Pat Pelayo: Passionate about renewable energy

Pat Pelayo is in love. He is passionate about sweet sorghum, the crop his company, Pemdas, will use to produce ethanol. To encourage the use of biofuels, governments require that unleaded fuel is mixed with 10 percent ethanol. The local demand to meet this mandatory blending is 300 million liters of imported ethanol yearly. Guided by his research facility based in India and with the support of investment bankers, our bachelor visualizes the day when Pemdas can supply some of the ethanol that the Philippine market needs. 

Sweet sorghum is a stalk like cane crop. It takes only three months to grow and thrives in idle inferior land like lahar fields. The first 5,000 hectares of sweet sorghum will be ready for harvest in May and Pat is monitoring its growth. If Pemdas’ plan works, the long-term benefits include a high return on investment, the use of alternative energy and giving farmers the opportunity to earn more money. 

Pat, 28, knows how to help farmers. Since 2005, he has partnered with farmers who supply him with fresh vegetables and fruits. Some of his farms make use of advanced technologies such as greenhouses, drip irrigation and aquaponics, which allows them to produce all year long. This controlled environment gives Pat the reputation of being a credible supplier. SM Supermarkets, Rustan’s, Robinson’s, several wet markets and bagsakans rely on Pat to deliver what he promises. 

Here, Pat reflects on being a risk taker, the joys of seeing his projects succeed and the pleasure of his morning coffee:

Best quality about me: I am a risk taker, and when I do I always give my all. I don’t stop until I know that I have done everything that could possibly be done.

My personal style signifier is myself; my style mostly depends on my mood at that particular moment. I make it a point to prioritize style and grooming for they somehow give you an edge when it comes to business, especially when meeting and dealing with people.

One of my goals this year is to be able to find time to study abroad. I’ve been looking at short certification programs that only take two to three months to accomplish. I want to take up a finance or management program.

Pelayo bonds with his farmers over fields of watermelons that he supplies to supermarkets, wet markets, and restaurants.

What makes me happy are good music, good food, and seeing my projects succeed.

I get inspired to work more when I have new ideas.

I work best in the morning. That’s when my mind is at its sharpest. I wake really early as that’s what the job entails. I love breakfast food and enjoy a good cup of coffee. After that, I’m at full speed.

My best moment was when my company and my Biofuel and Renewable Energy project got featured in The Economist magazine last year. I have been a big follower of that magazine ever since I was in college and it never even appeared in my dreams that I would be able to be part of its content someday.

My worst moment was when we found out that my mom is suffering from a life-changing disease. This was probably the most heartbreaking news I have ever received.

The last meal that truly impressed me was my mom’s sinigang and kare-kare. I am very easy to please when it comes to food. I also like adobo and tuyo in the morning.

One fear of mine is to lose inspiration and motivation to grow and improve.

What helped me to conquer fear is continuous learning. 

A quality that I have been working to address is I try to do so many things at the same time.

A recent find is a good pair of jeans.

The last thing I bought and loved was a Nespresso coffee maker. I drink a cup or two when I’m just resting in my condo.

The thing I’m hoping to buy next: Mac desktops for the office.

The place that inspires me is our house in Candaba. This place gives me comfort and renews me.

The best gift I have given recently is a new laptop to my little brother. I know this would help him in school; I just hope he doesn’t use it to browse adult material on the Internet.

And the best one I’ve received recently: an Elmer Borlongan painting.

In my fridge you’ll always find gummy bears/worms and chocolates. I could eat those the whole day.

My favorite websites are Investopedia and YouTube. My business partners and I have a thing called “YouTube University” — this is where we study and research about everything.

I am proud of my father and what he has done for the town of Candaba. A lot of leaders could learn from this story.

Beside my bed are my rosary, my BlackBerry, my Macbook and my ever-reliable Sketchpad, where I draw and write down new ideas, concepts and visions that suddenly come to me — my light-bulb moments.

The grooming basic I am never without is Kiehl’s Facial Fuel and a clean haircut.

In school, I learned that it is our duty to be of service to others, to be passionate about life and always aspire for excellence. Ateneo really molded me into the person that I am now.

After being in business, I realized that you cannot do everything on your own. Also, failures will come even to the best ones.

A recent setback I had was: We had our share of incorrect designs of equipment and machinery. These setbacks were very costly and delayed our production. But I think that’s normal; we know that it’s really hard to get it right the first time.

The sport I do the most is basketball. I played for Ateneo when I was in high school.

The books I am reading now are The Prince by Machiavelli and The Clash of Civilizations. These were required and forced reading when I was in college and I try to read them now leisurely and I really appreciate these books more now.

The way I plan my day is: My day is usually composed of meetings with partners, groups of farmers, financial institutions and other stakeholders. I transfer from one place to another. Most are breakfast or lunch meetings. I don’t do dinners or cocktails. I try to squeeze everything in from Monday to Saturday, since Sunday for me is strictly a rest day and for spending time with my parents and siblings.

The last time I cried was after watching an episode of American Idol on Chris Medina. I hadn’t cried in years before that. His story is truly amazing.

Good advice I have given: Current mistakes are the ingredients of future achievements. Just try again, work harder and don’t lose that determination to never stop chasing your dreams.

Good advice I received is: One must always remain humble in spite of success. Focus and build on your life partnerships and not on yourself.

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E-mail : aurorawilson@gmail.com