The giving doesn't stop

MANILA, Philippines - Oftentimes, people achieve success by the sheer drive to conquer poverty. The lack of means to fulfill life’s daily requirements is difficult, but it often pushes people to their limits, and even beyond.

Here’s one story that may motivate others to keep pushing no matter how beaten they may be, and to keep giving back.

Raised by a single mother, the growing-up years of Marc Cubales were not easy, always wanting in many things. To pay for his schooling, he worked as a helper/ delivery boy in a wood store in San Mateo, Rizal where his family resides up to now. 

In 2003, he was spotted in a shopping mall by a talent scout who asked if he wanted to try ramp modeling. Without much thought, he accepted the offer and found himself working two days a week at the mall. His talent fee as a model was not much, but it was better than at the wood store.

Considering that in less than a year he had to put himself through college, Marc also applied as a bellboy in a Makati hotel. On one of his nights off in 2004, he went, upon a friend’s invitation, to a restaurant in Greenbelt Makati, where he was approached by a British national who ran a modeling agency. By early 2005, Marc was in the UK doing print modeling. In 2006, Marc came back to the Philippines to attend to the land his late father had left him. 

Still under the management of his British sponsor, modeling stints came in continuously as did bit roles in soap operas on UK television. He went into real estate ventures, even in Thailand. He also went into buy and sell of farm and commercial lots in the Philippines with the help of his sister. With all these successes, Marc was living the good life in Manchester, Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Manila. 

But beyond the loud music and chatter of the party scene, Marc has been sharing his blessings as his earnings began to increase. He has been involved in charities in the UK and funds feeding programs in depressed areas of Thailand and Cambodia.

In the Philippines, the needy occupy a special place in his heart. He has paid medical bills of strangers when visiting hospitals. He donated a multi-cab vehicle and had a phone installed for the Montalban Police headquarters. He has also initiated a feeding program in Manggahan Elementary School. Concrete classrooms are being built in Wawa Elementary School to replace makeshift rooms.

Following the devastation left by storm “Ondoy,” Marc carried out relief operations for 200 families in Barangay Ampid in San Mateo, Rizal. These and more projects are in the works, Marc says, for as long as his resources allow. Once struggling to make ends meet, Marc is now a successful businessman, from whose heart the giving doesn’t stop.