Titoy of All Trades

“People want status quo but change is the only permanent thing there is. Deny status quo should be your mantra.” — Jose Pardo

For his visionary leadership and outstanding contributions, he has earned numerous honors, awards and distinctions from national award-giving bodies and educational institutions which include, among others: The Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) Award for Business, The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) Award, the Man of the Year Award, the President Roxas Memorial Award, and our very own DLSAA Distinguished Lasallian Award. He also earned a knighthood from the Holy See — as Papal Knight of St. Sylvester. A well-esteemed entrepreneur, professional, industry captain, civil servant, economic manager, philanthropist, civic leader and family man, he is not the type who withers away.

To say that someone like JOSE “Titoy” PARDO has “been there, done that” is an understatement. He has an impressive experience in public service, which includes his cabinet posts as secretary of the Department of Finance and Department of Trade and Industry. He also led various government posts from 1992 until 2001 such as being the chair of the Phil. Deposit Insurance Inc., Trade and Investment Development Corp., and Council of ASEAN Trade Ministers; and as member of the Bangko Sentral Monetary Board.

Even as an octogenarian, he remains a prominent figure in the business sector, where he currently serves as Chairman and Independent Director of several business entities such as the Philippine Stock Exchange, Philippine Savings Bank, Philippine Seven Corporation, and other notable banking and holding companies. He also had an extensive civic involvement with the Employers Confederation of the Philippines, and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, among others. He served in varying leadership capacities in many organizations and foundations, among them the EDSA People Power Commission, Philippine Franchise Association, and Museo Pambata Foundation, Inc.

Most people know him as a well-esteemed entrepreneur, professional, industry captain, civil servant, economic manager, philanthropist, civic leader and family man. But a long time ago, he was a little boy who lost his father to a plane crash. It was a tragedy that struck when he was only eight, one that forced the young Titoy to mature faster as he became the man of the house, being the only son with three sisters. Losing his father too soon, he admits, was how he likely acquired early on a higher sense of responsibility and the drive towards excellence.

As a young man who had to contend with the untimely demise of his father, Pardo had chosen to be resourceful, taking on summer jobs like delivering PLDT telephone directories or Yellow Pages. He pursued entrepreneurial interest early on, even while he was still in college at DLSU. “I wanted to be independent, self-employed, I have that passion for trying,” he says. At one point, he had an automotive repair shop and other service-oriented businesses like air-conditioning repair and servicing — with the help of an industrial partner.

After college, he applied with a textile company called Alpha Textile to run an outlet store of its ready-to-wear brand Jazzie. The top honchos of the textile firm were taken aback when the young Pardo told them that if he would be given only one store to run, forget it. Thus, he was given initially four or five stores and eventually grew a chain of Jazzie stores after that. Running a chain allowed him to hire competent people and not burden all of his family to a single store. This began to open his eyes to the Chinese retailer’s usual formula of opening one store and expanding to as many stores as they had children. This eventually brought him to the franchising world — how everything was reduced to a science without the need for excessive controls, noting this eliminates the need to rely on a child or a relative to jump into the business. From Jazzie, he also acquired a franchise of pizza parlor Shakey’s.

As a businessman and franchising proponent, he was one of the original incorporators of Philippine Seven Corp., operator of 7-Eleven which is now the country’s largest convenience store chain. He also brought to local shore fast food chain Wendy’s. Apart from being an economic manager in two regimes (Presidents Estrada and Ramos administrations), he was a Commissioner of the Philippine Anti-Crime Commission, a stalwart of Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and a founding chair of the Philippine Franchise Association, among others.

One day, he came across an article in Asian Wall Street Journal about Japanese businessman Ito Yukado, who brought the 7-Eleven franchise to Japan in 1973. (The Ito-Yukado group also brought the chain to Hawaii and eventually brought the Dallas-based franchisor 7-Eleven in 1991). Interested in bringing the chain to the Philippines, Pardo traveled to Dallas and presented his case, saying he was “short in capital but long in experience.” At that time, the Alemar’s group of Frank Sibal was likewise applying for a franchise. It was eventually given to them and 7-Eleven became a three-way equal partnership among Pardo, Sibal and the family of Vicente Paterno, Pardo’s brother-in-law who eventually became a Senator.

The group brought 7-Eleven amid a brewing political storm in the Philippines in the 1982-83 period. This was shortly after the assassination of Ninoy Aquino and the conventional wisdom was to bring out capital than invest in the country. During the Cory Aquino administration, Paterno joined the government so Pardo managed the initial years of 7-Eleven as well as American hamburger chain Wendy’s which the group also brought to local shore at the same time. When Paterno left government, Pardo swapped roles at the business with Paterno as that was the time that the latter had too many things on his plate. Pardo became president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 1992 and then became chair of the board of trustees of DLSU and then Assumption. Paterno, in turn, took over management of 7-Eleven while Mrs. Pardo took over the reins of Wendy’s. Now, Pardo notes that Paterno’s son Victor is doing a “terrific” job as chief executive officer of 7-Eleven, which has become the largest convenience store chain in the country.

Pardo has also worked closely with the academe and with a number of foundations and nonprofit organizations. In fact, he got his papal knighthood because he chaired Assumption College San Lorenzo for 12 years. Apart from heading the board of trustees of his alma mater DLSU, he also chairs Assumption Antipolo at present. His work at DLSU and Assumption “keeps his feet on the ground,” he says.

Pardo always has had a soft spot for civil service. “In and out” of government he was, through all these years. During the Marcos regime, he was with the Neda as executive assistant to a few of the council chairs then from Don Filemon Rodriguez, Alfonso Calalang, Marcelo Balatbat and Placido Mapa — who became his early mentor. He was afterwards sent to the Asian Productivity Organization (APO), a regional inter-governmental organization based in Japan which the Philippines is part of. It was Pardo’s work on human resource development at APO that earned him, at age 33, a TOYM award—in the same batch as the young Joseph Estrada, whose Cabinet he would join years after. During the term of President Ramos, he was recruited to be part of the Presidential Council of Economic Advisers in 1992, and in 1993-1994 was appointed to the Monetary Board, the highest policy-making body of the central bank.

When Estrada, his TOYM batchmate became President, Pardo joined the Cabinet as Trade Secretary. It was the time that the Philippines chaired the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). Pardo succeeded banker Edgardo Espiritu as Finance Secretary in 1999-2000. Among the reforms undertaken during Pardo’s term was the abolition of the SGS pre-shipment inspection contract and the setting up of a reward and incentives fund that improved revenue collection at the BIR and Bureau of Customs.

Turning 83 this April, Pardo is still very much an active part of business and civil society. In fact, he’s part of an initiative to compile a business legacy series about captains of the local industry, something that his generation wants to leave behind for the younger ones to learn from. “I don’t want to fade away, I just want to be able to share whatever lessons I’ve learned,” he says.