Wayne Tee Ten: Building Bigger Rooms and Bigger Visions

As the 2026 JCI Manila term approaches its final stretch, the year-end story of Director for Local Organization Management & Creative Media Wayne Tee Ten is not simply about the events he organized. It is about a deliberate attempt to make the chapter’s gatherings bigger, more meaningful, and more ambitious, while building a team capable of carrying that vision forward.

At the beginning of the year, Dir. Wayne had a straightforward goal: make the biggest General Membership Meetings JCI Manila had seen.

Looking back, he believes he accomplished it.

That ambition was fitting for a directorate whose mandate is centered on creating opportunities for members and strengthening engagement. JCI Manila describes its LOM function as a space where member opportunities are created, while its Creative Media arm works to bring the organization’s vision to life through communication, video, podcasts, and traditional media.

For Dir. Wayne, however, making an event bigger was never simply a matter of finding a larger room.

It meant imagining what the event should feel like before anything else was put into motion.

One of the biggest challenges of the year came in the moments that every event organizer eventually learns to fear: last-minute speaker cancellations and the search for the right venue.

Those situations forced him to become more adaptable. He learned to visualize the theme and atmosphere of an event, organize its moving parts, negotiate for the best possible deals, and make decisions when plans inevitably changed.

But perhaps the more important lesson was about people.

Dir. Wayne discovered that leadership was not about simply telling a committee what needed to be done. It was about making them believe in the vision.

“If they like the vision, they will put in the work,” became one of the lessons he carried throughout the year.

That philosophy appears to have shaped his proudest achievement.

Not a particular event.

Not a number.

His team.

Several of the people who served under him were first-time LOM chairmen. Yet they stepped into unfamiliar territory, took ownership of their projects, and delivered. Some were inspired by the experience to consider becoming LOM directors themselves.

For Dir. Wayne, that is the kind of accomplishment that lasts beyond a single term.

A directorate succeeds when its members do not simply complete their assignments, but begin to see themselves taking on bigger responsibilities.

Among the people he credits for making that possible is Chair Niño Velarde, who stepped up to lead three projects alongside Commissioner Martin de Joya. Dir. Wayne recalled that Velarde had not been an active member for some time, but when he learned that Tee Ten was running for the position, he returned to take on the work.

Both, he said, delivered “breaking numbers.”

His message to them is simple: congratulations.

He believes Chair Niño is ready to take on a bigger role, while Commissioner Martin is ready to become a director. Whatever directorate Martin eventually joins, Dir. Wayne believes his work ethic will allow him to excel.

He also singled out Editor In Chief Dan Gallego, whom he credited for his work with Asian Pearl, and praised Jake Lagazo, whom he described as a fantastic chairman and part of the year’s strongest GNP efforts.

And there was another person Dir. Wayne made sure to recognize: Commissioner Angelo Balanon.

For the entire year, Comm. Angelo was there to guide and assist the LOM team, providing the support that Dir. Wayne believes was essential to the directorate’s success.

“LOM wouldn’t be as successful without him,” Dir. Wayne said, expressing his gratitude for Comm. Angelo’s year-round commitment.

Outside JCI Manila, Dir. Wayne’s professional background also places him in an environment where organizing, branding, and business relationships matter. Public business coverage identifies him as a General Manager within the Auto Hub Group, and he has represented JCI Manila at business-community engagements alongside chapter leaders.

That combination of professional experience and JCI leadership became particularly useful in his approach to LOM: build something people want to be part of, then give them the reason to invest in it.

As he prepares to turn over the position, Dir. Wayne’s advice to the next generation is direct.

Start early.

Do not wait until the calendar becomes crowded or the pressure becomes unavoidable. Give projects enough time to develop properly.

Continue to elevate the chapter through collaboration.

Bring other organizations, chapters, and partners into the room. Bigger ideas often emerge when more people are given the opportunity to contribute.

Bring in the best speakers.

A strong GMM is not simply about filling a program. It is about giving members an experience and knowledge worth showing up for.

And finally, try to be profitable.

For Dir. Wayne, creating meaningful member experiences and maintaining financial discipline do not have to be opposing goals. The challenge is to build programs that deliver both value and sustainability.

That may ultimately be the most fitting description of his year as Director for Local Organization Management & Creative Media.

He set out to build bigger GMMs.

Along the way, he discovered that the bigger achievement was building people who could create them.

The rooms may eventually be dismantled. The programs will end. The title of Director will eventually belong to someone else.

But if first-time chairmen become future directors, if committee members become more confident leaders, and if the next LOM team starts earlier, dreams bigger, collaborates wider, and aims higher, then Dir. Wayne Tee Ten’s most important work will continue long after his term does.

He came into the year wanting to build bigger events. He leaves it having helped build a bigger vision for the people behind them.