^{Mr. Cirilo Salilican, born genius a class entirely of his own.}

CIRILO SALILICAN spent the best years of his childhood on the sea. Not surprising as he came from a family of fishermen. He was already enthralled with seafaring vessels at an early age, marveling at their seemingly perfect designs to glide and withstand the rough Philippine seas.

This fascination gave birth to his innate talent that quickly grew into an expertise unparalleled in the boat-building industry.

Coupled with his uncanny ability to use mathematical factors, ratios and numbers, he began building exceptionally crafted and durable boats / cruisers, using his own designs and technology, all under his flagship company, CES CRAFT PHILIPPINES.

BORN GENIUS, A CLASS ENTIRELY OF HIS OWN

Cirilo was born and grew up in Baclaran. According to Cirilo, up until 1957, he could still fish just off Baclaran. That was his first livelihood, which he learned from his grandfather, a fisherman.

The waters of Baclaran also attracted a few sports boat which Cirilo watched with enormous awe. By simply hanging around, looking, asking, touching and perhaps getting a ride in one of those boats, he acquired an early feel of what makes them go. He attached himself to a boat-maker. When Cirilo got married and began to have children, he decided to go on his own. That was the beginning of Ces-Craft back in 1957.

Cirilo is a master of mathematical factors and ratios needed to plan and make a hull for speed. In this he is strictly a homegrown naval engineer and architect as well.

“With just one look, my father can tell if a hull is balanced or not. No need to measure, no need to calibrate. He just knows and he is always right about the balance. ” Says his daughter Corazon who supervises the production.

It is just by feel or “oido” that Cirilo learned naval architecture and engineering, he substantiates this intuitive knowledge with assiduous reading and study. He reads naval textbooks and pleasure craft journals. He is a thoroughly unself-conscious, self-taught naval genius.

“In this business,” says Cirilo, “I am carpenter, architect, engineer, manager and designer. I am also a PR man, because clients must be kept happy both when their boats are being built and when they are in use.”

Cirilo is tall, lean, lithe, toasted by the sun and sea. Despite more than 30 years in the business and avowals that he is ready to retire, his eyes sparkle when he talks about boats skimming the sea.

His own boat, which he races, is a single-seater, 545-HP hydro - plane with an aero - marine engine that runs on aviation fuel. Of course, he made the hull himself.

WORLD CLASS PLEASURE CRAFT SPECIALIST

He is a specialist in pleasure crafts. His boats have gone to Australia, Japan, Hongkong, The U.S. and Arab Emirates. At this writing, a 54-foot yacht commissioned by an Australian to sail on the Sydney harbor. Set for delivery is another yacht for a Japanese run drive resort in Mindoro.

Because of the precision needed, Cirilo does not produce hull en masse. Each hull is custom built for the client. Cirilo ask the purpose for the boat, on what kind of water it will run, how fast it should be. Sports boats must have powerful engines in order to counter the water resistance; hence, the hull must be slick, sturdy and exquisitely balanced.

Cirilo requires 18 months at least to make a yacht - and that is fast. He prefers to take his time. He averages about six boats a year, each one given all the time and attention it needs.

A SENSE OF PRECISION AND HARDWORK

Describing the perfect pleasure craft, Cirilo says that it must float, be beautiful, fast and sturdy. To achieve these four qualities, Cirilo is demanding of himself and his workers in all the steps of boat-building.
The entire process begins from planning and goes on to lofting, cutting, assembling, checking, planking, manual sanding, wood treatment and varnishing. At each step, Cirilo asks for care and precision. When something is amiss, he stops everything and begins again-and again.

He does not care if long hours of work had been done or if the cost would increase because of changes. As long as necessary, he would change, re-shape and re-do. He will not deliver less than perfect work.

Since Cirilo's yard has no test tank, the first and only time he learns that the hull is perfectly balanced is when it is taken to the sea. Such is his sense of precision that every boat he makes hits the waterline in perfect balance. He even takes bets on that.

To make the wood hulls, he chooses carpenters who have experienced in furniture making. He values their fine eye, their fine hand, their devotion. Yet one more classification is most important to Cirilo and that is the passion for wood work. Given two carpenters who both do fine work, he would always choose the one who loves his work and who would not mind being corrected or giving extra time for polish and precision.

INSISTENCE OF FAMILY BUSINESS

From the beginning, Cirilo's wife helped him in the business. She was the treasurer and retired only recently to give way to their daughter, Cynthia. Their other daughters also work in Ces-Craft: Corazon runs the production, Christina is in charge of marketing and Cecile is in hardware imports. Their only son Cesar learned the business from his father and is said to have the same natural genius as Cirilo. The Salilicans dominate the field of making pleasure crafts for export from the Philippines.

World Class Filipino came to existence because of the solid belief of the people behind this project on its subject … the Filipino and most especially because God has allowed this to happen.

We are first hand witnesses on how competent Filipinos are in any trade or profession, in any country and against any nationality as most of us are currently occupying job positions which could have been easily occupied by another race had we not been capable.

The idea of setting up this website first came up at a time when we were always being asked by foreign employers if we know of a Filipino who would like to work with them.  When asked why they prefer Filipinos… they site Filipino qualities such as the following: honest, loyal, friendly, fun-loving, honors commitments, good communicator, hardworking, creative and among others.  If you just happen to have the privilege of hearing these adjectives from people other than your “kababayan”… you would probably ask yourself why these people believe in us and why can't we?  Why other nationalities are appreciating us while we ourselves, at times, are still downgrading our capacities? 

As Filipinos working abroad, we believe we are representatives of our country.  Our performances today will have a direct effect on others who will choose to follow this route and to the image of Filipinos in general.  That's why we are always asking God for guidance at work and in everything we do.  That we may continue to do His will for His greater glory and thereby preserve the legacy of the Filipinos who came before us. In relation to this, please allow us to use this space to salute them.  They made lasting impressions internationally which practically paved the way and have opened up windows of opportunities for millions of Filipinos.

And lastly, we believe that everything we have, were just given.  Our strength, beauty, intelligence… everything.  We should therefore not be boastful and proud.  Instead, we should be thankful to the one who made you and me and share these gifts to everyone.   We may be small as people, we may be under-developed as a country and we are not perfect. But we are perfectly us… just the way God had designed us to be. 

Love.  Care.  Share.

Love God above all.  Care for others.  Share ourselves.