The daughter also rises

MANILA, Philippines - These days, staffing — whether temporary, contractual, or permanent — is at the core of a range of sectors. From technical specialists in power plants and quality control engineers in oil refineries to technical consultants in telecommunication firms and credit and collection staff of financial institutions. The human resource industry has evolved into a complex web of services that addresses the workforce development needs of the economy. 

At the forefront of this burgeoning industry is Temps and Staffers Inc. (TSI), a member of the Servicio Filipino Inc. (SFI) Group of Companies. It used to be a division of SFI but as its clientele grew, the mother company decided it was time for Temps and Staffers to venture on its own.

Servicio Filipino was founded by lawyer Dante Anastacio in 1961, initially providing building management services to its clients. As word of mouth on their quality services spread, the company decided to venture into more specialized services in response to their client’s other manpower needs.

Today, SFI Group has become an undisputed leader in providing total human resource solutions, which include general custodial services, complete manpower and technical services, executive job search and placement, construction and industrial plant and facilities maintenance. It is the first Philippine human resource services provider to receive an ISO 9001:2008 accreditation for Quality Management System.

It was the growing clamor for highly-skilled employees that prompted SFI to establish Temps and Staffers first as a division and eventually, a full-service corporation that provides its clients with administrative assistants, sales assistants, secretaries and other trained staff. 

In 1997, Anastacio’s eldest daughter, Vivian Anastacio-Guerrero, made a bold move by incorporating Temps and Staffers, making it into a full-fledged corporation.

The eldest of three siblings, Vivian knew early on in life that she would eventually need to take over the family’s business. 

Vivian saw how the Servicio Filipino Inc. grew over the decades, from a single proprietorship under the leadership of her father, to eventually becoming a conglomerate under her mother Ester Anastacio.

From its humble beginnings, it has grown into one of the biggest in the industry today and is considered as an industry pillar.

“It was actually during the time of my mom when the company grew exponentially. She has a different management style. She is motherly, more nurturing in contrast to my father’s authoritarian style,” Vivian says.

Mrs. Anastacio reluctantly took over the business when her husband died in 1976. She was then in the jewelry business and had to learn the intricacies of the human resource business on her own, with a little help from loyal employees. Despite her lack of experience in the corporate world, Mrs. Anastacio persevered and propelled the company to where it is today.

Her mom’s dedication to the business became Vivian’s inspiration.

“I admire her for her passion and her heart to help others. She always reminds us that God has brought us in this business for a purpose,” she adds.

Probably learning from her own experience, or the lack of it, Mrs. Anastacio encouraged Vivian to find work elsewhere after college instead of immediately joining the family business.

“My mom wanted me to get experience first working for others before joining our business. So I got my finance background from the bank, and marketing from the hotel,” Vivian shares.

In 1991, she joined Servicio Filipino as executive assistant to her mother. Her focus then was to help her mom grow the family business. Shortly after, however, one of the key managers then in charge of Temps and Staffers, left. Nobody had enough training to take the place. So despite being new in the business, Vivian took over.

“I learned the ropes of the business on my own. I had to reinvent Temps and Staffers and create a different image so that we would be able to attract the kind of applicants – secretary, accounting clerks, sales people – and supply our clients with skilled and qualified employees,” Vivian enthuses.

Few years after joining the family corporation, Vivian decided her “baby” has grown big enough to become independent of the mother company. Thus, with the blessings of the board of directors of the SFI Group, Temps and Staffers officially became a separate corporation in 1997.

“Here in the Philippines, (placement) agencies did not have a very good reputation. But in other countries, the business is well-respected. That was our vision – to put in place international standards and uplift image of whole industry,” Vivian says.

She was focused in improving the plight of workers that pass through Temps and Staffers by finding them the best employment opportunities and negotiating for better compensation package with clients.

While 1997 was also the year that Asia was badly hit by regional economic crisis and many Filipinos opted to go abroad, Vivian and her family decided to stay put.

 For them, giving up on the Philippines was never a choice. In fact, in that year, they had to infuse P15-million as start-up capital for the newly established Temps and Staffers Inc.

 “We were raised up to think that this business was given to us by God for a purpose. So even during the economic crisis, we remained focused. We believed that we were here not because of coincidence but because God chose us to take care of these people (He brought to us),” Vivian shares.

Her mom, she says, would always remind them that their business should focus in helping the government address the problem of unemployment.

“Every year, hundreds of thousands graduate from college. But how many of them actually land in jobs? And how many of them actually get the salaries and benefits they deserve? This is where Temps and Staffers come in – provide employees with work that is commensurate to their skills and get the best compensation from the companies they serve,” Vivian points out.

Strong faith in God, as a born-again Christian, enabled Vivian carry on with Temps and Staffers even in the midst of crisis. With her determination, the company continuously grew that in 2005, they infused an additional P20-million in the company’s capitalization.

Yet, Vivian humbly attributes her business acumen to her mother.

 “I learned so much from her – her passion, her hard work, her steadfastness even in times of trials,” she says.

 This March, SFI turns half a century, a testament to the trust it has earned in the industry. TSI, on the other hand, is entering its 20th year. And just as the “temporary” becomes permanent, so has the daughter carved her own mark.