MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN BANK MANAGEMENT

Presently, there are 21 banks in Bohol , all of them based in Tagbilaran City , with branches strategically located in the more progressive municipalities all throughout the province. If the number of banking institutions manifests the economic situation of the locality, then it is safe to conjecture that Bohol has its share of progress and development. Many years ago the banking world used to be at the fingertips of the Alpha-Male, with the masculine insight dominating it over feminine charm. That was an era when the female of the specie, started and ended her banking career as a teller or a clerk, notwithstanding her graduating as summa cum laude, or topping the board exam. Call it discrimination, but there seemed no way for a woman then to go up the ladder of prominence in the world of money.

Impeccably dressed to the teeth, with unobtrusive make-up, high-heeled (and sometimes stockinged) elegance, in dark or gray skirt and long-sleeved discomfort, she entered her cubicle, seeing to it that not a single strand of hair was out of place. Even her smile was subdued, and her movement ladylike and controlled to perfection. Even her night-life was usually non-existent. That was an age long gone, and the bankers themselves have wholeheartedly heaved their sighs of relief. Not anymore. The lady banker is now more relaxed, less inhibited, ensconced in more comfortable attire, letting some strands of hair cavort with the wind, wearing a more enticing smile without being trampy, and at par with any man. She has been liberated from some Victorian trimmings, and has proven herself capable of escalating the hierarchial ladder of significance.

Mrs. Marietta Sarabia-Gasatan embodies the metamorphosis of the lady banker. As President of the Bohol Bankers Association (BBA) she has made a big difference by leading the bank managers outside of their shell, a comfort zone that has been sealed for years from the outside world, especially if by it is meant public and social involvement. This is not to say that the banks in Tagbilaran are not socially involved, because they are, through various projects. But only individually in each of their separate projects. To each its own. Not in conglomeration for focal concern.

The BBA has shed its aura of non-existence with the new leadership. Very recently she convened the members of the organization to address accurately a much publicized “scam” which turned out to be involving only one individual. In almost all fora called by the Provincial Governor, the City Mayor, or the leaders, both in the public and private sectors, the bankers are represented. In most cases Mrs. Gasatan is at the forefront to represent the BBA. She is an active member of the Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), and makes her presence felt in regular and special meetings of the business agrupation, even the monthly 7:00 o'clock Breakfast Club, where economic, political, and social issues are discussed with an invited special guest. With BCBP (Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals) she and her husband, Engr. Camilo Gasatan, had been assigned varied tasks for the past 12 years, from Action Group Leader, Unit Leader, to Music Ministry Head. She is also the incumbent Chairman of the Sta. Cruz Chaplaincy Finance Council in Mansasa.

One of the very first public leader who is vocal in calling for the involvement of the banks in local development, is City Mayor Dan Neri Lim. He once called a meeting of the bank managers so they can put their acts together, and he is still incessant in this call through his Saturday radio program. His efforts have not been in vain. The bankers have reacted to his call positively. Leading in the commitment is Manager Gasatan, even if she realized that galvanizing the Association is a tough undertaking. Mayette Sarabia was born in Tagbilaran City on May 22, 1960 to Eutiquio Ferniz Sarabia, a former Barangay Captain of Mansasa and employee of the City Assessor's Office. Her mother, Colita Salang-Sarabia hails from Sambog, Corella, Bohol and devotes her time to care for their children.

Mayette is married to Engr. Camilo Gasatan from Buug, Sibugay, Zamboanga del Norte. A Civil Engineer by profession, Dodong is employed as Engineer II at the Bohol Provincial Engineer's Office. They are blessed with two children: Camille Marie, a six-year old Grade I pupil at VDT Advance Learning Center ; and Marc EJ who, at almost three years of age, is in Nursery I at DML Montessori School of Tagbilaran City. She started her early education at the City East Elementary School , which she finished in 1973. For her secondary course, she enrolled at the Divine Word College ( Holy Name University ), graduating in 1977. June of that year saw her at Silliman University , Dumaguete City as a scholar, where she took Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, major in Agribusiness, which she finished in 1982. For more than five years (September 1982-February 1987) she was employed as a Community Mobilizer/Researcher of the Ministry of Human Settlements, assigned in the Province of Bohol . Aware of future challenges that may come her way, she enrolled as a partime student at Divine Word College , taking up Bachelor of Science in Commerce, major in Accounting. When MHS closed shop she was taken in as Secretary to the Dean of the Teachers College of DWC , a job she held exceedingly well for only six months, for then it was time to move on.

Even prior to her graduation, FCB (First Consolidated Bank) beckoned. She was first assigned as a Technician, assigned in Pilar. The new job accorded her novel perspectives. The FCB management became aware of her knowledge in accounting and, when a vacancy of a Bookkeeper took place in Baclayon, she opted for the new assignment, to be near her family. She finished BSC-Accounting in 1991, which equipped her for more challenging tasks. This was the time when the FCB expansion program was in full swing. She was therefore promoted to the position of Executive Assistant to the President. A bigger responsibility came, which she did not shy from. She was sent to the Dumaguete City as Branch Manager. It was during this stint that her capability in management was put to a test, which she passed with flying colors.

The room for advancement remained open to those equipped with knowledgeability in their job and willing to tackle new challenges. In 1997 the Security Bank Corporation hired her as Manager of the Tagbilaran City Branch. It was another fulfilling job for her and the company until March 2003, when she decided to turn over a new leaf. She is presently the Branch Manager of PS Bank, a Metrobank subsidiary. Thus, it can be said that Mrs. Gasatan went through the ascending process in the making of a Bank Manager. Her promotions were not served on a silver platter; they were products of sterling performances.

A Professional and Sub-Professional Civil Service eligible, Mrs. Gasatan is at her best coping up with challenges. Right after high school she was able to prove her intellectual prowess when she was picked, from among many probables, and given a 5-year COCOFED Scholarship Grant, which she put to good use as a scholar at Silliman University. Asked about her role as a banker, a leader, a wife, and mother, she is firm in her belief that “everything I did and happened in my life comes from the Lord. Be it a success or failure. I never get discouraged because I always cling to God's words: ‘Everything that happens in this world happens at the time God chooses.' ” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) Erratum: Last week's issue: Aleck Francis Lim took up Law at the College of Law, Ateneo de Manila University and graduated with a degree of Juris Doctor on April 25, 2004 and passed the Bar in 2005, while Alissa Ann Lim finished Law at Ateneo de Manila University and graduated with a degree of Juris Doctor on April 24, 2005 and passed the Bar in 2006.

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