I HAVE known Belinda for more than two decades already, and whenever I invite her to be a resource speaker for our school events, she would immediately say “yes”. I really love inviting her because she is always so vibrant when she delivers her talks. She is passionate in sharing her knowledge to students, and her sincerity in helping the youth truly radiates from within.
Aside from being a good speaker, she is a strong and empowered woman who will stand up for what is right and will never stop speaking up for what she advocates. She uses her voice to speak not only about her advocacies but for the concerns of those who are voiceless.
Most of all, she is a loving and proud mother of her children, and I am sure she has the heart to be a mother to the youth of General Santos City as well. – Engr. Shiela Jingle Soriño, Dean, College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology, Notre Dame of Dadiangas University
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You know the quality of a person when they perform beyond expectations! Many years ago, while I was working on my graduate school thesis, I realized that the deadline was fast approaching and there were still surveys and Focused Group Discussions that I needed to accomplish. It was a daunting task to gather stakeholders of the power industry and lead them to discuss the upcoming Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA).
It was a difficult task, but a lady was able to gather in General Santos City different people from the business sector, the academe, prominent politicians, and the media to sit down in one room and debate on the merits of the EPIRA. It was a success!
Years later I was working in a power company in Iloilo, and we were having some insurmountable Right-of-Way (ROW) challenges.
I called this lady again and invited her to come over to Iloilo and help the power company. I had some doubts since she was not a native Ilongga. However, she flew to Iloilo and helped thresh out acute ROW concerns as well as opened lines of communication with leaders and opinion makers who were harassing the construction of the transmission lines from Ingore to Sta. Barbara. It was a success again!
This lady is very creative in approaching the challenges of life. Where a man will use brute power, she will use woman power instead.
In this game called life I believe she still has to hit her strides! This lady is Belinda Sales Canlas. — Cris Lamayan, VP, Clavis Energy Solutions Inc.
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When we used to work together for a power utility company, I started calling her “Ms. Bright” – after Belinda Bright (a sexy star from the early 2000s as some people may remember). The endearment “Ms. Bright” stuck through the years because that’s how I really know Belinda Sales-Canlas. She has a big and bright personality that always lights up a room. She talks a lot, smiles a lot. She loves to dress up (kikay!) and has a youthful vibe. Parang kapatid nya lang mga anak nya – which if I may add, she is both extremely proud of.
In our hectic comms and PR years, we were doing something, somewhere, all the time… and she had the enthusiasm and ‘can do’ attitude to see projects through. She still has that level of energy, so I wasn’t surprised at all when she shared her plans to run for public office in GenSan. It was but natural for a person as passionate as Ms. Bright.
I remember that she loves to study and teach (I learned what TESOL was about from her). Aside from writing, public speaking is also her passion. I was so proud of her when she started her own consultancy to combine her two passions.
Once, she shared with me that her late lawyer dad (also a writer and broadcast journalist) is her idol. She has so much love and respect for her father, and it shows in the way she honors his legacy in all the amazing things that she does. – Faye de Jesus, Communications Consultant
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The one word that I can use to describe Belinda; one word that spells it all is leadership! When she wants something done, she gives it her all, and finishes the task with flying colors!
You can never go wrong being friends with her. No dull moments. It’s fun and safe. Safe because she tells you when you are wrong and safely says the right thing, to put you in your proper place without judgement or prejudice. Safe because there is no hanky-panky, no bad girl moments. You will always be on the safe side. – Jo Imbat, A friend
(To be continued)
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Writer can be reached at belindabelsales@gmail.com. Twitter @ShilohRuthie./PN
