Francis Deo and the Light That Leads Beyond

As Vice President for Community Affairs, Francis Deo entered 2026 hoping to guide others. Along the way, he discovered that the best leaders are also shaped by the people who challenge them, the teammates who inspire them, and the communities whose lives they hope to change.

VP Deo began 2026 with a simple intention. He wanted to be a guide for first-time directors, helping them navigate the demands of leadership while building strong, meaningful working relationships with his fellow members of the Executive Committee.

He did not expect the vision to change. Instead, he watched it grow.

As the year progressed, conversations became collaborations, differences became opportunities to learn, and working relationships developed into something deeper. The people who began the year working toward shared objectives found themselves wanting to do it all over again, carrying with them the lessons and friendships forged along the way.

For VP Deo, the experience revealed an important truth about leadership.

The vision does not always change, but the person who carries it will.

The goals may remain the same, but the journey transforms the people pursuing them. Through LeadBeyond2026, VP Deo found himself becoming a better leader, a more thoughtful teammate, and a person with a clearer understanding of what he could contribute to others.

Yet finding his place among the Board of Directors was not always easy.

One of his greatest challenges was figuring out how to add value to a group that included people who were older, more experienced, and already accomplished in their respective fields. Surrounded by fellow leaders with so much to offer, he sometimes questioned what he could bring to the table.

It was a question that required him to look inward.

Rather than measuring himself against the experience of others, VP Deo learned to recognize his own strengths, identify where he could contribute, and remain willing to learn from those around him.

He came to understand that leadership is not reserved for the most experienced person in the room. It belongs just as much to the person who listens carefully, offers what they can, and consistently shows up with the intention to serve.

That lesson became especially clear inside the boardroom, where VP Deo found some of the year’s most meaningful moments.

These were not necessarily the occasions when everyone agreed. They were the discussions in which ideas were challenged, perspectives were questioned, and projects were examined from every possible angle. Arguments were not raised simply to prove someone wrong. They were opportunities to refine concepts, strengthen plans, and ensure that what the Board brought forward could withstand scrutiny.

For VP Deo, this was where leadership became a collective exercise.

The best ideas rarely emerge fully formed from one person’s imagination. They become stronger when people are willing to challenge one another, question assumptions, and push beyond what is comfortable in pursuit of something greater.

More than the projects completed, it was this process of thinking, debating, and growing together that made his experience on the Board meaningful.

And among the people who shaped that experience were two directors whose leadership left a particular impression on him.

Dir. Rocky Cebrero showed VP Deo what it meant to raise the bar.

Through his ambition and determination, Rocky demonstrated that a vision could be bigger than what people initially considered possible. He challenged the Board to look beyond familiar standards and imagine what could be achieved when leaders were willing to push their boundaries.

Dir. David Ramos offered a different but equally powerful example.

His work ethic, grit, humility in accepting feedback, and willingness to keep learning left a lasting impression on VP Deo. Dir. David’s return to the 2027 Board of Directors for a consecutive term made that example even more meaningful. It represented not only continued commitment, but also a willingness to keep growing and serving.

To VP Deo, the two directors embodied complementary forms of leadership.

One sets the skyline. The other shows what it takes to keep climbing.

Dir. Rocky reminded him that leaders must be willing to imagine new heights. Dir. David demonstrated that reaching those heights requires discipline, humility, and the determination to improve long after an achievement has been celebrated.

Both examples reinforced VP Deo’s belief that leadership is not a single formula. It can mean setting a new benchmark for others to follow, or quietly demonstrating the habits that make sustained excellence possible.

But the lessons of 2026 extended far beyond two individuals.

VP Deo entered the year carrying fond memories of LFG2023, a Board whose achievements had helped shape his understanding of what JCI Manila could accomplish. At the time, he believed the experience had established a standard that would be difficult to replicate.

LeadBeyond2026 challenged that assumption.

Working alongside his 14 fellow Board members, VP Deo discovered that excellence does not belong exclusively to one term or one group of leaders. Every Board brings different personalities, strengths, perspectives, and approaches to service. Each has the opportunity to create something distinctive.

The same was true of the wider chapter. The collective effort of members, commissioners, chairmen, and committees helped turn individual contributions into a shared achievement.

Looking back, VP Deo no longer sees LFG2023 as a standard that could never be matched. Instead, it showed him what was possible. LeadBeyond2026 showed him that possibility could be reimagined and carried further.

Different people, different leadership styles, and different stories could still serve one shared purpose.

For VP Deo, that is the beauty of belonging to an organization that continues to evolve. A previous generation’s achievements can inspire the next without limiting what it might accomplish.

Yet perhaps the most profound influence on his year came from Pres. Edison Ke.

VP Deo describes the chapter president as the embodiment of “Imagination mo ang limit.” In Pres. Eds, he saw a leader who dared to envision possibilities beyond what others expected, then worked to turn ambitious ideas into reality.

That example changed the way VP Deo thought about leadership.

It reminded him that progress begins with the courage to imagine something greater, but imagination alone is not enough. It must be accompanied by the determination to act, the willingness to challenge familiar boundaries, and the discipline to keep moving when an idea seems difficult to achieve.

Under that example, the phrase Lead Beyond became more than a theme for the year. It became a way of approaching what might otherwise seem impossible.

When leaders begin to believe that something greater can be achieved, they give the people around them permission to believe it, too.

For VP Deo, that is one of the most valuable things a leader can offer. Not simply instructions or answers, but a wider view of what people might become capable of doing.

It is also a lesson he hopes to carry beyond JCI Manila.

Be the light that others need to see life a little brighter, believe in themselves a little more, and find their way when the path gets dark.

The principle is simple, but its implications reach into every aspect of leadership. It asks people to recognize potential in others, offer encouragement when confidence falters, and create opportunities for those who may not yet see what they can accomplish.

It also connects directly to Francis Deo’s work as Vice President for Community Affairs, where the meaning of leadership ultimately extends beyond the Boardroom.

For him, the projects initiated, beneficiaries served, and communities built are the lasting measures of a term. These are the contributions that can continue to matter after titles have been turned over and the people who started the work have moved on to their next responsibilities.

Leadership, in this sense, is not simply about what a person completes. It is about the lives touched, opportunities created, and impact that continues long after the term ends.

As VP Deo prepares to pass on his responsibilities, he hopes the work of his team will provide a foundation for others to build upon. He wants the initiatives they began to continue serving their beneficiaries and the relationships they developed to create opportunities for future community programs.

He also hopes the members of JCI Manila will have the opportunity to experience the kind of milestones that shaped his own journey.

From witnessing an inspiring Board in 2017, when he first entered the chapter, to learning from the standards set by LFG2023, and now serving alongside LeadBeyond2026, each chapter of his experience has given him a different perspective on leadership and service.

Each year had its own story. Each group brought its own strengths. Each milestone offered something new to learn.

His message to members is to never limit themselves to what they have already experienced. There will always be another milestone to reach, another standard to raise, and another story worth becoming part of.

He hopes they will discover the same kind of greatness that shaped his journey and, eventually, build something that future generations will remember with the same pride and gratitude.

For Francis Deo, 2026 was supposed to be a year of guiding first-time directors and helping his fellow executives work together. It became something more. It taught him that even the person who hopes to guide others must remain willing to be guided, challenged, and changed.

The Boardroom taught him the value of ideas strengthened through disagreement. His fellow directors showed him that ambition and humility can take different forms. Pres. Edison Ke challenged him to imagine beyond what he thought possible. And the work of community affairs reminded him that leadership matters most when it creates something meaningful for others.

The vision he carried into the year never changed. What changed was his understanding of how much that vision could grow through the people around him.

And when his term ends, perhaps the most fitting legacy will not be the title he held or the projects bearing his name.

It will be the people who discovered that they could do more, the communities whose lives were touched by the work, and the leaders who will carry those lessons into the next chapter.

Because sometimes, the greatest thing a leader can do is not stand at the front and show everyone the way.

It is to become the light that helps others find their own.