsidiaries engaged in various sectors including real estate, call center, agriculture, banking, among others. It has a cattle ranch in Binan, Laguna with 150 heads and went into dairy production.

The group also operates a meat processing in Mindoro and piggery. It has also a rice field. It has three sites for agricultural expansion in San Pablo, Batino and Calamba and four-hectare resort in Pansol, Laguna.

The resort-spa is the wellness arm of its medical division as health is getting to be holistic. The challenge now is to be able to ride on the crest of medical tourism. Thus, they are incorporating Chinese medicine practice in their hospitals, including acupuncture and herbal medicines.

“The thrust now is for Perpetual Help Hospital to become a one-stop-shop delivery of health care services,” says Tamayo.

The hospital accounts for 30 percent of its total business, but Tamayo said the other subsidiaries are expected to contribute more in the coming years as they possess greater potential for growth.

Its housing project has a big potential because of the huge demand for housing, especially for the low-cost mass housing requirements.

“We still consider our business pioneering,” says Tamayo

While diversification is really the thrust, the organization has made a conscious decision that they concentrate more on the basic needs of health, education, food and housing.

Health and education the Perpetual Help University and Perpetual Help Hospital will remain its core business as these are a family legacy, which his father had planted and is now ready for picking.

The goal is to belong to the recognized circle of hospitals and schools in the country. The Perpetual Help hospital is now recognized as level 4 teaching hospitals.

“The relationship of the Tamayos and perpetual Help is like a railroad truck, one cannot move without the other, but merges at the end of the horizon,” says Tamayo.

“We are now improving our technology and we are hiring outside technocrats to better run our organization,” says Tamayo.

Tamayo also dubbed in politics for awhile. He once served as vice-mayor of Las Pinas that started his advocacy to help indigent patients. Now, he has institutionalized this as its corporate social responsibility program. His hospital has allocated 50 medical indigent beds for Las Pinas indigents.

It has also a medical and scholarship program for all of its employees and their children. It has over 700 scholars already. He considers the labor force his partners.

“Ours is a model of a family-run organization and we work as a team. I am fully aware that without my staff, we cannot grow and operate profitably,” says Tamayo.

Tamayo was humble enough to admit that they are still far from their goals, but said that with their perseverance they are moving towards that direction.

“We are aware of our weaknesses and strengths and we are now in the process of fixing up our organizational structure,” says Tamayo.

In all these years, Tamayo has been grateful to his wife Daisy for being there for him always through thick and thin.

The difference is Mrs. Tamayo. We are blessed with Mrs. Tamayo, who is very humane, family-oriented and Christian,” says Tamayo.

Indeed, Tamayo has come a long way and his back home where destiny leads him.

(Published in the September 7, 2011 issue of the Manila Bulletin)