AQUICK scan of Samantha Panlilio’s Instagram account will show a smattering of “Barbie” or “Filipino Barbie” reactions written in the comments section. It’s hardly a surprise. The former Binibining Pilipinas Grand International resembles the world’s most famous doll after all, given her chiseled facial features, toned physique and overall aura. While flATTERED, THE 27-YEAR-OLD SECRETLY hopes her followers liken her to “Boss Barbie” among the doll’s many professions — a lady who is SMART, CONfiDENT AND OF LEADERSHIP MATERIAL — OWING TO HER OFF-STAGE achievements.

qodayI manlilio hardly wears a crown and sash since she is Chief Operations Officer of Boulevard Holdings, Inc., (BHI — the company behind luxury property brand Friday’s, founded in Puerto Galera, Boracay and opening soon in Siargao) — among other executive positions in several other businesses.

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

“So our main business is land development and land banking, which in a nutshell means holding the property and making sure it’s secure. Second comes the hotel resorts and overseas investments,” Panlilio said in this one-on-one interview with The Sunday Times Magazine.

Lately, Panlilio has been busy spearheading the construction of Puerto Azul Gateway, a modern commercial center in the coastal municipality of Ternate, Cavite.

Panlilio explained the project aims to complement the redevelopment of Puerto Azul — a vast and sprawling resort property once dubbed “Asia’s Paradise Resort” and the “World’s Golfing Capital.”

Now, if these endeavors come across as revelations to pageant observers and Panlilio’s online followers, it might be because the girl boss deliberately separates her multifaceted identities.

“As my dad always advises me, keep all opportunities separate. So, when I’m in my beauty queen mode, that’s a separate opportunity, and when I’m in my business mode, that’s also separate. I never combined the two or let one affect the other,” Panlilio stated.

But how does she juggle these diverse endeavors effectively? And more intriguingly, how did a business protege — groomed in the intricacies of her family’s trade since childhood — find herself in the polar opposite universe of beauty pageants?

Expected trajectory

As the daughter of tycoon Jose Marcel Panlilio, the beauty queen remembers keenly observing the family business as part of her childhood.

“But I only really sat down and worked with my father during college summers. I used to sit in meetings with him,” the younger Panlilio said.

Born and raised in the Philippines, she attended Southville International School and Colleges before taking an international baccalaureate program.

“Members of my family always go to the US for college.

That was the path — you go the US, gain your degree, work there, then come back and help with the business.”

manlilio left the mhilippines in OMN3I when she was only 17, to study at the University of California, Irvine.

She contemplated pursuing film directing, but her dad reminded her about the pros of joining the family business.

“My dad told me I need to pick a more practical path, which is why I took up Business and Computer Science; it was a double degree for me,” the dutiful daughter said.

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

Her perseverance paid off because she graduated without a hitch.

Following family tradition, Panlilio found employment and worked in Orange County for an advertising agency. Later, she joined the sales department of the American telecommunications company T-Mobile.

Though expected to return home after gaining work experience, Panlilio confessed, “I’m only human. Of course, when I was in the US, going home was the last thing I wanted to do. That’s why I was trying out working in different companies to see what would work. If I succeeded in one, I would have an excuse not to return to the business and do my own thing.”

So, what prompted her change of mind?

Panlilio replied, “I noticed that the more I resisted it, the more I also realized that it wasn’t just about the business. It had to do with our family legacy. Our properties have been in the family for three generations, and I’m already from the fourth. And so our goal is to ensure our legacy carries on to our future children and grandchildren.”

‘Beau con’ calling

Panlilio eventually returned to the Philippines in 2019, immersing herself in the family trade.

“I was basically my dad’s assistant when I came home. I would be there for all the meetings he’d attend and all his phone calls so I could shadow him and learn from him until I eventually worked in the marketing side.”

During this period, Panlilio, all grown-up, proposed an idea to her dad.

“When I moved back, I told my dad that I felt like I’d been gone for so long — for more than seven years — so I wanted to make connections again and create my own network outside of our business community.

“At the same time, I discovered that my aunt, Myrna Panlilio Borromeo, was the first-ever Binibining Pilipinas titleholder, which inspired me to join a beauty pageant.”

Panlilio wasn’t surprised with her dad’s startled reaction, considering that her older brother went straight to work for the company full-time after college — again, following the family’s expected trajectory.

“I think at the end of it, my dad was pretty happy that I was trying to achieve something independently rather than being spoon-fed. Sure, 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 of me too.”

Panlilio won the Binibining Pilipinas Grand International title in 2021 and went on to represent the country in the grand finals in Thailand. Unfortunately, she didn’t advance to the semi-finals, which was heartbreaking because she was a pageant frontrunner.

At home, Panlilio suffered more heartbreak after losing a loved one to illness and breaking up with her then significant other.

It was indeed a low point in her life but like the fighter she became in vying for the crown, Panlilio took control of her life.

“I consider myself a happy person in general. I don’t like to linger in my problems. For me, you have to grow and carry on with life because it’s supposed to be fun and happy. There’s no reason for it not to be.”

Corporate crown

Whereas Panlilio was surrounded by empowered women in the beauty pageant industry, her business transition placed her in boardrooms predominantly filled with men.

“It’s still an old boys club, whether you like it or not. Most of the people on our board are men — I’m the only woman, and everyone’s older, but I never found it hard to gain their respect,” she gratefully said.

That’s also thanks to the positive reinforcement of her father.

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

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

“I guess people maybe did not take me seriously at first because I joined a beauty queen pageant, but when they do ask me about my experience, I always remind them that it’s a different industry now. Women who join are lawyers, doctors, and businesswomen — basically Filipinas who have substance and admirable life experiences.

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

She was also confident about working amongst men and the older generation because she knew she would bring value to the business.

“It’s my creativity and things that I can bring to the table to, say, modernize the company. For example, to be more successful in the hotel industry, you have to understand that the process of planning to open takes a long time and a lot of collaboration with different teams like your architects, your engineers and your suppliers.

“It takes a lot of creative minds to come up with a successful business platform, not just in the logical sense but also with nitty gritty details like the shower, tiles or what kind of ceiling fan or pattern from Mindanao are we going to use today or 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 brings an advantage.”

True girl boss

Besides working for their conglomerate, Panlilio has also built businesses out of her passions.

For one, she opened Pak! Studios — cleverly named after the gay slang for perfection — an all-in-one destination for photo and video shoots that anyone can rent out.

“It’s complete with equipment for lighting, backdrops, and props. There’s a nice makeup room and a reception area. So if you need your photos or videos taken, it will be a breezy experience.”

She is also on the cusp of launching her high-end luxury brand, House of Marrakech, inspired by her recent travels to Europe and Morocco.

“I love furniture art, and I love collecting, so I’m going to import products from Morocco, Italy, and Spain, then resell it here under that brand.”

Some of her initial planned collections include artworks by up-and-coming artists, authentic Italian chess board pieces with carabao horn stands, and all-leather goods like bags.

“I love doing these passion projects because I feel that while you’re young, it’s a time to explore different industries, just like what I did with beauty pageants. These are my personal interests, and I figured why not turn them into businesses. I guess that’s the entrepreneur in me speaking.”

Intertwining worlds

It is admirable to see Panlilio continue to thrive in her varied endeavors, all the more since she is not closing her doors to doing even more.

“I find pageantry so fulfilling whenever I get messages from younger fans who say, ‘I want to be like you when I grow up’ or ‘We admire your courage in stepping on that stage.’

“And it’s the same with my businesses. You know, when you successfully launch a business, the best thing is that you’re able to provide jobs for many people. In our case, with the resorts we build, we also provide a happy place for people,” Panlilio ended.