What a father builds, a son carries forward
A father’s legacy often grows best in the hands of a son who’s been trusted to make it his own.
For Jose R. Soberano III and his son, Jose Franco B. Soberano, that trust was built long before the latter succeeded his father as president and CEO of Cebu Landmasters Inc. It took shape through decades of honest conversations, respectful disagreements, shared lessons grounded on humility, and a relationship that allowed both father and son to grow.
Today, that same dynamic guides the way they lead the company together.
Passing the baton
The elder Soberano, who remained as chairman of Cebu Landmasters, explained that preparing Franco meant giving him room to learn and lead—not a script to follow. Franco, for his part, understood well that the role was never his by birthright, as it was rather earned based on his ability to decide and bring fresh ideas forward.
“There’s a lot of exchange… The major consideration is communication. It has to be two way,” Soberano said in an exclusive interview with Inquirer Property.
But that does not mean they always agree. Their conversations can turn into long discussions and, at times, arguments.
“We can discuss an opportunity, but we do not always have the same mind. At the end of it, you just have to have a common stance. That’s where communication is important,” Soberano said.
Just as vital, he added, is mutual respect.
“It’s not just because you’re the father that you will have your way. There has to be recognition of new ideas… a certain appreciation of what is being put on the table,” the CLI founder said.
Learning to listen
And that most certainly is admirable—the humility in a father admitting that his son may sometimes see what he cannot. The elder Soberano acknowledges that a father’s wisdom does not diminish when he listens to his son. Rather, it can further deepen it.
“You can be very defensive about what you have been able to do and what you started,” he said. “When there are new ideas on the table, there’s a point where you can become resistant.”
After all, Soberano built Cebu Landmasters from the ground up, guiding it through more than two decades of growth with over 130 projects to its portfolio. He knows the business intimately. Yet working with Franco taught him that experience should never become an excuse to resist change.
In fact, Soberano finds greater satisfaction not in seeing Franco repeat what he has done, but in watching him build on the foundation he laid and find a better way forward.
Trust before title
Indeed, the trust and confidence in Franco was built long before the title, through early responsibility, hands-on experience, constant guidance and the freedom to learn by doing.
And those, according to Franco, became the most important part of his training.
“The preparation is in the experience. I’m very thankful that, at a very young age, he already entrusted me with a lot of responsibility,” the younger Soberano said.
Behind the scenes though were constant conversations and consultations. Franco was given room to decide and deal directly with partners, knowing his father remained close enough to guide him when needed. In the process, he saw how patience, transparency and an open-book approach helped a small company earn trust and build lasting joint ventures.
These were lessons taught through example and experience—how leadership had to be hands-on, and how business could still carry the spirit of public service.
Among these lessons, however, one of the most important, according to Soberano, is staying grounded, warning that success can easily tempt people to put themselves “on a pedestal.”
Franco carries that lesson well into CLI, which he said remains to be “a big developer with a startup mindset”.
“We don’t want to be complacent,” Franco said. “We still have that attitude of a small player.”
A foundation, not a fence
Today, Franco takes the helm, ready to broaden CLI’s reach and strengthen what his father began. Soberano meanwhile, remains the chairman, close enough to guide, but wise enough to give his son room to lead.
There is no rigid rulebook, the elder Soberano said, but rather a strong foundation and the freedom to further improve the company.
“It is for him now to make suggestions on what to change, what to continue, what to undo and what to do,” Soberano said. “We have to provide that kind of flexibility to the leadership.”
“I’m very lucky because I can call him anytime. I can still confer, confide, consult, clear on objectives and directions,” Franco added.
Perhaps this is Soberano’s true legacy—not just a company for Franco to lead, but the confidence to expand it. The father laid the foundation. Now the son carries it toward a better future.
