Building For The Future: Sustainability Across Work And Life
- Clarisse Jumagdao
- May 15
- 3 min read
For Jommel Macabagdal, sustainability is not confined to policies, frameworks, or environmental conversations alone. It is reflected in how leaders shape culture, how businesses create meaningful impact, and how people build systems that make life better for others over time.
Across his journey in construction, leadership, entrepreneurship, education, and community involvement, one belief quietly connects the many roles he has taken on: the future is built intentionally through people, values, and the environments we create around us.
Ironically, his journey in project management almost ended before it truly began.
Early in his career, Jommel found himself exposed to a culture common in many high-pressure construction environments. Meetings were often filled with tension, shouting, blame, and finger-pointing. At one point, he seriously questioned whether he belonged in the industry at all.
Instead of walking away, however, he chose to lead differently.
This is where my mantra began, ‘Tulungan hindi Turuan’.
That mindset would eventually shape not only the projects he handled, but also the way he approached leadership, business, mentorship, and community-building throughout his career.
Lessons from the Field
Working in construction taught Jommel that many project challenges are not purely technical. Often, the real challenge lies in culture.
One of the recurring issues he observed early on was the tendency for teams to commit to unrealistic timelines simply to secure projects. While it may create short-term wins, it often leads to pressure, toxic delivery environments, and strained client relationships later on.
Rather than following the same approach, Jommel chose transparency, even when it meant saying no.
By openly explaining realistic timelines and proper delivery expectations, he found that clients responded with greater trust and confidence. Projects became more collaborative, expectations became clearer, and teams were able to focus on successful delivery instead of constant firefighting.
For him, leadership became less about control and more about alignment toward a common goal.
Turning Points
The first major turning point in Jommel’s career came during his first large-scale project, an 18,000- square-meter office development with a significant budget and visibility.
While navigating the complexity of the project, he encountered one of the difficult realities professionals sometimes face in the industry.A supplier approached him offering incentives in exchange for helping to secure a project package. Jommel immediately declined. Instead, he advised the supplier to compete fairly by offering the client the best possible price and service. That moment reinforced a principle that would later define his professional reputation.
"Reputation is a lifetime to build, and a moment to destroy.”
Years later, that same reputation led to another turning point. At the age of 30, he was offered the role of Country Manager by the Southeast Asia Director of a global commercial real estate firm.
The opportunity surprised him. He openly questioned why he had been selected despite knowing there were others with stronger credentials and more years of experience. The answer was simple: reputation. Still, the transition into leadership was far from easy. Jommel admits that his first years in the role were difficult and that his inexperience as a Country Head was visible. Instead of allowing ego to take over, he intentionally sought guidance from more experienced leaders and invested heavily in learning and development.
"One thing I know about myself is that I won’t accept failure until I’ve given everything.”
Over time, the business achieved strong results and significant growth. Then the pandemic arrived, bringing one of the most difficult periods for many organizations in the industry.
As companies struggled to protect profitability, Jommel faced a leadership decision that would become the third major turning point in his life and what he considers his best corporate decision (third turning point).
Rather than reducing headcount, he proposed an alternative. Together with a few colleagues who were willing to share the burden, they voluntarily reduced their salaries to help the company remain stable while retaining employees.
"I told my company that I didn’t want to lose anyone in my team.”
The business eventually recovered and continued to thrive, but more importantly, the experience reinforced his belief that leadership is ultimately about people.
Building a Sustainable Future
As project managers, Jommel’s journey reminds us that leadership goes beyond delivering timelines, budgets, and successful projects. It is also about shaping cultures, building trust, empowering people, and creating systems that make work and life better for others. His story shows that long term impact is built not only through technical expertise, but also through integrity, collaboration, courage, and the ability to balance growth across career, business, community, and family life.
"Sustainability for me is developing cultures, systems, and people with the goal to make the future better.”
