Provocateur of change

Robert “Bobby” Lim Joseph’s complexion has become fairer and fairer of late. “It’s because of the medicine I’m taking,” says Bobby who, seven years ago, was diagnosed to have cancer of the kidney. In 2007, his cancer has grown to stage 4 because the cancer cells have metastasized to his lungs, throat and heart.

Notwithstanding his sickness, Bobby vows never to be cowed by it.

The change in the color of his skin has become symbolic of the change he has put into his life, as well as in the life of others.

At his Wine Museum in Pasay City (Bobby and his brothers Ralph, Ronald and Raymond own the chain of Ralph’s Wines around the country), I sit down with Bobby in his class as he lectures to Tourism and Hotel and Restaurant Management students.

“The key to competitiveness,” he tells his students, “is not only that you know what your academic subjects are. More than that, you must also know yourself and that you are capable of administering positive change to your surroundings.”

Bobby, the national president of SKAL International and Consul of Latvia, believes so much in the tourism industry. The younger minds, he says, will play a vital role in managing the tourism of the country and, in great expectation, of the world. So he gives his time to train them, to ready them for their future.

A few years ago, he set up the Travel Cooperative of the Philippines (TCP), which is now a micro enterprise model that can be used here and abroad.  

“We are the first travel cooperative in the world that was approved by the International Air Transport Association as an accredited agent. The cooperative is owned by 149 proprietors and top executives of independent travel and tour agencies operating in major cities of the Philippines,” Bobby proudly beams.

The TCP deals in international and domestic travel and related services, both outbound and inbound, either wholesale or retail. Its agents are equipped to handle international and domestic air reservations and ticketing; hotels and resorts room reservations and confirmations; inbound and outbound tour packages and incentive travel arrangements; cruise package arrangements; conventions, seminars and event management; among other services.

Despite his cancer, Bobby is very active in the country’s tourism endeavor. He’s aware of his cancer and the limitation it can bring him. But Bobby chooses for his disease not to cripple him — not his mind, not his soul.

“Cancer is just a disease. It shouldn’t stop you from creating change and creating some more changes for others,” he says.

Bobby the whiz kid

Early on in life, Bobby has shown the traits of a strong person that he is now. When he was young, he proved that he could juggle study and work without sacrificing one for the other.

At the precocious age of 13, not wanting to always ask for money from his parents, he started working by setting up a little “company” that sold Touch and Go erasers. At 16, together with his friends, he put up an afternoon dancing venue called Why Not, followed by another disco called Hang Out when he was 17.

When he was 18, he found himself training for Alitalia. “My parents told me that if I want to travel, I must work for it,” he recalls. So, after his training at Alitalia, he found himself handling ticketing and reservations at United Arab Airlines office in Manila.

At 19, he handled the reservations of Egypt Air. Because of his “young expertise” in the airline industry, he saw other business opportunities. So, when he was 20 years old, he was already exporting handicrafts to other countries. His business acumen also brought him to selling pilgrimage tours to Filipinos. He had done all these long before he finished his degree in Economics in Letran Manila when he was already 21.

Known for his passion as a provocateur of change, he put up with some friends from travel agencies a tailoring shop called Salon del Hombre after finishing college. Then he tailored some more dreams when he became seriously involved in spiritual pilgrimages that when he was 22 years old he would go to Europe to promote faith healers.

Between the age of 23 and 24, Bobby chuckles, “I was dancing with the Aldeguer Sisters!” Of course, that was just his diversion for when he was 24, he started the Manila Interliner Club, an airline club. Always pregnant with innovative ideas, Bobby helped designer Pitoy Moreno in delivering a smashingly successful airborne fashion show on Korean Air from Seoul to New York. 

At 25, Bobby put up Wines and Spirits under the name Philippine Wine Merchants which he and his brothers have successfully managed to this day. They also own the Tonton’s Thai massage in the Philippines.

Like the wine that they sell, Bobby says his relationship with his siblings gets better with time.

It’s in his genes

The entrepreneurial spirit in Bobby was easily fired up because it was what he saw in his family. His parents owned 29 cinemas in the Philippines. His grandfather of Arab descent was the first to introduce the silent movies or silent talkies in the country. His grandmother was Spanish. His great-grandfather was Syrian Arab. His father was Spanish-Arab; his mother, Filipino-Chinese.

“I am like a fruit cocktail,” he jokingly says of his heritage.

Bobby is simply an amalgam of the best traits one could possess. Because of this intercultural mix, his character is also an interesting tapestry of everything that is witty, kind, funny, warm and passionate.

“As I said, my cancer has enabled me to become a stronger person not only for me but most especially for other people.”

Bobby is now 60, and like the soldier of his dreams, he will carry on with his mission. And there’s no stopping him from doing just that.

Bobby’s wisdom

1. Never undervalue yourself.

2. Give to people around.

3. The greatest sin is to compare yourself with others. Only compare yourself with yourself.

4. The greatest insult is to pity yourself.

5. Just carry on forward. Move on. Do not carry excess baggage.

6. For every tear, there is victory. For every sadness, joy.

7. There are always opportunities in experiencing pain.

8. The environment may be filthy but your mind shouldn’t be.

9. Stay away from inactive people. They are contagious.

10. When you work, do not look at the bottom line right away. You develop your value when people believe in you.

11. The entrepreneurial spirit starts with the self and with the willingness to be the best one can be.

12. The spirit doesn’t compete with others, only itself. It’s about making oneself obsolete every day.

(For your new beginnings, please e-mail me at bumbaki@yahoo.com. Have a blessed Sunday.)