On the day Robert John Sobrepeña flew in on a helicopter to conduct an ocular on what would become Manila Southwoods, Vic de Guzman was there beside him.
After all, he was the magnate's No. 2 guy.
"My ID card number in Fil-Estate Golf and Development Inc. was 002," De Guzman told the DAILY TRIBUNE.
"It's because Mr. Sobrepeña was the 001."
The well-known developer was envisioning an upscale residential and commercial community built around a 36-hole golf course to be designed by Jack Nicklaus.
But all De Guzman could see was a vast tract of land in a remote part of Carmona, Cavite. Planted with coconut trees and sugar cane.
"That vision of his, I honestly had my doubts — No. 1, I am sure it's going to be very expensive. No. 2, Jack Nicklaus?" De Guzman recalled.
Can't blame him. He was hearing information that, back in early 1990s, was too remote and was simply never heard of.
"Even if I try to ride on that vision, I just could not understand. I just had to trust my gut, my instincts that there's something there," De Guzman added.
"That's actually one of the realizations that I now use when I talk to my employers. That whenever you ride a car or a plane or any vehicle going to a particular journey, you just have to trust the captain. Trust the driver to take you to that destination."
Well, it's easy for him to say because he would always have a fallback — being a University of the Philippines graduate.
"If everything fails, I could always find work," he said, half-jokingly.
All-around GUY
De Guzman would spend the next 14 years with Fil-Estate as their "All-around Guy" and help the firm develop other golf courses even as they work on Southwoods.
Almost overlapping were constructions on Legends, Masters courses, as well as Sherwood and Forest Hills.
"I learned a lot from him (Sobrepeña), Toti Carino and Ferdinand Santos," he said. "They all shaped my career as an executive."
De Guzman climbed the corporate ladder, managing the company's purchasing, international relations and even corporate communications.
When he left Fil-Estate around 2004 to 2005, his item was executive assistant to the president.
"I just want to find out what's out there for me," he said.
His search ended when he was tapped by the Leviste family to run Summit Point Golf and Country Club in Lipa, Batangas.
That time there were only nine holes, so he helped build the other nine holes and make some improvements as the club's first general manager.
Yet again, the lure of life outside of golf development brought him out of Summit Point. He left by 2009 and dabbled with consultancy and business development with several companies including broadcasting advertising and gaming outfits.
"From 2009 to 2017 there was no golf in my life," he said.
By then he was in his early 50s. He was aiming to slow things down. And what better way to test "pre-retirement life" than work — once again — in a golf course.
Hence, the return to Summit Point. That was 15 January 2018.
It was a gigantic task for somebody who was away for a long time — especially with all the conditions that greeted him.
"In fairness to the other GMs, I'm sure they tried to do everything they can to maintain the property. And, back then, there was no Star Toll yet, it's hard to get to Summit Point. There was also a crisis back then," he said.
He said about 90 percent of the Bermuda grass that covered the course were replaced by the cheaper carabao grass. Tiles on the veranda were falling off. Roofs were leaking.
De Guzman made a plea with the owners: "Give me elbow room to implement drastic changes."
GOLF CART ARMADA
So, the first order of the day, he almost wiped out the Summit Point coffers by buying 40 golf carts. Revenues from cart rentals alone, De Guzman surmised, could pay for the employees' salaries.
There, he fanned out invites to stage tournaments. He even opened the club for a huge, Batangas-wide wedding fair, offering the venue to suppliers for free in exchange of referrals.
"We were exhausting means to generate revenue while cutting down on the expenses," he said. "It's great because right on my first year we surpassed our revenues the previous years."
But he continued to roll the earnings by improving on the facilities and, yes, buying even more golf carts.
Alas, the fun times didn't last because at the start of 2020, Taal Volcano erupted. It drove away Korean golfers back to their country. And just when they thought it was a temporary hiccup, only a month later, the Covid-19 pandemic struck.
"But because we were doing well financially, I thought that even if this pandemic lasted for two years, we will survive without laying off employees," he said.
Lo and behold, a blessing came. ABS-CBN knocked on their doors. They wanted to use the club as location for its massive TV hit series "Ang Probinsyano."
"It was unexpected revenue. And because it's pandemic, there were few players. We had the chance to make repairs on the greens and buy fresh sands for our bunkers," De Guzman said.
The following year when it appeared the pandemic would drag on much longer, another teleserye came by, "Dirty Linen," where De Guzman even appeared as one of the actors.
So, everything was going well. Even what they call "slow days," such as Wednesday and Friday, were fully booked for tournaments.
Summit Point was riding the crest of what he termed as "golf revenge," hosting the likes of the World Amateur Golf qualifying.
LIFE THREATENING
On 2 July 2023, De Guzman was having celebrity golfers Michael Pacquiao and Bryan Poe as guests when suddenly he felt an excruciating pain. He couldn't tell where it was coming from.
"When you feel pain in the chest, you hold your chest, right? When you feel pain in the back, you hold your back. Or in the stomach," De Guzman said. "In my case, it was all over. I don't even know where to hold."
He was rushed to the hospital. Diagnosis: Thoracic Aortic Dissection. Doctors said he needed surgery within 12 hours or he might not make it the next morning.
An open-heart surgery was done. It lasted 12 hours. Things happened so fast he didn't have time to tell anyone what he was going through except his family.
He didn't have to because words spread like wildfire, and he emerged from the operation to an overwhelming love and support from his golf family.
"I was stunned by the support I received. Even to this day, I'm still touched. It gives me goosebumps," De Guzman said.
"To have that many people praying for you and giving you financial support so I can overcome my trial. It was too many of them."
So moved by the unexpected gesture that De Guzman was up by Summit Point just a day after being discharged from the hospital.
He said he wanted to personally thank the staff, the board and especially the club members — some of whom he never imagined would rush to his aid.
"In Batangas, we have a term 'maligalig' which means restless, uneasy or even difficult. They (club members) complained on just about everything. Most of the time I felt everything I did was never appreciated," De Guzman said.
"But after what happened to me, I know for sure they appreciate all that I did. They didn't have to always praise me and tell me I was doing a great job."
Up until early October, he wasn't cleared to work full-time. But he would visit the Summit Point twice a week to give instructions and do paperwork and hang around to thank the club members.
"They would tell me, 'what are you doing? You should be at home. We need you healthy,'" he said. "But that's the only way to reconnect with them and reciprocate their kindness."
SLOWING IT DOWN
That afternoon the DAILY TRIBUNE caught up with him, he was up and about, and there was not a trace he almost lost his life.
"There is a joke around Summit Point that I run it like I own it," said De Guzman, fiddling his coffee cup in a quiet corner café of the Okada Hotel and Casino.
Now, Okada is Summit Point's hotel partner, the same way The Country Club pairs with Solaire; Tagaytay Highlands with City of Dreams; and Southwoods with Resorts World.
He counted that as one of his achievements, beating other popular golf courses to be linked with a world-class establishment like Okada.
De Guzman may not be the best golfer out there. He's a 14-handicapper.
"But I try to be creative. They call my style unorthodox. Out of the box," he said.
"I try to give back by giving the members the best possible golf course they can have. The best possible service that can make them happy. And becoming more available to hear what they want and what they need."
That makes him the best. At least for Summit Point.