STAR Rtn. John I. Bautista, Jr.: Living an Unselfish Life

“Living an unselfish life is a life well lived. Let’s be part of the solution. Let us all rise together.” This was STAR Rtn. John Bautista, Jr.’s battlecry during his term as JCI Manila President last year. Committed to serving and helping others, STAR Rtn. John has been embracing this philosophy for a long time. During his stint with JCI, the organization accomplished over 200 projects that touched and improved the lives of over 20 million Filipinos.

A devoted family man, he loves to spend a lot of time with his wife and kids. While the pandemic has affected their love for travel, they seize the moment to spend more quality time together either at home or at their place by the beach in Batangas. Read on and get to know more about STAR Rtn. John—what was the most inspiring event that has happened to him during this pandemic and how their family is spending time together. He also shares the benefits of running a family business, what has been his most satisfying moment in the business, and how being an entrepreneur has affected his family life. Find out how this STAR Rotarian is living a meaningful life, something anyone could be proud of.

Rhea Vitto Tabora (RVT): As Director of Fil-American Hardware Co., Inc. and Vice President of JIBHAUS Co., Inc., what is your typical day at work like?

John I. Bautista, Jr. (JIB): My day usually starts with a little quiet time, and I’ve been into reading more books lately and a little exercise to get me going for the day. I usually get my first report at about 7:00 am from our logistics and warehouse team for the deliveries for the day. And I’m in the office usually around 9:00 - 9:30 am. Our business is a little traditional, so physical presence of most of our employees in the office is still required. I’m in the office from Mondays to Saturdays.

RVT: How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life?

JIB: It has its good and bad benefits, but I would like to think there are more benefits into it. Time may be both good and bad. I get to spend more time with family as I can get away from work when I wish to most of the time, which is good, but of course, work can also call on you anytime, including Sundays. But it has also given us other opportunities as well. Right now, my wife, Deux, is able to help me out also for work by expanding our operations online to several online platforms. That’s really something good to see.

RVT: What has been your most satisfying moment in business?

JIB: The overall experience of being in the family business has been really an amazing experience. The business has been there the past 65 years, and I’m already a third-generation member of this business. They say, with family businesses, the first generation builds it, the second generation grows it, and the third generation loses it. Well, I’m just glad that I’m able to have a good mentor with my dad, and because of that, I am able to continue the tradition of growing the business even as a third-generation member of the business.

Now, on the third generation, we have grown the business into importing various products that we can sell here. We have expanded our retail operations and grown our online presence as one of the biggest hardware stores online.

RVT: What advice would you give to someone starting a business?

JIB: Just do the hard work first, be simple and humble. Some people would like to reap the benefits and spend the money earned at once, but I would always suggest putting the money back to the business and let it grow. Live a simple life so you will not spend so much on yourself or on material things. And stay humble when you make it. There is no need to boast about your success, but rather, share that blessing and be a blessing to others.

RVT: If you were not an entrepreneur, what career would you like to explore?

JIB: A professional golf athlete. Haha! I have always been into sports—as a swimmer and water polo player in my younger days—so being a professional athlete was always a dream of mine.

RVT: What is the most inspiring event that has happened to you during this pandemic?

JIB: I was the president of JCI Manila in 2020, during the year of the pandemic, and it was a very challenging time for me. But through the help of our members, partners and sponsors, we were able to do over 200 projects during the pandemic and help more than 20 million people nationwide. We were able to build the first quarantine facility in the City of Manila, and we built it in less than 10 days to immediately help those infected with corona virus. Until now, this facility is still being used, and it has helped more than a thousand Manileños during this pandemic.

RVT: What is your philosophy in life?

JIB: Living an unselfish life is a life well lived. Giving back and being a blessing to others is really something I live by. It gives me great joy and fulfillment knowing I have helped someone in any small way I can.

RVT: Who has been your greatest inspiration?

JIB: My family is my greatest inspiration. It is because of them that I try to be the best husband, father, son and brother to all of them.

RVT: What is your favorite way to spend time with your family?

JIB: We love to travel abroad as a family, but unfortunately, during this pandemic, this has been something we couldn’t do. Fortunately, we have a place in Batangas where we can go to. We would go to Nasugbu every month for about five days and just spend time with the kids at the beach or at the pool, or just walk and bike with them.

RVT: Where is the next place on your travel bucket list, and why?

JIB: South of France or any quiet little town in Europe. To just relax and slow things down—this is something my wife and I would like to do. Traveling to major cities or top tourist destinations is nice, but it gets busy and you ask yourself if you’re really having a vacation because traveling can be really hectic. One positive thing this pandemic brought to us is being able to spend quality time with our family, and it has been an awesome experience for us all.

What we want to do is get away from the city and stay in a nice quiet town, get an Airbnb or something, go for a morning walk or jog, go to a local coffee shop and just relax for a good month or so. No rush seeing all the tourist attractions. No rush going from airports to train stations or driving from one place to another. Just simply relaxing, enjoying the local culture, and meeting new friends along the way.