Century Insurance manager bids Saipan farewell

For Cornelio Matanguihan, the best part about living on Saipan for seven years was embracing an easy, uncomplicated life on an island.

“Life on Saipan is simple and quiet. You might be away from your loved ones back in the Philippines but you can always talk to them every day,” Matanguihan, fondly called Nel by family and friends, said in an interview.

A native of Cainta, Rizal, Matanguihan served for seven years as the general manager for Century Insurance Company Ltd., the largest insurer in the CNMI and one of the premier insurers in Guam and in other parts of Micronesia.

Matanguihan’s stint on island has come to an end as he left for Guam on Monday to take charge of the company’s Guam operations.

He revealed that after a few months of submitting the application and preparing all the documents that were asked for, he finally received his H1 visa last July 25.

“I’m somewhat excited because it’s a new place. But since I’m also going to be working on an island, I think it’s going to be pretty much the same,” said Matanguihan.

Matanguihan, a certified public accountant in the Philippines, graduated with a degree in Commerce major in Accounting from the Philippine College of Commerce, now known as the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.

He rose through ranks in the accountancy field, starting as a management accountant until he became the manager for the Finance and Administration Department of CGU International Insurance.

“I didn’t want to retire still doing numbers,” Matanguihan told Saipan Tribune. “So when I reached the highest position, which was finance manager, that’s when I decided to do insurance work.”

Matanguihan then served as the underwriting manager tasked to do underwriting, claims, loss control, and reinsurance operations for the same company from 2000 to 2004. With the new job, he noted that he had to “start from scratch” and learn the ropes.

“It was basically self-study for me,” recalled Matanguihan, who noted that there was no such thing as an insurance course. “Somehow, you learn about insurance in college but you are only taught about the client’s point of view. To survive in the insurance industry, you have to have the initiative to learn.”

His 24 years at CGU International Insurance had Matanguihan working on various Micronesian accounts, thus his familiarity about the islands.

Through his email network, Matanguihan found out about the vacancy at CIC Saipan, where he would supervise operations not only on Saipan but also in Guam and Papua New Guinea.

Matanguihan disclosed that it was his first time to actually work abroad, and not just travel around overseas assignments. That’s why they made the decision as a family to accept the Saipan offer.

“Looking back, it was an easy decision to make because my children were already grown up when I left,” he said.

From the way he talks about his family, especially his brood, it’s apparent how Matanguihan is proud about them even though not one of them took on the similar career path.

Matanguihan’s eldest son, 28-year-old Kris, is an established wedding videographer and business owner who has been featured in different wedding magazines and trade fairs. He maintains a website, www.krismtanguihan.com, which Matanguihan loves to check out during his leisure time.

His daughter, 25-year-old Tina, works as a web designer and developer at IBM Philippines. She also writes for Bo Sanchez’s Didache and maintains a blog at www.tinamats.com, which Matanguihan loves to read to get his mind off of work.

“I’m proud of them because they’re doing great with their lives,” added Matanguihan.

Matanguihan said his wife Tessie and both his children have already visited him on Saipan and he also visits them in between work travel assignments and his annual vacations.

When he is not chatting with his wife or either of his two children, Matanguihan occupied himself not just with work but also joining organizations on Saipan.

Matanguihan is affiliated with the Marianas Institute of Filipino CPAs and Accountant, United Filipino Organization, the Northern Marianas Insurance Association, and the Rotary Club of Saipan.

He disclosed that he also was able to maintain a healthier lifestyle on Saipan through diet and exercise. Matanguihan continued to refrain from smoking (he’s been a non-smoker since 1991) and eating meat. He was also devoted to taking regular walks at the American Memorial Park every morning.

Matanguihan said that while he will certainly miss his co-workers and the friends he made on Saipan, he doesn’t worry about it too much. “I’m still in the neighborhood and I’m sure I’ll be back to visit from time to time,” he said with a smile.