SAMANTHA PANLILIO is a real beauty and brains rolled into one.  

The former Miss Grand Philippines 2021 is also the chief operations officer of publicly-listed Boulevard Holdings, Inc. (BHI), the company behind luxury accommodation brand Friday’s in Puerto Galera, Boracay, and opening soon in Siargao.

Samantha also holds the same capacity for Puerto Azul Land Inc., which developed the Puerto Azul Golf & Country Club.

At 27 years old, Sam said she is already done with the pageant thing. She is now a part time beauty queen upon her transition to the family’s property development projects hands on.

“We are very good, very busy,” said Samantha adding they are “Always blessed to be stressed.”

HEIRESS

As the daughter of tycoon Jose Marcel Panlilio, Sam is not just a smart beauty queen, but also an heiress of a rich family heritage.

Born and raised in the Philippines, she went to Southville International and went to the US for her college education.

“My family always go to the US for college. That was the path — you go to the US, gain your degree, work there, then come back and help with the business,” she said. 

Following her dad’s advice to be more practical, Samantha studied at the University of California, Irvine, where she finished a double degree in Business and Computer Science.

“It was hard, I had to take coding classes and learned Java, Python and C++, which was like learning a new language,” she said.

Following the family’s career pathway, she worked in the US for an advertising agency, and later on joined the sales department of a telecommunications company.

Despite the lure of a life in the US, her sense of responsibility to the family beckoned. “This is not just a business, this is family legacy. Our properties have been in the family for three generations. I’m the fourth generation. And so, my goal here is to make sure that our legacy continues on to my future children and future grandchildren.”

PAGEANT

But she was sidetracked a bit upon her homecoming. “I found out that my great aunt was the first-ever Binibining Pilipinas Universe titleholder so, that inspired me to join a beauty pageant,” she said.

Samantha won the Binibining Pilipinas Grand International in 2021 and went on to represent the country in the said pageant in Thailand.

“At first he didn’t like it, but later on he found it very entertaining and he was very happy when I won. He was so proud. I think at the end of it, my dad was pretty happy that I was trying to achieve something on my own rather than being spoon-fed,” said Samantha.

LEADERSHIP ROLE

Now, as a businesswoman, she says, “I love taking leadership roles and am very meticulous when it comes to construction because cost could add up so I really have to be hands on.”

“This is the best time to build for the tourism sector,” citing the return of travel after the pandemic. 

For instance, she cited the case of Siargao as a very young market where developers are still trying to figure out what the island really needs. For now, all hotels in Siargao are largely boutique But there is strong demand from tourists despite expensive flights going there. They are building a 24-room hotel in Siargao.

OLD BOYS CLUB

Unlike in the beauty sector where she was surrounded by empowered women, her transition to business has not been easy.  

“It's still an old boys club, whether you like it or not. I’m the only woman in our board and everyone’s older but I never find it hard to gain their respect,” she said. Thanks to the positive reinforcement of her father.

“As a kid, he always taught me that your opinion matters, especially if you know that you're right. So I was never afraid or intimidated,” she added.

If anything, her biggest challenge was dispelling any reservations people had due to her pageantry background.

But she would always remind people whenever she’s asked that the beauty pageant nowadays is a totally different industry. Contestants have distinguished careers such as lawyers, doctors, businesswomen, pilots, among others. Gone are the stereotypes of the old beauty pageants.

“It’s not just surface beauty. I worked hard for my title and so did the other girls.”

For Samantha, she brings to the table her creativity and meticulousness. She works with different people, including architects, engineers and suppliers.

“It takes a lot of creative minds to come up with a successful business platform, not just in the logical sense but also to the nitty gritty like, the shower, tiles or what kind of ceiling fan to ensuring the best guest experience — you have to have a creative mind for those things and I think that being young and being exposed to other like-minded individuals in the same age category can bring advantage,” she added.

ADVICE

“My advice to young entrepreneurs is to just keep going and that it is okay to fail, just take your own initiative and get over that hump,” said Samantha.

The most important lesson she learned from her dad is to “stay grounded and keep hustling, just keep going but always be grateful.”

To the pretty girls out there, “Never just rely on your beauty, but the beauty in your heart.”

Beauty pageants and business have similarities though.

“They both give me a sense of impact. With beauty pageants, the best feeling is when, I get messages from younger fans who say, 'I want to be like you when I grow up, we admire your courage in stepping in that stage for us, and for a greater purpose,” she said.

In business, the same thing. “When you successfully launch a business, you also provide jobs to people. In our case, with the resorts we build, we also provide a happy place for people,” she said.