'Apprentice Asia' winner Jonathan Yabut wears Pinoy pride on his sleeve

Despite the rush to Clark airport for his flight to Malaysia for another taping of “The Apprentice Asia,” 27-year old Filipino marketer Jonathan Yabut just felt the need to buy a small pin of the Philippine flag. Yabut’s desire to make a seemingly trivial last-minute purchase puzzled his father, who did not quite understand what he would do with it. “I told my dad, ‘Pa, we really need to buy this pin because I need to wear it in the boardroom,’” Yabut said. 'Anting-anting' As a long-time fan of the reality show The Apprentice, Yabut knew how overwhelming the tension could be when facing the show’s host and his potential boss, Malaysian business tycoon Tony Fernandes, during boardroom meetings. In his final meeting with Fernandes, Yabut told the billionaire tycoon that he decided to wear the pin because he wanted to show how proud he was about being a contestant from the Philippines. “When I wear this Filipino flag pin, it’s not because I’m too nationalistic. It’s because I want to serve as that inspiration to the rest of my country that there is hope, that I represent that hope in them,” he said. During the show’s finale screening party in Taguig Wednesday night, the beaming Economics graduate from the University of the Philippines told reporters how he had come to regard the pin as some sort of an amulet throughout the competition. “Parang naging anting-anting ko yung pin. Every time I got scared, I touched it because it reminded me of the people back home. It reminded me na even if winning may not be for me, then [my efforts] are for the people who root for me back home,” he said. Efforts rewarded Yabut’s efforts, however, paid off when he was declared the winner of The Apprentice Asia’s pilot season. Fernandes announced he had chosen the Filipino marketer to become his apprentice over Singaporean lawyer Andrea Loh during the show’s final episode, which aired on Wednesday. Pointing his forefinger at Yabut, Fernandes said, "Jonathan Yabut, you are hired. Congratulations.” "You are a junior me in the making. The whole of the Philippines should be very, very proud of you. Welcome to the AirAsia family," the business mogul added. As the show's grand winner, Yabut bagged a one-year work contract with a salary of at least $100,000. He will be starting his new job in Malaysia as Fernandes’ chief of staff on August 15. During the screening party, the current senior product manager of a pharmaceuticals company said he is dedicating his victory to the Filipino people. Always, Filipino pride “I joined ‘The Apprentice’ because I’m so sick and tired of seeing Filipinos being bullied when I know we can stand out in the sales and marketing world. This victory is for every Filipino out there. You can never be too small to dream big because dreams are for free…the power is ours to make [our dreams] happen,” said Jonathan. Yabut admitted that although there had been times during the contest when he was tempted to quit, he had long dreamed of winning the competition even before he set foot in Malaysia. “I’ve always aspired [to win] kaya naman nag-baon na ako ng barong because I told myself that if ever I make it to the final two, I will be wearing that barong,” he said. Yabut stood out from among his peers when he appeared at the charity cocktail dinner in his white barong. The dinner was part of the show’s ultimate challenge for the final two contenders. Support from the former company In an interview with GMA News, Luis de Guzman, one of Yabut’s now-former bosses at his old company, expressed how proud he was of the marketer’s performance during the competition. He said “The Apprentice Asia” revealed who Yabut really is—driven, dynamic, and passionate. “Jonathan’s someone who balances the two Cs—competence and character. He’s also a very driven, passionate, and creative individual,” he said. De Guzman admitted that though Yabut’s colleagues feel sad that he’s no longer with their company, they are also very happy for him because he is now well on his way toward achieving his goal of being a successful individual. “Even though we hoped we can keep him, we know that [given this] opportunity, he has to move on and pursue his dreams in Malaysia,” he said. But no matter where Yabut’s dreams take him, his fans and fellow countrymen can always be assured that he will forever be proud of being a Filipino. — VC, GMA News