From Aircraft Engineer in Qatar to Sugar Panda Milk Tea Franchisee in Manila

Budding entrepreneur Percival Sandigan share tips on how to transition to becoming a successful franchisee.

The pandemic has hit all of us in different ways. It’s been nearly a year and it’s not an exaggeration to say that people have sacrificed a lot. It has been a really hard year for everyone across the country and the globe. But the cliché is true—we can always find the good when bad things happen.

Leaving a life-long career

Percival Sandigan has been working as an engineer in the aviation industry since 1990. In 1999, he moved to the Middle East to work for big airlines like Emirates, Gulf Air, and Etihad Airways. Before the pandemic hit, he had been working as an Inflight Entertainment Engineer (IFE) of Qatar Airways.

As a family man, Percy worked hard to provide a good life for his wife and children. He made sure that his career decisions are anchored on providing and supporting the entire family. However, when the pandemic hit, everything changed.

“This pandemic threw our life off course,” Sandigan says. “All the plans that we had were either kept on hold or completely disregarded. I had to quit my job then as an IFE Aircraft Maintenance Supervisor for Qatar Airways as the fear of uncertainty with what would happen if I contracted the disease made me realize that life is more important than financial gain.”

Sandigan left Qatar and moved back home to the Philippines to be with his family. But he knew the pandemic was going to be a challenge that he and his family must overcome in order to survive and thrive.

Deciding to go into franchising