ING Bank N.V. Philippines Senior Manager for Mergers Ernesto Daniel Layug, 28, is engaged in a lot of activities.
Aside from gaining investments in real estate by forming partnerships between landowners and property developers, he is also an active player in the stock market since college.
Layug is also active in athletics. He served as the brand ambassador of McDonalds in the Philippines in last year’s Ironman competition in Cebu. Layug has competed in other triathlons, finished among the top 5 Filipinos in age group in the 2015 London Marathon and the 2013 Tokyo Marathon. He walks the talk by conducting seminars teaching people to invest in the stock market. When he turned 28, he conducted a trip for 25 orphans to KidZania Manila, an “edutainment” theme park focused on financial literacy.
The BusinessMirror talked to Layug to find out what makes this young man tick.
Why did you choose Georgetown for your college education? For you, what makes the school special?
I chose Georgetown because of its familiarity, global-standing and proximity to a large city.
I was familiar with the school’s style of education, having studied in Jesuit schools for elementary and high school. I appreciated the holistic development philosophy of the Jesuits.
Georgetown was a premier institution, which included both the then-president of the Philippines and the former president of the United States. I was intrigued by what Georgetown alumni could achieve on the international scene.
The location in Washington, D.C., and around the monuments was attractive from the standpoint of someone who had lived in a city his entire life.
What adjustments did you make in your academic and personal lives while studying in the US?
The academics in the school were much more difficult than I expected. My peers were all top students and athletes in their high schools. I was amazed at how multitalented they were. At the same time, the grading curve was difficult to cope with at the beginning. I had to study harder and more efficiently to get the results that I wanted.
In terms of my personal life, I was lucky enough to meet other international students who were also adjusting to life in the US. Having friends who were going through the same first-time experiences as I was very helpful for me.
What were the valuable lessons have you picked while you were staying and studying in the US?
Living on my own taught me how to be self-sufficient. I learned to cook, wash my clothes, travel and, most important, make new friends anywhere.
Did you become more conscious of being a Filipino while you were staying in the US?
Yes, there is something about living abroad that heightened my awareness of being Filipino (i.e. mannerisms, ways of thinking, etc). Surprisingly, I learned a lot from the Filipinos born and living in the US. I learned how they saw themselves within the context of being immigrants, how their identity was shaped by being in America and living with people from different cultures. Some embraced both their cultures. They embraced the new American culture, but kept their Filipino identity.
An interesting experience I had was learning how to cook adobo. Before moving to the US, I had never even watched someone cook adobo. The students of Georgetown’s Filipino Club had events regularly where we would serve food and welcome all cultures to our events. I actually learned how to cook adobo from an African-American who was a part of the club. Now, whenever I make adobo, I remember the multicultural experience of the Filipino Club and Georgetown in general.
What were your expectations after your graduation from Georgetown? Did you expect to a hefty compensation package upon returning to Manila?
To some extent, I did expect a large compensation package. However, I did expect that opportunities would be difficult to find, given that I graduated at the height of the global financial crisis. Nevertheless, I was able to find a good first job that challenged me and provided fair compensation.
In summing up, how would you describe your stay in Georgetown?
I loved it. I remember my first few days in Georgetown. I was horribly jetlagged so I would wake up at sunrise. I remember walking early in the morning across campus looking at the buildings feeling satisfied that I had been able to make it into the school.
My time at Georgetown was great. The strong education in international finance, economics and Chinese aside, I was able to enrich myself with many extracurricular activities. Georgetown hosted a multitude of speakers. I recall one dinner right before graduation. After attending an on-campus speech by then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, my friends and I decided to treat ourselves to 1789, a restaurant beside campus. We had a boisterous end-of-college dinner full of reminiscing, chismis and plans for the future. After dinner, a waiter approached us and asked if we were impressed by sitting beside the table of President Medvedev. We were surprised because we had not even realized that he was the man whose back was turned toward us.
I also had great experiences with lifelong friends from all around the world who I have been able to keep in touch with up to now.
Image credits: Midori Moon