| Henry Monterey Balagtas Fort Washington, Maryland Community Leader, Dynamic Realtor and Outstanding Businessman Par Excellence |
“Land Ahoy!” In the days of yore, this call always caused a
general feeling of exhilaration and relief for sailors and seafarers.
The call announced the end of a long journey and, for some the
prospect of a new beginning and settling on terra firma. And so it
was too far Henry Balagtas, a navy man who retired from the call
of seas some 12 years ago but continued the search for land —
as a Realtor.
When Henry Balagtas entered the U.S. in 1965, little did he know
that he was going to have a more comfortable and opulent
future. After a 20-year stint with the military, which ended with a
post at the Pentagon as an Assistant Personnel Officer, early
retirement reckoned. Upon his retirement in 1985, he decided to
completely immerse himself in real estate work which he started
as just a moonlighting activity seven years before with the Hugh
T. Peck Real Estate Company and later with the Archway Real
Estate. His decision to go full-time as real estate agent saw him
general feeling of exhilaration and relief for sailors and seafarers.
The call announced the end of a long journey and, for some the
prospect of a new beginning and settling on terra firma. And so it
was too far Henry Balagtas, a navy man who retired from the call
of seas some 12 years ago but continued the search for land —
as a Realtor.
When Henry Balagtas entered the U.S. in 1965, little did he know
that he was going to have a more comfortable and opulent
future. After a 20-year stint with the military, which ended with a
post at the Pentagon as an Assistant Personnel Officer, early
retirement reckoned. Upon his retirement in 1985, he decided to
completely immerse himself in real estate work which he started
as just a moonlighting activity seven years before with the Hugh
T. Peck Real Estate Company and later with the Archway Real
Estate. His decision to go full-time as real estate agent saw him
move to RE/MAX Colonial Homes, Inc. where he has been consistently a “multi-million dollar producer” year
after year.
Henry ranks No. 2 among the 4,700 active realtors in Prince George’s County, MD and a multiple recipient of
RE/MAX 100% Club for being in the top 1% of all realtors nationwide. A member of the National Association of
Real Estate Executives, he received an official recognition in 1988 as one of the “100 Best Real Estate Agents
in the Metropolitan Washington, DC Area” and acclaimed as one among the “Who’s Who in Residential Real
Estate in North America”. He was recently given the Hall of Fame Award by RE/MAX International Real
Estate. These are just no ordinary awards for any realtor.
With a savoir faire honed by deep exposure into the business, Henry does not only sell properties, but he also
buys, develops and resales, something that one who has a keen foresight — and has acquired more than
enough financial resources — can do. While he does what he is doing so well, he looks for further
challenges and has turned his sights towards opening a RE/MAX franchise in the Philippines. For this, he
readily got the approval of the RE/MAX Head Office in Colorado. He is the best person qualified to do this,
perhaps the only one. On a recent business trip to the Philippines, Henry saw this challenge. The business
of real estate buying/selling and real estate development are booming and the Philippines, specifically
Central Luzon, is fast rising from the ashes of Mt. Pinatubo and from the closing of the U.S. bases. The
developments in the Calabarzon are on-going while areas north of Manila are girdling to be developed. This
simply is a realtor’s dream and Henry’s enthusiasm in responding to this challenge cannot be contained. He
also looks forward to constructing a multi-story building out of their property in Manila which is located in a
commercial district.
Two other brothers, one in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the other in San Diego, California, are also topnotched
brokers and realtors. Like Henry, both are financially successful in the real estate.
A person who was raised steeped in family ties, Henry, who comes from a big family — nine brothers and two
sisters — credits his success to the training that he got from his father, Rufino Balagtas (deceased), once a
two-term councilor of Capas, Tarlac, a municipal attorney, and a real estate lawyer. He credits his
humanitarian inclinations to his mother, Marcela Monterey of San Fernando, Pampanga, who is a sensitive
poet and writer. As often now as they possibly can, the Balagtas family (most of them are here in the U.S.)
arrange family reunions. The Balagtas brothers are all involved in their own Filipino-American community
organizations. Community politics runs deep in this family.
Henry Balagtas is the Co-Founder of Circulo Pampangueno and its President from 1983 to 1989. He
presently sits as Chairman of the Board. The Circulo Pampangueno was formed to foster closer fraternity
and camaraderie among the Capampangans of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. They are, however, always
prepared to render assistance in kind or in cash to their kababayans in the Philippines, most especially to
their cabalens, in exigent times. On his own, however, Henry just recently made a philanthropic gesture of
sending the necessary amount of financial assistance to the family of an 18-year old hospital patient in Tarlac
who has been diagnosed as brain-dead. The sum of money that he sent was used to defray the expenses for
the brain surgery that had to be done immediately. As of this writing, Henry got word that the boy is now
conscious and undergoing therapy. The prognosis is good and the family is happily inviting him to see the life
that he saved. For Henry, the fruit of this endeavor is the sweetest he has ever reaped.
Behind every successful man is a woman. For 30 years, wife Mary Descalso-Balagtas, a registered nurse,
has provided Henry with the morale support, the inspiration and the extra hand in his undertakings. Both have
just been to Russia and to a number of European countries last June for a well-deserved vacation. They have
a daughter, Vanessa Marie Balagtas-Labrador, who is now just starting a family of her own. #
after year.
Henry ranks No. 2 among the 4,700 active realtors in Prince George’s County, MD and a multiple recipient of
RE/MAX 100% Club for being in the top 1% of all realtors nationwide. A member of the National Association of
Real Estate Executives, he received an official recognition in 1988 as one of the “100 Best Real Estate Agents
in the Metropolitan Washington, DC Area” and acclaimed as one among the “Who’s Who in Residential Real
Estate in North America”. He was recently given the Hall of Fame Award by RE/MAX International Real
Estate. These are just no ordinary awards for any realtor.
With a savoir faire honed by deep exposure into the business, Henry does not only sell properties, but he also
buys, develops and resales, something that one who has a keen foresight — and has acquired more than
enough financial resources — can do. While he does what he is doing so well, he looks for further
challenges and has turned his sights towards opening a RE/MAX franchise in the Philippines. For this, he
readily got the approval of the RE/MAX Head Office in Colorado. He is the best person qualified to do this,
perhaps the only one. On a recent business trip to the Philippines, Henry saw this challenge. The business
of real estate buying/selling and real estate development are booming and the Philippines, specifically
Central Luzon, is fast rising from the ashes of Mt. Pinatubo and from the closing of the U.S. bases. The
developments in the Calabarzon are on-going while areas north of Manila are girdling to be developed. This
simply is a realtor’s dream and Henry’s enthusiasm in responding to this challenge cannot be contained. He
also looks forward to constructing a multi-story building out of their property in Manila which is located in a
commercial district.
Two other brothers, one in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the other in San Diego, California, are also topnotched
brokers and realtors. Like Henry, both are financially successful in the real estate.
A person who was raised steeped in family ties, Henry, who comes from a big family — nine brothers and two
sisters — credits his success to the training that he got from his father, Rufino Balagtas (deceased), once a
two-term councilor of Capas, Tarlac, a municipal attorney, and a real estate lawyer. He credits his
humanitarian inclinations to his mother, Marcela Monterey of San Fernando, Pampanga, who is a sensitive
poet and writer. As often now as they possibly can, the Balagtas family (most of them are here in the U.S.)
arrange family reunions. The Balagtas brothers are all involved in their own Filipino-American community
organizations. Community politics runs deep in this family.
Henry Balagtas is the Co-Founder of Circulo Pampangueno and its President from 1983 to 1989. He
presently sits as Chairman of the Board. The Circulo Pampangueno was formed to foster closer fraternity
and camaraderie among the Capampangans of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. They are, however, always
prepared to render assistance in kind or in cash to their kababayans in the Philippines, most especially to
their cabalens, in exigent times. On his own, however, Henry just recently made a philanthropic gesture of
sending the necessary amount of financial assistance to the family of an 18-year old hospital patient in Tarlac
who has been diagnosed as brain-dead. The sum of money that he sent was used to defray the expenses for
the brain surgery that had to be done immediately. As of this writing, Henry got word that the boy is now
conscious and undergoing therapy. The prognosis is good and the family is happily inviting him to see the life
that he saved. For Henry, the fruit of this endeavor is the sweetest he has ever reaped.
Behind every successful man is a woman. For 30 years, wife Mary Descalso-Balagtas, a registered nurse,
has provided Henry with the morale support, the inspiration and the extra hand in his undertakings. Both have
just been to Russia and to a number of European countries last June for a well-deserved vacation. They have
a daughter, Vanessa Marie Balagtas-Labrador, who is now just starting a family of her own. #
Washington D.C. Since 1987
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