MAQUIÑANA and his fiancée with the sleek blue sport utility vehicle he bought in 2012 with the returns on his investments
As the son of a jeepney driver and a barbecue vendor, dabbling in stocks was farthest from the mind of Albert Maquiñana.
But now, the 26-year-old former scholar of SM Foundation Inc. has started to work toward his goal of accumulating assets by investing in listed companies.
First on his list, of course, was SM Prime Holdings Inc. Maquiñana beamed with pride as he recently told 700 new SM scholars about his first foray into stock buying in 2010, paying P10 to P11 for each share.
“As an SM scholar, it was instinctive that I put 100 percent of my trust and initial capital in SM companies,” Maquiñana said. “Since I have a very high regard for SM and Tatang (founder Henry Sy Sr.), the first company I bought [from] was SM Prime Holdings.”
His investment in his benefactor’s company has already paid off, the P10 to P11 share reaching P18 to P19, or a yield of 70 to 80 percent.
He credited SM, particularly Sy and SM Foundation, for providing him with the tools to achieve his goal of finishing college and finding a stable job.
“Mr. Sy [gave me] the start to succeed not only in my stock investments but [also] in my life as a whole,” he said. “Tatang’s humble beginnings really inspired me to see that successful people dream big. SM was just a dream for him 50 plus years ago.”
One of three children, Maquiñana learned about “the fear of monthly bills” and unpaid debts at a very young age. Every day, he made do with a baon of P5 to P10 while some of his classmates got a daily allowance of P50 to P100.
He woke up two to three hours before his first class to walk the 6 kilometers to his public school so that he would not have to take a tricycle. In high school, he started to think that he would not be able to go to college.
“I [could have] taken college entrance examinations for free because I was in the Top 10 of my class but on the days of the exams, I [would] have no money for fare,” Maquiñana said.
But on Dec. 20, 2003, he decided to apply for SM Foundation’s scholarship program. “All I wanted was a chance to go to college,” he said.
And he got his chance. With his scholarship, Maquiñana pursued a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering degree at Far Eastern University- East Asia College.
But it was not easy, even with the scholarship. “I needed to manage my monthly allowance [so that] there was something left until the next month. [Being with] more fortunate kids than me … made me strive harder … From being an average student … I became one of the top students,” Maquiñana said.
Instead of taking a break, he spent the long vacation working in SM malls to earn extra cash to pay for books and help in household expenses.
Maquiñana’s discipline and hard work paid off. In 2008, he graduated magna cum laude and got a well-paying job the following year.
He became the breadwinner of the family, asking his parents to retire and paying the college education of his younger brother.
Maquiñana is now the information technology systems manager of a multinational company. He is also an entrepreneur and investor.
This allowed him to buy a second car, a blue Montero Sport. “I got my dream cars before I turned 25,” he told the scholars. He has also traveled extensively.
Maquiñana has a new goal. “Five to 10 years from now, I would like to put up my own company and do what Mr. Henry Sy did. I took that first step … with my very first financial investment in SM Prime,” he said.
A large part of SM’s success is due to its giving back to the community through service, he said. “SM companies have grown enormously because of the service it gives to the Filipino people … giving jobs to millions of people,” he said.