Lito Barino and his wife, Fe, serve as chair and president, respectively, of San-Vic Holdings Inc., the parent firm of several companies, including the Duros Development Corp. and Duros Land Properties.
“We never expected to reach this far,” Fe said. “I thought I would just be working as a secretary at Atlas (Consolidated Mining and Development Corp.)”
Fe worked as a secretary at the copper mine in Toledo City, west of Cebu, in the 1980s, when the company was still under Andres Soriano Corp. Life was difficult then, she recalled.
Humble beginnings
Although Fe’s family roots are in Liloan town in northern Cebu, she grew up in Barangay Lutopan in Toledo City, near the mining company where her father worked as a mechanic.
It was a “hand-to-mouth” existence, Fe recalled, especially since there were 11 children in the family.
Determined to help her family, she insisted on going to school, even if it meant taking only a two-year secretarial course funded by money her parents had borrowed.
She later worked as a secretary at Atlas Consolidated Mining and Development Corp. when the mining company began hiring employees’ daughters.
Her father’s retirement in 1987 prompted Lito and Fe, who were already married at the time, to put up a small business selling agricultural feeds.
Lito then began visiting the offices of major firms such as Coca-Cola and San Miguel Corp., asking what products they needed and offering to supply them.
“I was still with Atlas at that time and he would call me to help him check the Yellow Pages (directory of phone numbers) for suppliers of these materials in Manila,” recalled Fe.
Turning point
From agricultural feeds, the couple expanded into selling industrial safety equipment, industrial supplies, paint products, and other items.
They soon realized they needed substantial capital, as some suppliers required cash payments and they had yet to establish a credit line.
They managed to raise P100,000, mainly from the sale of shares in Andres Soriano Corp. (ANSCOR)—the founding holding company of Atlas Mining—which had been given to her father as one of its pioneering employees.
Their company, San-Vic Traders, was named after their favorite saint, San Vicente. Fe’s family also hails from Barangay San Vicente in Liloan town, northern Cebu.
In 1995, one of their suppliers introduced them to a Korean who had just won the contract to build the Cebu North Road from Consolacion town to Danao City.
Seizing the opportunity, the couple put up Duros Development Corp and became subcontractors of Korea-based Dongsung Construction Co. Inc. for the road asphalting project, which was valued at P60 million.
Using a loan from Land Bank of the Philippines, Duros imported an asphalt batching plant and other equipment. Foreign consultants trained them how to produce asphalt and undertake road construction using international standards.
Fe said she asked her brother, who was working abroad as a mechanic, to join the training and help operate the batching plant.
From there, they have become one of the sought-after asphalt paving contractors in the area.
Expansion and diversification
Among their projects are the Mandaue Reclamation Project, three bridges that connect Cebu to Mactan Island, and the Mactan Cebu International Airport runway.
From asphalt paving, the company expanded into concreting and eventually into building construction.
But there were challenges along the way.
There was a time when a disgruntled subcontractor abruptly pulled out his workers in the middle of a project.
Short of manpower, Fe and Lito tapped Fe’s eight brothers and several male cousins to fill the gap until they could find another contractor, ensuring that work continued uninterrupted.
More than 30 years later, the company has grown into a diversified group with more than 10 business ventures. These include San-Vic Agro Builders Inc., Cebu Eco-Thermal Horizon Inc., San-Vic Food Chain Corp., Cebu Green Peaks Development, Duros Development Corp., San-Vic Allied Foods Manufacturing Corp., and Divine Life Institute of Cebu, which offers elementary and secondary education.
Setbacks turned into blessings
The couple have also ventured into real estate with Liloan Golf and Leisure Estate and Duros Land Properties, which includes projects such as Woodland Park Residences and One Tectona Hotel.
Fe said that while the companies are under the mother company San-Vic Holdings Inc., they prefer to call the group Duros Group because “it’s less complicated.”
She said their current plan is to focus on Duros Land and deploy their construction arm primarily on their real estate projects.
Fe admitted that their hotel and golf course were not originally planned developments but emerged from setbacks that later turned into blessings.
She said they bought a roughly 100-hectare property in Barangay Yati, Liloan to build an 18-hole golf course for a Korean investor who later backed out.
Since they already owned the land, Lito proceeded with building the golf course in the mountains, carving 65 hectares of their property.
One Tectona Hotel, which is about six kilometers away from the golf course, has a similar backstory.
The 100-room hotel was initially built for a Japanese buyer who intended to market it to Japanese retirees but later backed out when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020.
What's next
Fe said that since most of their developments are in Liloan spanning six barangays —Yati, San Vicente, Santa Cruz, San Roque, Labatan, and Tabla—they plan to build a township that will integrate their hotel, school, golf course, housing projects, and, eventually, a hospital.
In southern Cebu, they plan to develop a resort and other projects on their one-hectare property in Moalboal town, a well-known diving destination.
They also plan to develop a beachfront property in Lower Bantigue, Agujo, Daanbantayan town, about 126 km north of Cebu City.
Although the couple were not blessed with children, Fe said she believes their mission in life has been to take care of her 10 siblings and their families, who are now all involved in their companies in various capacities.
“We (Lito and I) look at ourselves as stewards,” she said.
Paying it forward
The couple also believes in paying it forward to the community through their foundations, which provide scholarships, disaster relief goods, and other forms of assistance.
Fe, who chairs the Commission on the Laity of the Cebu Archdiocese, is also the driving force behind Surrender to God (SuGod), a 10-day, community-based drug recovery and renewal program. The initiative combines scientific, educational, and spiritual elements in a non-threatening and nurturing environment that encourages former drug users to begin living a clean life.
Since the SuGod program started in August 2016, it has helped hundreds of individuals who chose to live their lives free from the bondage of illegal drug use.
Now in their 60s, Fe said they already have a succession plan that includes training nephews and nieces who have shown leadership potentials to ensure the future of the companies.
While no one may be able to fully take the place of Lito and Fe in the Duros Group, leadership in the future will likely be shared by a team rather than a single individual.
Part of their succession planning involves exposing family members to the business. Another is assigning them practical roles, such as driving Fe or Lito to work or meetings.
Fe said she would sometimes ask a particular nephew or niece to drive for her so they could discuss sensitive matters along the way.
She reiterated that they see themselves as God’s stewards, entrusted with caring for their family and safeguarding their future.
Contributor
