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.

MY JOINING PMRB

After Maita and I  agreed that I should join a realtors board other than MUNREB (Munitilupa Realtors Board), I decided to apply with PMRB (Pasay Makati Realtors Board).

I called up the secretariat and spoke to Tere Santana, who immediately sent me by email the application form and requirements for membership.  Among the documents I had to submit was a copy of my real estate broker's license (REBL).  It was a good thing that I was able to  retrieve my original  license that also indicated my HLURB (Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board) control number issued back in 1996.

Tere informed me that  I would be interviewed by the head of the membership committee-- Rene Castillo-- on  August 26, Thursday afternoon, at Max's  Restaurant, Greenbelt 3-- before the MLS  (multi-listing service) meeting. 

When that day came, I was at the venue before  my   1:30 p.m. interview.  The first ones I met  in the room   included the  2010 President Nympha Bocaling and  Most Popular Lady Realtor candidate Sweetie Gardiner-Manez.

While waiting for Rene, Nympha asked me about my background. I  did not immediately realize that her questions were already part of the screening process.

When Rene arrived, we headed for a dining table outside the meeting room. During my interview, one of the first things he asked about was my REBL number.  I said it was 13489 and it was issued to me almost 14 years ago.  I later would find out that Rene's number was only 4 digits, meaning he got it  in the 1980's.

Rene saw in my resume that I was from Ateneo de Manila.  He said that the 2010 Vice-President was  from  Ateneo Law School. I  smiled.  I asked Rene which school he was from.  He said, "la Salle."  I paused, then just smiled again.

At the end of the interview,  Rene said that  I could join PMRB and that he hoped I would be actively particpate-- specially in view of the board's experience with new members who rarely showed up in the meetings after they were sworn in.

Rene excused himself  to go to the MLS meeting room. When he returned  shortly to our table, he was with     Atty. Nelson Arquiza, PMRB  Vice President-- the Ateneo alumnus he earlier spoke about.

Nelson was  young-looking ,  energetic and  very engaging. In the course of our discussion,  I informed him that I  was into marketing, advertising and promotions. 

"Great, see you at the next general membership meeting!" Nelson said. Then we shook hands.

As I walked back to my car, I knew I reached another chapter of my life.

MAITA H. SIQUIJOR: Former Electronics Marketer

I knew right away that the  first real estate broker whom I would feature in this series of  cross-over stories would be no other than  my own life partner, my wife Maita.

Maita, prior to switching to real estate was working for Herts Corporation, a company founded by her father Ramon D. Herce.  Herts  was into distribution of uninterrupted power supply equipment.   

Immediately after   completing her BS Management degree at the Ateneo in 1988, Maita joined  Herts Corporation  where she  took on  sales and marketing responsibilities. It was her involvement in her family's business that she showed her aptitude in computers.

When I met her in 1993,  Maita and I were both classmates in the MBA program of de la Salle University-- yes, we were the only 2 Ateneans in that class when I first met her.  After we got married in 1995, Maita decided to go full time in  real estate to  allocate more time to  starting our family.  She first went into  into project selling.  She joined Ayala Land Inc., then later,  Filinvest-- the office of which was closer to our home in Paranaque.

After our daughters were born in 1998 and 1999, Maita and I benefited from the flexibility of  her  real estate practice.  While I held on to an office job, Maita was attending to our children while closing occasional deals.

When I was posted in Singapore with my family  from  2002  to 2005,  Maita took the opportunity to enroll in a master's degree in E-learning at the Sheffield University.  

For her graduation, we as family flew in to Beijing, China  where the rites for Asian students of Sheffield University were  held .  What was very memorable was that the graduation  it was held on April 6, 2008-- coinciding with  Maita's birthday.

When we returned to Manila in 2005, Maita readily touched base with her network of fellow brokers to resume with her real estate practice. She signed up with Muntinlupa Reators Board,  where eventually  she was elected Director.  Most of her   transactions were  in  Alabang, Makati  CBD and The Fort at Bonifacio Global City.

Aside from attending to her real estate clients and occasionally holding  lectures on internet marketing, Maita is very much involved   with  internet sites that complement  her  practice:  architerra.com,   residencesmanila.com, myeleganthouse.com  and   condoinmanila.com.  Currently, she is putting up a site for our company La Maisonette Manila.

Read more about Maita. Click here.

MAITA H. SIQUIJOR
Landline : (632) 809 5412