JR and Emily Colina
From the Bottom and All the Way Up
In their palatial home in an exclusive village, they are living the high life. It is hard to believe that the man, with plenty of floor space to his residence, used to sweep floors for a living.
In their palatial home in an exclusive village, they are living the high life. It is hard to believe that the man with plenty of floor space to his residence used to sweep floors for a living.
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Domingo, fondly called JR, worked as a janitor at the Property and Supply Division of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH). He admits that he was often the butt of jokes by some of the more senior staff members
"Lahat na-experience ko. Pagtawanan ako ng mga doktor, lahat yun. Pero, ano namang magagawa ko? Para lang may maipon," says JR of his days at the PGH.
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He adds that even if his salary was barely enough for him to survive, a measly P 500 a week, it was better than being unemployed.
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"Kuha ako ng kuha ng civil service exams pero di ako maka pasa-pasa. Kaya, ayun, na-stuck ako sa PGH," JR expounds.
In 2005, he was invited by some dealers also working at the PGH to the orientation of First Vita Plus. For a man in a dead-end job, it was a new lease on life.
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"Para pong nabuhayan ako noong um-attend po ako ng orientation. Dahil doon, naniwala po akong may pag-asa po akong maka-ahon sa sitwasyon ko."
JR knew that this new venture required him to take a leap of faith, to quit his job at the PGH. It was a decision frowned upon by his co-workers at the hospital.
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"Oo nga't maliit yung sweldo pero sigurado naman daw. Pero heto na yung opportunity na pwedeng magpayaman sa akin. Bakit ko pa ito palalampasin?" he states.
His wife Emily held a better position at the hospital as a pathologist. Yet she was often tired from the daily grind at the country's largest hospital. "Nakakapagod din kung yun at yun lang yung nakikita mo. Oo, maganda rin naman yung trabaho ko. Nakakatulong ako sa mga may sakit, pero ayun," she says. Being a woman of science, Emily found it hard to believe in First Vita Plus at first.
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"Siyempre, noong una, sabi ko Ano ba itong kinahuhumalingan ng mga kasamahan ko sa ospital? Eh juice lang ito."
"Puso ang puhunan dito eh. Kailangan marunong kang makaramdam ng mga problema at paghihirap ng ibang tao. Kailangan gusto mo ring matulungan sila"
She also knew that the doctors who invited her husband to become a dealer had an ulterior motive in bringing JR into the fold. "Actually, isa sa mga dahilan kung bakit nila inimbita si JR is para makarating sa akin. Talagang ayaw ko noon sumali sa First Vita Plus. Kaya siguro naisip nilang kumbinsihin si JR," Emily recounts with a chuckle.
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The Colinas faced various challenges as dealers. There was a time when out of 67 people they tried to talk to, only one signed up.
"Masakit, oo. Pero ang importante, mag-pursigi ka sa ginagawa mo. Kaya, ayun, sige, hataw lang kami. Dinadala ko yung First Vita Plus Power Pack sa mga ospital kahit mabigat," JR recalls. After seven years with First Vita Plus, the couple has something to show for all the sacrifices they made as dealers. They now live in an upscale subdivision in las Pinas, and are in the process of constructing their 30 Million dream mansion.
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"Kakaiba talaga yung feeling na mula sa nakikitulog sa mga kaibigan ko, meron na akong pinatatayong bahay na di basta-basta," JR enthuses.
Moreover, the couple's children are now currently enrolled at a prestigious private school in their area, something that the family has been dreaming of for years now.
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"Dinadaan-daanan lang namin dati yung school tapos sinasabi namin na sana isang araw, makapag-aral yung mga bata doon. Ngayon, nagkatotoo na," he adds.
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JR and Emily say that there really is nothing more they could ask for, but to see the dealers they have invited be able to reach their dreams too.
"Lahat na meron kami eh. Pwede na yung sila (their downlines) naman yung makakuha ng pangarap nila," Emily says.
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JR says that one of his greatest secrets to achieving success is to always remain sympathetic.
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"Puso ang puhunan dito eh. Kailangan marunong kang makaramdam ng mga problema at paghihirap ng ibang tao. Kailangan gusto mo ring matulungan sila," he expounds.
Indeed, things have changed for the better in the Colinas' lives, yet JR proudly states that despite the riches he can now call his, deep down he is still the same man who used to sweep floors for P 500.
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"Sa loob, pusong janitor pa rin ako. Ganoon pa rin naman ako. Ayokong lumaki ang ulo dahil lang sa kung ano na ang meron ako," he adds.