Celebrating Themenandwomenof Victory Liner

MANILA, Philippines – Aside from ensuring the safety of its passengers on every trip, Victory Liner, Inc. (VLI), one of the largest and pioneering bus transit liners serving Northern Luzon, has also made it part of the company’s ethos to take care of its people like family, and to provide for them a nurturing environment which can help them pursue their career goals further.

Thanks to such an environment, its more than 2,500 employees have stayed with the company about 15 to 18 years on average, with some even serving for up to 40 years. 

Prescila Giron is one such employee. She started her career with the company as an accounting clerk in 1979. After 36 years, she now holds the position of chief accountant.  As the family breadwinner, Giron is grateful to the company for the job security and development opportunities that it has opened up for her.

“I’m so happy to be part of a stable company like Victory Liner which gives so much more than financial security to its employees,” says Giron, who proudly considers her learning with VLI as similar to getting a Master’s Degree in Transportation Management.

Through its corporate social responsibility arm Doña Marta T. Hernandez Foundation (DMTHF), the bus company also makes concerted effort to help the families of its employees. Scholarship grants are given to children of good-standing workers while financial literacy seminars (such as “Negosyo 101”) teach entrepreneurship skills that they can use to supplement their income.

These efforts to nurture its workforce’s well-being and sense of fulfilment have created a culture of excellence and commitment in the organization. This company culture has since propelled VLI to become the biggest bus transport provider for provinces up North. “You can really see that its people have a love for the company. Work places are well-maintained and the employees work with the highest energy,” notes Giron.

Another veteran employee of the company is Nelson Sugay. Following in his father’s footsteps who worked for the company as a bus driver, Nelson started working for the company in 1988 as a conductor. Through sheer hard work, he rose in rank to become first head of the fuels division and eventually as head of the purchasing department.

“For 27 years, Victory Liner has made me feel like I was part of a family, it helps me to improve my skills and gives me a number of opportunities to achieve my career goals in life,” he said.

The bus transport provider’s open door culture and opportunities for advancement are some of the factors that have helped the company earn Sugay’s loyalty. Employees are regularly sent to attend seminars and training programs like customer service and defensive driving workshops to instil in them proper know-how on customer management and safety. There are also yearly sports activities that help strengthen camaraderie among employees.

Aside from developing skills, the organization also inculcates values among its employees, such as leadership, patience and perseverance, as well as flexibility to adapt and innovate according to the needs of the times.

“Each employee is trained to take ownership and leadership in whatever responsibility or role that they are assigned in,” said Sugay. “We’re constantly reminded to always aim for excellence to be able to give the best transport experience to our passengers.”

One product of this effort for values formation is the ongoing success of Victory Liner’s modernization program that provides continuous maintenance to keep the bus liner’s fleet of over 850 buses in tip top condition. This and a number of other initiatives have since enabled the company to progress despite the challenges.

In view of its 70th anniversary this October, Victory Liner is also set to celebrate the men and women who have made these milestones possible. “For Victory Liner, we’ve always considered our people as our greatest asset – our ‘victors’ of the trade,” said Marivic del Pilar, vice president for Treasury and Marketing of VLI. “With our strong and united workforce at the helm, Victory Liner promises to be the nation’s partner in its journey towards progress for more decades to come.”