A Filipina who didn’t take no for an answer and succeeded

MANILA, Philippines – She didn’t take no for an answer.

It was this steely determination that got Ma. Fatima De Vera-Francisco through Procter & Gamble, which, she recalls, initially turned down her application for a marketing job.“I just couldn’t take no for an answer,” Francisco said to herself after being informed by P&G through a telegram that she failed in the fourth job interview for marketing.

“I just couldn’t take no for an answer,” Francisco said to herself after being informed by P&G through a telegram that she failed in the fourth job interview for marketing.

Refusing to give in, Francisco said she got another crack at P&G when one of the directors for sales took her in on the condition that she knew how to drive.

”It was the first and last lie I would ever tell P&G,” said Francisco who, prior to that interview, did not drive and having learned emerged years after as the company’s first female section manager for sales, a position that has taken her around the Philippines and to Japan and the US.

And the rest as they would always say is history as Francisco is now the highest ranking and only female manager in P&G. She is currently into P&G’s Asia-Pacific American Leadership Program and has participated in the Executive Mentor of the Xavier University Business Program.

Francisco’s success hasn’t gone unnoticed, as she, along with world boxing icon Manny Pacquiao and International hip hop artist Allan “Apl de Ap” Lindo Jr. of Black Eyed Peas have been honored by the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) through its BPInoy Awards.

In ceremonies last October 5 at the Shangri-la Hotel in Makati City, Pacquiao, Lindo, and Francisco were cited “for keeping the Filipino spirit alive in their hearts and minds as they showcase their world-class expertise”.

In her speech, Francisco said that she came from a simple family whose support, along with those given by her friends, helped her survive through trying times.

She acknowledged the nuns from St. Scholastica’s College where her mother had worked as a teacher and where she got her free education, and yes, even her free lunch.

And through college at the University of the Philippines, Francisco said an uncle financed here studies by sending her a fixed amount monthly through a BPI ATM card until she graduated in 1989.

Francisco’s inspiring story more than made up for the absence of Pacquiao, the eight-division world champion, who is currently training for his fight against Juan Manuel Marquez, and Lindo, whose career with Black Eyed Peas has been highlighted by a Grammy award. He is scheduled to arrive in the country soon for a concert at the SM Mall of Asia.

“We, at BPI, encourage nation-building by empowering Filipino pride and culture through the BPInoy awards. Through this recognition, we are encouraging our modern heroes to utilize their unique strengths and become the best in the world,” said BPI Executive Vice President Teresita Tan.