Philippine Red Cross Chairman Richard Gordon with PMRB

On April 9, Saturday,  Philippine Red Cross Chairmnan Richard   Gordon will  be  the guest of honor at  PMRB's "Proactive Emergency Preparedness Program"  at 1:00 p.m. at Metroclub Makati.

In line with this  event, there  will  be a blood letting activity-- members of Pasay Makati Realtors Board  are specifically enjoined to make blood donation-- and safety seminars will also be conducted by  representatives of Philippine Red Cross.

Below is the program of activities on April 9 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m at Metroclub.

MORNING SESSION

9:00AM Registration
9:30AM Peptalk for Donors
11:00AM Safety Services Program on Basic Life Support and Disaster Preparedness demo

AFTERNOON SESSION

1:00PM Talk by Chairman Gordon
2:00PM Peptalk for Donors
3:00PM Safety Services Program on Basic Life Support and Disaster Preparedness demo
4:00PM Turnover of Donations for Philippine Red Cross

*For those donating blood in the morning, please attend the 9:30AM peptalk. For those donating in the afternoon, please attend the 2PM peptalk.

For more details, please call PMRB Chairperson for Corporate Social Responsibility,  Lesley B.  Geronimo, at (02) 211 0252.

LESLEY B. GERONIMO: Former Associate TV Producer

PMRB’s 2011 Candidate to the Search for  Most Popular Lady Realtor is Lesley Geronimo—a  graduate of Ateneo de Manila,  who  was once the Associate TV Producer for   “Money Talk,” a program  by Anthony Pangilinan.

Lesley shifted to real estate in 2006  and joined PMRB in 2009 where she is now the Committee Chairperson for  Corporate Social Responsibility.   Among her current CSR projects is the Blood Letting Activity with the Philippine Red Cross at Metroclub Makati on April 9.

Outside of work, Lesley enjoys traveling and dancing. As an avid salsa dancer, she even goes abroad to join International Salsa Festivals. 

 

Lesley’s  engaging  nature  helps her relate very well with children.  Since 2010, she has been organizing quarterly activities for  orphans, street children and those  suffering from  leukemia.

Read more about Lesley  here.

MARCO M. BENITEZ: Former UAAP Basketball Player

Note:  Marco is our first featured broker   for the year.  The last  one was Sweetie Gardiner-Manez (Former TV Host) in November 2010.

The parents of  Marco must be  very proud of him— among his other qualities, he is an achiever in more ways than one. 

Marco was a  member of the  Ateneo  Blue Eagles that won the 2002 UAAP Basketball Championship—a credential that   helped him clinch the position of  Assistant Coach to the Ateneo Blue Eaglets Juniors Basketball Team.

After completing his degree in Management Engineering—one of the most  academically demanding  courses at  Ateneo de Manila, he  joined Nestle Philippines  as a Management Trainee and later assumed the position of  Regional Field  Operations Executive.  Along the way, he also finished his MBA from the Ateneo Graduate  School of Business.

In 2007,  upon the encouragement of his father , Marco   took up the  Comprehensive Real Estate Seminar or CRESAR.    He passed the broker’s exam,   got his license and  eventually  joined the Pasay Makati Realtors Board.

Marco  shifted to real estate to join   his father in  running the   family businesses that include Chiron Development Inc..
    

Read more about Marco here.

Making it to the PRC list

I woke up this morning to find a piece of great news on my cell phone's text screen.

"Congratulations!! for d approval of ur application for registration as a professional real estate  broker by the PRC-PREBRES. I hope this news brightens ur day."

For a split second, I thought it was just a prank until I saw that it was sent that by no less than PMRB  adviser Phil Coquia.

I right away logged on  and searched for the Philippine Regulation Commission website.  And there on my screen before me was  the latest entry on PRC's website:  "January 2011 Real Estate Consultants/Appraisers/Brokers – Approved for Registration W/out Exam."

I opened the link and I found not only my name but also of Maita's on page 13. It was a great feeling to see our names on that government list.  Sure brightened up my day!

So on February 10, at 1:00 p.m., Maita and I -- together with some of our fellow real estate brokers who filed our application last November-- will be at the oath-taking event organized by  PRC  at the Fiesta  Pavilion of Manila Hotel. 

To those also  want to  see their names in the PRC list of professional real estate brokers soon, PMRB is offering a Comprehensive Real Estate Seminar starting January 19.  Call Tere at 8930585 right away.

Do you want to be a Licensed Real Estate Broker?

This just came in from PMRB or Pasay-Makati Realtors Board.  In preparation for the first Real Estate  Broker Licensure Exam under the Philippine Regulation  Commission on March  27, 2011,  PMRB is offering  three tracks,   each  running for  4 weeks that will  allow participants to earn  as many as  120 units.  

Weekend: Every Saturday and Sunday
Jan. 22, 23, 29, 30, Feb. 5, 6, 12 & 13, 2011

Weekday:  Every Wednesday and Thursday
 Jan. 19, 20, 26, 27, Feb. 2, 3, 9 & 10, 2011

Weekday:  
 Feb. 15, 16, 17, 23, 24, March 1, 2 & 3, 2011

[ Subjects covered pursuant to Sec. 13 of R.A. 9646 ]

TIME : 8:00AM – 5:00PM

WHERE : Metropolitan Club, Estrella cor. Amapola Sts., Makati City

CREDIT HOURS : SIXTY-FOUR (64) HOURS

SEMINAR FEE : P10,000.00 (Inclusive of seminar materials, lunch, snacks
& Certificate of Attendance)

EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT. : Less P1,000.00 if paid 2 days before the seminar date

Remember,  the new year can be a time for a new career!  Call PMRB right away. (Tere:   893-05-69 or 893-05-85)

PMRB: Best PAREB Board, Again!

Pasay-Makati Realtors Board (PMRB) -- under Nympha Bocaling--  claimed the Philippine Association of Realtors Boards  (PAREB) 2010 Award for Best Board last night at the Manila Hotel.   This is a  big  feat-- given that PMRB also won the same award under the term of Art Evangelista in 2009.

As soon as I reached the Centennial Ballroom,  Atty. Nelson Arquiza-- 2011 PMRB President--  handed   me a button that read:  "Back to Back!  PMRB,  Best Board 2010."  What  could   I say about that?  I pinned it right away  on my barong.

I sat beside Rene Castillo, 2011 PMRB Vice President, and he said fhat for PMRB  to get the Hall of  Fame Award, we would have to win  5 times.  He explained that PMRB already won the Best Board  award  4 times to-date.   So apparently  the challenge to get to to the Hall of Fame  is now on  Nelson and our  current board-- and yes,  on all of us PMRB  members.

Below are some of the posterity shots I took. P.S.  Maita  could not join me at Manila Hotel last night.  Our daughter Mira   needed to review for her quarterly exams at Woodrose and had not been  feeling well  practically  during the  entire exam week;  so Maita-- the good mom that she is-- though already made up and set to party, decided to stay home and attend to Mira.  To me,  that is another thing to cheer about.

Real Estate Broker Registration at PRC

Exactly a week ago,  I -- together with some fellow members from the Pasay Makati Realtors Board-- went to the office of the Philippine Regulation Commission  along Morayta, Manila.  We finally filed  for our real estate broker registration! 

Highlights of our  trip to  PRC:

• Process Guide.   We were  fortunate to have  a step-by-step guide  from   Manny Bocaling, 2010 PAREB President, on how to go about with our registration.  The guide was  a big help -- among other things, it  reminded us of the items  to bring, the windows to approach and the time to allocate for  the process. 
• Less than 3 hours.   That is  about the time we  spent inside the PRC compound.  We arrived at  PRC shortly before 9 and we were already out  before 12 noon.   This included  the time for photocopying some documents that we forgot to make copies of, the leisurely merienda at one of the kiosks  inside the PRC compound and the waiting time for our fellow  PMRB brokers to  finish their application -- one of us actually brought the wrong envelope of documents,  thet fellow broker had to return home somewhere at The Fort and still managed to catch up with us at PRC!
• Van ride.    Thanks to 2011  PMRB President Nelson Arquiza who provided an Urvan that morning with driver even.  There were 11 of us when we left  Metroclub-- our meeting place--  at  8 a.m.  The trip was comfortable and lively--  just what  one can expect when you have a vanful of animated  real estate brokers!
• Pictorial.    This was considered a "mass-filing" event, so there were cameras, and I mean lots of camera phones,  courtesy of course of our fellow brokers. There was even a video recorder.   Marlene Galeos took the "official shots" some of which I posted here.

Before we headed back for Metroclub, we stopped by for lunch at  Golden Fortune Seafood Restaurant along T. M. Kalaw.  Gilbert Yupangco made excellent dish recommendations and I was glad he did.



At Metroclub, after reviewing our documents prior to trip to PRC

 


At Metroclub Makati, before boarding the Urvan

 


At the line on the 3rd Floor Window at PRC




After the registration process, at the PRC Office Lobby




All smiles after a hearty meal at Golden Fortune Seafood Restaurant.
Lunch recommendation and photo courtesy of Gilbert Yupangco. 


Conclusion: the actual registration process was not tedious at all.  What was time-consuming was the  completion of  all the required documents which included among other things-- a Ps 20,000 surety bond from a PRC accredited company, the original NSO copy  of  birth certificate and  NBI clearance.

BTW, we were told   by a  PRC  employee (the one at the 3rd floor window)  that we could expect our  registration approval after 3 months. Yes, that would be February of 2011-- perhaps in time for the Chinese New Year.  Anyway, I can go about with our real estate practice as I already have an official PRC claim stub for a 3-year registration card. That will do for now.

FLASH:  The list of  488 real estate brokers who can take oath this November was just released by PRC. Click here.

Considering a Career in Real Estate?

I just received today an email from Pasay-Makati Realtors Board that there will be a Comprehensive Real Estate Seminar  (CRESAR) that will be conducted on November 13, 20 and 27 at FEU Makati, Arnaiz Avenue (formerly Buendia).

This is an excellent first step  for those considering a real estate service as a profession.   It will prepare one for the licensing exam that is scheduled sometime next year. It is certainly advantageous to be prepared well ahead of time.

Fee is only Ps 4,000 for the 3 Saturdays (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) inclusive of lunch, snack, hand outs and certificate). Please call PMRB Secretariat to reserve a seat: 893 0585.

Act fast. Seats are limited.

For more details, please click here.

My Thank You List for Today

Janette Toral, program director for the blogging course I am taking up at Ateneo de Manila, invited me to join this writing contest on “Thank You Day Philippines.“ It required my submitting a photo entry with a short write-up. Prize is a box of Toblerone. To read more about the contest, go to http://www.thankyoudayphilippines.com

Though I like Toblerone, I sent in an entry not for the prize, but for the experience of it. Then I thought that perhaps I could also list down things that I am thankful for as a realtor. Here are some that  came to mind:

1. RESA Law (Real Estate Service Act). Starting this 2010, real estate brokers licenses will now be issued by the Philippine Regulation Commission. Brokers are now in the same “licensed” league of doctors, lawyers, accountants and engineers and other regulated professions.

2. Local Realtor Boards. I belong to (PMRB) Pasay Makati Realtors Board while Maita, to Muntinlupa Realtors Board. It is good to deal with fellow brokers who belong to realtor boards: we adhere to the same code of ethics and we have recourse in case there are professional conflicts or differences to be addressed.

3. PAREB (Philippine Association of Realtor Boards). Given the nationwide reach of PAREB, we brokers can network with colleagues from other regions. We can all tap in to its active MLS or multi-listing service. And given its current affiliation with the National Association of Realtors –USA, we can use the designation “REALTOR.”

4. Noynoy Aquino. Others can say what they want, but Noynoy’s promise of change is confidence-boosting for business and economy. One just has to drive along the streets of  Makati CBD, Ortigas and Bonifacio Global City to see the renewed level of construction activity. We brokers have a lot of selling to do.

5. St. Joseph. I am glad to know that we brokers have a patron saint to call on. St. Joseph-- the carpenter and guardian of the Redeemer-- built and kept a house then for the Holy Family. He too can help us today, if we believe.

Let me close by gently asking this question: “What are you thankful for today?”

PMRB 2011 Planning and Team Building

Shortly after Atty. Nelson Arquiza was elected  2011 PMRB  President, he organized  a planning and team building workshop at Evercrest in Nusugbu,  Batangas  last October 22.

I felt privileged to be invited to the workshop, where I met  almost all of  the board's new officers:  Rene Castillo, Vice President; Atty. Diana Mamaril, Secretary; Sweet Gardiner-Manoz,  Joseph Aragon (who arranged for the venue), Carlos Pascasio and Roel Ramos-- Directors.

The trip to Evercrest started at 7:00 a.m. for me   I met up with Marlene Galeos, Balui Tort and Ashley Valera-- all committee volunteers-- at Starbucks Madrigal Avenue in Alabang.  We shared a ride going to Evercrest using Marlene's car. 

Upon reaching   Evercrest, we  had  our group pictorials.  We had fun and it showed.







Lady PMRB Officers & Committee Volunteers with President Nympha Bocaling (center)

  We had team building exercises conducted by Marlene. Later that day, we had our planning sessions. . We were divided into 3 groups:  Internal Com, Internal Com and Strategic Business Com, of which I was assigned to join.




 With the  Men of PMRB (Me 3rd from left)

     It was a highly stimulating discussion for all the three groups.   We broke up for dinner past 8 pm.  I think that would be an indication of the things-- the  work--  to come.