Happy New Year everyone. I wrote this column in Metro Manila (inside the P2P bus from UP Town Center in Quezon City, passing along Pasig, and finally reaching Glorietta 3, opposite Landmark in Makati). I attended a very happy family reunion in Legazpi, Albay from December 29 to January 1, celebrating our mother’s 88th birthday.
This piece will be about reintegrating back into Philippine society. Yesterday very early morning we travelled by car from Legazpi to Manila and stopped at the Shell petrol station of Dante Herras in Tagkawayan, Camarines Norte.
Who is Dante? He used to be the top Filipino finance officer of the Chaloub Group in Dubai who retired in June 2017 after working for 21 years with the major regional player in the beauty, fashion and gift sectors.
At age 35 and new in Dubai, Dante joined the group as Chief Accountant and then was promoted to Accounting Manager and finally held the position of Finance Manager in two stages. First he was assigned as Accounting Division Head for local companies in the UAE, and from 2008 till his retirement as Accounting Division Head for the JAFZA-based regional and management companies of Chaloub Group.
He is 61 years old now. He left Dubai at age 56. Dante said he has no regrets for having stayed in one company and having lived in the UAE for 21 years.
Aside from operating the Shell petrol station, he is also managing the Herras Store in Tagkawayan which is a variety store that his parents established. When his father died in 2014, her mother had a hard time running the business alone. Dante’s mother is now 88 years old now, same as my mother. This was one of the reasons why he opted for an early retirement in 2017.
Dante wants to share these two words of wisdom with you dear readers of The Global Filipino Magazine:
1. Keep saving while earning well abroad and constantly keep yourself updated on developments at your home country for potential investment opportunities.
2. Don’t stay too old before retiring. Keep a certain amount of energy and motivation for plans that you may need to execute post retirement.
Funny, I’m the same age when Dante left Dubai. And I also have plans to reintegrate and pursue my PR career in the homeland. Let’s see how 2023 will be, with God’s grace and mercy of course. May 2023 be a better year for all of you, too.
