Filipino Jemy See virtually built and developed tourism in every country where he has worked in.
He was a key personality in the development of Philippine-Taiwan tourism to what it is today, increasing tourism traffic between Hawaii and Asia, and he is now putting his stamp as Marianas Visitors Authority (MVA) senior adviser.
His success in the tourism industry can be traced to his early life where he carried a degree in psychology from Far Eastern University, spent time as a priest and eventually earned a master’s in Public Administration from Harvard University.
To those who have known See, they have seen how good he was with his management skills.
“I have built good relationships, resolved issues while doing the job that I love. I have seen the fruits of my labor. I have built a good reputation,” See said in looking back at a career in tourism that has spanned more than two decades.
His tourism success
See’s first foray in the tourism industry was as tourism director for Manila Economic and Commercial Office (Meco) in Taiwan in 1996. It was a job he held for six years that was accompanied with a lot of success.
It was not his first time in Taiwan, as he was there first in 1991 as the Philippine chaplain for the country’s overseas Filipino workers after the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines found out that he could speak Mandarin fluently.
During his term there as chaplain, See claimed that he had rescued or provided assistance to a large number of Filipinos who were in tough circumstances.
“It was the hospital, morgues and jails for me. But one thing that I understood then was that everything can discussed, even with the police,” See said.
By 1993, he went to Harvard to further his studies with the church recognizing his natural skills in management.
“I was good in management and not in theology. I know profit and not the prophet. I am good at finance and not penance,” See wittingly said.
At Harvard, he was the president of his class because he can associate himself with students from other nationalities with his ability to speak fluent English, Mandarin and Spanish.
It was during his time in Harvard that he predicted that the Spratlys would become a powder keg in Asia in a study he did.
By 1995 he disengaged himself from the church and went into the private sector. In an ironic twist of events, his first job after leaving priesthood was as Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.’s marketing manager.
The following year, he returned to Taiwan to advance tourism between the host country and the Philippines. And the result was very remarkable.
“In 1996 and 1997 we achieved record breaking results with more than 200,000 Taiwanese visiting the Philippines,” See said.
He added that one of the keys to his success in the job was his ability to easily communicate with the Taiwanese as it forged a strong relationship with the people he dealt with.
See also said he rolled out a promotion and marketing strategy that resulted in favorable deals with airlines, travel agencies and even the media.
“I created packages, organized familiarization tours and worked closely with tour operators in the Philippines,” See said.
According to him, Taiwanese loved the water activities and the beaches in the country, along with the seafood, spas and gaming.
After his stint at Meco, See moved on to the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) while, at the same time, holding the position of tourism director for California and Texas in the US.
“Once a door closes, God opens a window,” See said of his workplace change.
His work at the HTA would last more than 10 years, where he primarily pushed Hawaii as a prime tourism destination for Asians.
“The job was not that hard. It is all about proper budgeting and maximizing the available resources. I already have a good working relationship with most of the tourism players,” See said.
By 2013, he moved to MVA, where he is now making sure that one of the best-kept tourism destination secret will be fixated in the publics consciousness.
MVA with international offices in Japan, Korea, Russia and Taiwan, promotes the islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota as premiere destination of choice, while encouraging cultural interchange and environmental sensitivity for visitors.
See said that over the last 10 years, Asia has grown so much with some of the progress also being reflected in the Philippines.
“I saw 25 years ago westerners as the main tourists. Now you have the Chinese and the Koreans. There is now more money among Asians,” he said.
His other life
See is happily married to a Taiwanese Catholic who has been working with migrant workers in her home country. But before that marriage, See was tied with the Catholic Church in the Philippines.
He was ordained in 1988 and in his life as a priest, he became involved with the Jesuit Music Ministry with Fr. Eduardo Hontiveros, SJ, who is credited for writing the songs “Pananagutan”, “Luwalhati”, “Santo” and “Kordero ng Diyos” which are all used during the Mass.
It was also the time when he became acquainted with the choir’s conductor who was no other than the current Archbishop of Manila Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle.
See said he was responsible for raising the funds for the recording of the songs and then their eventual distribution.
It was also during his priesthood when he met the running priest Fr. Robert Reyes, who was then the leader of Gomburza. See said he was part of the movement during its hard times.
See was also one of the founders of the Jesuit Volunteers Philippines, which he described as being patterned after the Peace Corps. He managed the group for four years.
Image credits: Jimbo Albano