Read about Javi and his journey from hosting kids’ birthday parties to serving others and helping their livelihood.
Javi started working as a Local Store Marketing (LSM) Representative at McDonald’s Bacolod, while he was still a college student in 1997. As an LSM Representative, customer hospitality was his responsibility and part of his duties was hosting kiddie parties. Javi was hesitant at first because he was a really shy person, but work soon became a challenge he readily took on.
Soon, Javi realized that his love for being around people started to grow. He enjoyed welcoming people inside McDonald’s, chatting with regular customers and much to his own surprise, hosting birthday parties. It was because of the connection he makes with everyone, that he started treating everyone like family.
Among all the customers he encountered, Javi found kids and families special. His genuine care and enjoyment around kids came when he would give his all during the parties – in singing, dancing, and hosting. Even when he would host 3 birthday parties in a day, Javi made sure that every single one was the best he could make it to be, because to him, the celebrant has a birthday only once in the year. His goal was really for all of them to have a memorable McDonald’s birthday.
At present, Javi is the founder and owner of the social enterprise Bayongciaga, a partner at an events company, and an entrepreneur for other businesses. While a lot has changed, his love and concern for others is still with him. It was McDonald’s that challenged him to come out of his comfort zone and become a person for others. Whether it’s catering to his customers before to supporting the livelihood of his bayong weavers today, he believes that the same value of care he learned in McDonald’s then led him to where he is now.