I’m Charity Delmo, a native of the Province of Guimaras, an Island girl or “probinsyana” as they call me. I was both a scholar and a working student when I was in High School and College (UP Visayas). After five years of working and gaining experience from various industries, I have finally found my home in the corporate world as I founded an organization that helps Filipinos settle in other countries such as New Zealand, Australia and Canada through a Study Visa.
I founded Ideal Visa Consultancy last December 2014. I started my first office in Bacolod City. Almost 5 years later, it is already giving service and transforming lives in 6 key cities in the country, Bacolod City, Iloilo City, Davao City, General Santos City, Metro Manila, Cebu City and our recent satellite office in the Province of Guimaras. Seven months ago, Ideal Visa Consultancy has opened its first international office in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Ideal Visa’s 2025 vision is to open 5 more international offices in Bahrain, Dubai, Singapore, Vietnam and Australia.
Growing up in a very poor family, I was raised with the acceptance that there was a huge possibility we could not go to school. This early life acceptance made it easy for me to work while studying. Today, this remains as one of the biggest reasons why I work very hard, not just for the family that I came from, the family that I will create, but also the kids that we send to school through the scholarships that we give.
Aside from running the eight offices, I also dabble in public speaking. I have been privileged to be invited in crowds as small as 20 attendees and as big as 1,200 listeners. Sharing and teaching has motivated me to continue to do well in order to inspire the next generation. I have always brought the same message with me every time I speak – GRIT and Women Empowerment. I have been preaching about these two things, to inspire others, that we can always do better, be better, and go BIG, in whatever work we were called to do, despite the odds, the financial capability, or by simple being a woman in a corporate world dominated by men.
The corporate ladder is twice as steep to climb when you’re a woman. I’ve had to break a lot of rotten social stigmas, take on deprecating criticisms, and unwillingly receive unwarranted opinions because I chose to grace this male-dominated arena. The retreat was too easy and too tempting during the first hundred steps up – my emotions in turmoil, my finances unstable, and a thousand other reasons nagging me to fall back. I could have drowned in them, but I chose to shut them down. And I stepped up: one arduous climb at a time, until all the sweat paid off. When you aspire for the summit, it is vitally important that you have a vivid vision of what you’re thriving for. Years of running a company has taught me how natural fear is for us human beings. But when you’re the head of the company, getting scared was never a choice. I am my company’s compass and my employees are relying on me for their sense of direction. I can’t afford to falter and I definitely can’t call for a time halt. And later I realized that being brave, faithfully standing my ground, facing things head on, and always fighting for my dreams and convictions – these, I can afford; these will always be the only options of the woman I chose to be. Now, amidst the unending hustles and the rowdy melody of the corporate industry, I can definitely say that I am where I want to be.”
We’re long overdue for women’s leadership. I’ll say this again, we are the solution.
