Blood, Sweat, and Tears Project
The Dela Cruz Compound in Malibay Estate
If you’re wondering why I’ve been spending so much time in Manila, it’s because a dream project—unexpected, daunting, and oddly tailor-made for me—landed squarely on my lap. It demanded every bit of my God-given talent and tendency not only to monetize but to organize, manage, transform, and curate. It was the kind of challenge I secretly enjoy, even as it threatens to overwhelm.
It all began with Roli’s four-door apartment inheritance, which—if we’re being honest—we never really paid much attention to. It was simply there, quietly existing. Then life shifted. A sudden reversal of fortune pushed one sister’s family to sell their share to us. We weren’t sure we were financially positioned to make such a major purchase, but circumstances left us with very little choice. We took the leap.
Only then did the weight of the decision truly dawn on me: eight apartment units in utter disrepair—some unrentable, others limping along with rent barely enough to cover day-to-day operations. Any sensible person would have walked away or regretted the purchase. But that is not my DNA. Instead of discouragement, I felt a familiar fire. And because I have a dangerous talent for convincing Roli, I urged him to buy another sister’s share—three more apartment units plus a four-bedroom residential house that, once upon a time, was our marital home before we moved to California.
We would never have dared if not for the sentimentality over a long-held ancestral property, a robust U.S. stock market, and the unwavering encouragement of our children. But once the deal was sealed, someone had to do the heavy lifting of becoming the kapatas—project head, operations manager, designer, accountant, decision maker, disciplinarian, and crisis-absorber. That someone, inevitably, was me.
Fortunately, I brought ten years of Airbnb Superhost experience to the table. I know the short-term rental business by heart. And the housing demand in Metro Manila guaranteed that once we breathed life back into these properties, they would not remain empty for long.
Today, after months of literal blood, sweat, and tears, here is the result: a newly revitalized 14-door apartment compound for long-term rental, and a fully furnished 4-bedroom house currently booked for short-term stays all the way until 2027.
Not bad for a dream that arrived uninvited—but became my proudest accomplishment yet.
