THE NUMBERS QUEEN
In any business, the numbers absolutely matter.
And as a business grows, having an efficient accounting department allows you to quickly study the numbers and make sound projections on sales, investments and new opportunities. Indeed, experienced accountants are highly prized, leading to many being “pirated” by rival businesses.
But not Jocy Rigor – for over 35 years, she has stayed firmly with the Oben Group, one of the country’s top Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) dealer groups. This is why she was one of eight employees who received the Toyota Balintawak Loyalty Award earlier this month.
“I cried on the night of the awarding because I was happy and felt the love of everyone from Toyota Balintawak team members to top management,” she told Inquirer Motoring in an exclusive interview.
Since 1989
As with all the other Loyalty Awardees, Rigor started her illustrious career at Toyota Balintawak, which was the Oben Group’s first dealership.
“I had been an accounting manager at Toyota Balintawak from the time that it was constructed in 1989,” she said. “I witnessed the creation of the building until it became a full-fledged dealership.”
In February 2002, Oben Group chair Reginaldo Oben opened the Prestige Fame Finance Corporation, where Rigor was concurrently assigned in the accounting department. And when the group’s vice president for finance passed away a year later, Rigor was promoted to finance manager.
“Atty. Oben addressed me as Chief Accountant handling Toyota Balintawak, Toyota North EDSA and the Prestige Fame Finance Corporation,” she recounted. “Then in May 2013, I was promoted to vice president for finance overseeing Toyota Otis.”
Three years later, Rigor was named vice president for accounting for the entire Oben Group, which includes Toyota Balintawak, Toyota Otis, Toyota North EDSA, Toyota Marilao and Toyota San Jose Del Monte.
“At present, I handle five Toyota dealerships, one service center, two branches and three affiliates,” she said.
Rigor said among her most memorable career moments was being with Toyota Balintawak when it won the Finance and Administration of the Year Awards from 1990 to 1993. However, she is most proud of the journey that she has travelled with the Oben Group over the last three decades.
“Seeing how Toyota Balintawak has grown and how the Oben Group has expanded, which the Oben family has entrusted to me for its finance and accounting needs – that is my biggest achievement,” she said.
Compassion
Much like workers of her generation, Rigor said she stayed with the same employer all these years for the job security and the recognition she got from top management.
But as her career progressed, she formed a deeper relationship with everybody in the Oben Group.
“Toyota Balintawak is my second home and I feel loved and respected by my co-team members because of the eight core values practiced by the entire Oben Group,” Rigor said. “This is most apparent in the trust that top management and the Oben family give to me, plus the knowledge that they will always be there to take care of us.”
This powerful bond was crucial during some of the darkest times in Rigor’s life.
“I felt this love more when COVID-19 hit the country because the Oben family took care of all of us,” she said. “One of our core values is malasakit, which I saw and felt, especially when my husband died in 2020 during the pandemic.”
Embodying Kaizen
Rigor said one of the key ingredients in the success of her career was discovering Kaizen, which is the principle of continuous improvement under the “Toyota Way.”
“I attended several leadership trainings and happiness seminars sponsored by our companies and TMP,” she said. “Later on, Kaizen was introduced to our dealership and adopted through the leadership of Oben Group president Cosco Oben. All our companies have at least four Kaizen activities yearly.”
Rigor added that she has also worked to integrate modern accounting systems into the Oben Group.
“I have tried my very best to adopt to various technologies like automation of the recording of accounting functions,” she said. “This has allowed us to do more analytical tasks compared to the 1990s.”
Rigor also offered advice to people who want a long-term career in the automotive sector.
“The car industry is not only about selling cars,” she said. “From starting out as an accountant at Toyota Balintawak, I ended up being of service to the various dealerships and companies of the Oben Group and the Oben family.”
May your reign be long, Ms. Jocy Rigor!
