National Bookstore's founder Maria Socorro "Nanay Coring" Cancio Ramos.

From being a saleslady to becoming a multimillionaire, National Bookstore matriarch Socorro Ramos has
become the poster girl for success. Her story proves that in order to be triumphant, one must be tough, one
must be a fighter.

Maria Socorro Cancio was born on September 23, 1923 in Sta. Cruz, Laguna, to a family that is no stranger
to running business. Her parents ran a dry-good selling business, while her grandmother had a stall in the
market. But her Lola’s business was shut down because of mismanagement. The young Maria would often
see customers buy items on credit, which her grandmother failed to keep tab on.

Socorro was around 18 years old when she started working as a saleslady in a branch of Goodwill
Bookstore owned by his brother Manuel in Escolta, Manila. Impressed with Maria’s skills, the older brother
entrusted full management of the business to her.

It is in the same store that Ms. Cancio met her husband Jose Ramos, who happens to be Manuel’s brother-
in-law. Maria’s parents were against their relationship because she was only 18 that time; she was forced
to go back in Laguna, and was barred from seeing Jose. Defying her parents’ disapproval, and with mere
11 pesos in her possession, Maria decided to go back to Manila and married Jose in 1940. Her family did
not talk to her for quite some time, but their fury subsided when Maria gave birth to her twin babies Alfredo
and Benjamin.

On the same year, the couple decided to open their own store. Maria and Jose started selling books, GI
novels, and supplies. The store’s name was Socorro’s idea after she would often see the word “National”
stamped on cash registers, which is quite fitting for it is considered as the pioneer in providing textbooks,
novels, and other school and office needs of the Filipinos.

During the Japanese invasion, they changed their business from selling books to selling soap due to the
censorship that was being imposed.

After the war, the Ramos couple was able to find a barong-barong in the corner of Avenida Rizal and Soler
and rebuilt it, right when the post-war school year was about to start. They used the house’s door as their
counter and started offering notebooks, textbooks, and other school supplies.

The business was going smoothly until Typhoon Gene destroyed their house and their business in 1948.
But the couple was determined to recover and continued to work hard.

All the hard work paid off because they were able to construct a two-story building that became their store
for many years.

The success of National Bookstore continued, the business expanded and has now branches across the
country with more than 2,500 employees. Maria Socorro Cancio Ramos is now way past her 90’s, hence
it’s the younger ones who are managing the small empire. Nanay Coring remains as a great inspiration to
all those who struggle, for she is the epitome of surviving against all odds.
 HENRY SY. Philippines’ richest businessman

We all know Henry Sy as one of the richest tycoons in the Philippines. However, not all people know what
happened before all these achievements came into his life. Read up and see what made him become one
of the country’s successful entrepreneurs.

Believe it or not, Henry Sy’s story was a ‘rags to riches’ kind of tale. Born in Xiamen, China in November
1924, Henry Sy was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Wanting to escape poverty, Henry followed
his father to the Philippines only to experience a miserable youth in a foreign country. Sy struggled hard
living in a foreign country as an immigrant and had to learn the local language. Determined to become
successful, he worked hard day and night to provide for his needs.

Sy started out with a small sari-sari store business that helped them in their day-to-day life. Sy and his
father lived in a small space until the fruits of their labor made them successful in the following years.
However, when the Philippine economy collapsed in World War II, their store burned down that forced his
father to go back to China. Henry Sy stayed in the Philippines and built his own shoe business in Marikina.

Sy did not have an overnight success. He enrolled himself to school and was able to graduate college with
a degree in commerce from Far Eastern University. Sy also changed legal names, sold rejected and overrun
shoes, plus many other setbacks that he had to face early in life. He did not give up and pushed through
maybe because he knew that something big, which is what he has now, is about to come.

After a series of failures in his business, Henry Sy stood back up and persevered to attain his goal. He
established a small shoe store in Quiapo, Manila in 1958 named “Shoe Mart” that eventually marked the
establishment of SM Prime Holdings. Now with three of the most valuable companies in the Philippines: SM
Investments Corp. and SM Prime Holdings Inc., valued at over Php 1 trillion each, and BDO Unibank,
valued at around Php 635 million, he has become the richest man in the country for 11 consecutive years
since 2005 and ranked 52nd in Forbes World Billionaires List of 2018.
 Lucio Tan of LT Group

From the tobacco business, to airline, to liquor, real estate and education – Lucio Tan has proven that you
can always find opportunities through humble experiences.

Tan, known as the fourth richest man in the Philippines according to Forbes magazine, is a well known
businessman behind the country’s top brands such as the Philippine Airlines, Asia Brewery, and Fortune
Tobacco Corporation. With all the success at his hands, Tan still manages to keep a low profile among
other billionaires in the country, something that keeps his status at the business industry for long. Read on
to see where Lucio Tan came from and see where he is now.

Born in China, Lucio Tan and his family moved to Naga province in the Philippines where he was a working
student. He studied Chemistry at Far Eastern University (FEU), but quit before graduating to build his scrap
business and then eventually moved to a tobacco factory for a job.

Through this experience, in 1966, Tan started his own tobacco company which became successful, and it
introduced its own brand called ‘Hope’ in 1975. Since then, Tan’s company became the country’s largest
cigarette manufacturer. From that, Tan began conquering success in other industries such as acquiring
General Bank (now Allied Bank), opening Asia Brewery Inc., securing control of country’s flag carrier
Philippine Airlines (PAL), and more companies under the industries of “liquor, tobacco, aviation, banking,
and real estate.”

With all of Lucio Tan’s affiliations in the country’s business industry, one can learn many things in terms of
seizing opportunities when it comes by. You don’t need to be rich to be successful. You just need to work
hard because truly, “great things start from small beginnings.”
 Atty. Felipe L. Gozon, the Chairman and CEO of GMA Network. /IMAGE GMA
Network website

Atty. Felipe L. Gozon is a resounding name in the broadcasting industry as the man who propelled the success
of the radio and TV giant, GMA Network, also known as the Kapuso Network.

With a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the Philippines and a Masters of Laws degree from Yale
University, Gozon first set out in the field of law. He placed 13th in the bar examinations in 1962.

Gozon entered the broadcasting industry with little knowledge of the field, but his hard work and dedication led
him to the top of his game. When he first held a position in the network’s Board of Directors, he took it as a
challenge to strive for excellence. He found himself enjoying the challenges of the broadcasting business more
than law practice. According to him, being in the business is very challenging yet fulfilling.

Among the many awards that he has received are “Best Broadcast CEO” given by BizNews Asia in 2014, “Tycoon
of the Decade Award” given by BizNews Asia in 2011, and “People of the Year” given by People Asia Magazine
in 2005. He was also the first Filipino recipient of “The Global Leadership Award for Excellence in Media Sector,”
which was awarded to Gozon during the 2015 Global Leadership Awards in Malaysia.

At the age of 75, he published his own autobiography entitled “Felipe L. Gozon: How GMA Became No. 1”
wherein he shared his journey and the reasons for the turns that he took along the way—why, despite specializing
in law, he chose to venture into the broadcasting business.

Gozon also has a children’s book about him published by LG&M Group. The book, entitled “Kapuso Mo, Atty.
Felipe L. Gozon,” focused on how Gozon’s family values helped him face challenges and pursue success

Children can also read about Gozon’s success story. /IMAGE GMA Network website

Gozon was in the 2016 Philippines’ 50 Richest by Forbes. Besides being the Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer of GMA Network, 77-year-old Gozon is also a lawyer, a husband, a father, and a grandfather.
 Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala

Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala is a Philippine businessperson who has been at the helm of 19 different
companies. Presently, he is Non-Executive Chairman at Bank of the Philippine Islands, Chairman at BPI
Family Savings Bank, Inc. (a subsidiary of Bank of the Philippine Islands), Non-Executive Chairman at
Asiacom Philippines, Inc., Chairman at Globe Telecom, Inc. (a subsidiary of Asiacom Philippines, Inc.),
Non-Executive Chairman of Integrated Micro-Electronics, Inc., Co-Chairman for Ayala Group Club, Inc.,
Chairman for Ayala Retirement Fund Holdings, Inc., Chairman for Ac Ventures Holding Corp., Chairman
at AC Education, Inc., Chairman of Ayala Education, Inc., Chairman of Azalea Technology Investments,
Inc. and Chairman at AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp.

He is also Non-Executive Co-Chairman at Ayala Foundation, Inc., Chairman of Childrens Hour

Philippines, Inc., Member of JPMorgan International Council, Member of Asia Society, Member of Pacific
Basin Economic Council, Member-International Business Council at Forum Mondial de L'Economie,
Member of The Conference Board, Inc., Member of The Philippine Economic Society and Member of
National Competitiveness Council Philippines and on the board of 22 other companies.

In the past he occupied the position of Executive Chairman & Chief Executive Officer for Ayala Corp. and
Chairman for Water Capital Works, Inc. (a subsidiary of Ayala Corp.).

He received an undergraduate degree from Harvard College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
 THE JUICE KING. Alfredo Yao is known as The Juice King thanks to his brainchild,

Zest-O Corporation./IMAGE GoNegosyo

When you hear the name Alfredo Yao and you’re of a certain age, you tend to only think of one thing and one
thing alone: Zest-O. It’s the country’s largest juice brand, and can be found in almost every lunchbox of every
kid that goes to school.

He’s one of the most resilient businessmen in the Philippines, and has built his legacy on hard work and
perseverance, as well as showing tenacity for always finding better ways of doing things.

Here’s a short snippet of the Philippines’ Juice King, Alfredo Yao’s early success.

Early years

Alfredo M. Yao was born on November 23, 1943 to the simplest of families. The eldest among his siblings, he
had to sacrifice a lot at an early age. He lost his father and became the family breadwinner at the age of 12. He
started a printing business at age 17 with a Php 3,000 loan from what is today known as the Development
Bank of the Philippines.

He never got to finish school even though he wanted to, because he was already a full-fledged businessman by
age 18. He’s gone through the ringer, so to speak: he’s been a street vendor and at times, slept on cardboard
box on the sidewalks of the street.

The birth of Zest-O

Yao went from printing and packaging to the beverage industry in the unlikeliest of ways. He learned printing
wrappers through a cousin who was then working for a printing press. This paved way for him to venture into
the printing press business thus, the birth of Solemar Commercial Press named after his mother.

In 1979, while on a business tour of Europe, he stumbled across a new way of packaging: Doypack, a sealed
bag made of plastic and aluminum that’s designed to stand upright. Seeing its potential, he marketed it to local
juice manufacturers, but no one showed interest.

Not wanting to let something with this much potential go to waste, he started making his own juices in his
kitchen and packaged it using the doypacks he got from Europe. He would soon corner the market on juice
drinks, thanks to the convenience of his doypacks.
The innovator

Yao has never been one to shy away from innovation. While his beverage company, Zest-O Corporation, was
slowly making waves in the juice market, he was already looking at other potential investments. At 2008, he
launched Zest Airways and sought to compete with other low-cost carriers of the country.

He was met with stiff competition (Air Philippines and Cebu Pacific Air to name a few), so he looked at a
different way of flying people into the country. Thus, making Zest Airways the first local carrier to fly tourists
from China and Korea straight to Philippine destinations, i.e. without dropping by NAIA.

Last 2016, Zest Airways was fully integrated with AirAsia as AirAsia Zest.

The Juice King Today

Alfredo Yao has gone a long way from his humble beginnings. He’s still at the helm of Zest-O Group and Zest-
O Corporation as its chairman but that didn’t stop him from innovating and diversifying into other businesses.

Yao was also the Chairman of Macay Holdings, Inc., the parent company of ARC Refreshments Corporation,
which handles a couple of popular beverage brands including RC Cola, and the founder and Chairman
Emeritus of Philippine Business Bank, a bank which focuses on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and has
over 139 branches as of 2016.

Some of the companies under the umbrella of the Yao Group of Companies were Solmac Marketing,
Inc., Harman Foods (Phils.), Inc., Amchem Marketing, Inc., Uni-Ipel Industries, Inc., SMI Development,
Inc., Summit Hotel and Resort Specialist, Inc. (Former: Sol Marina Resort Boracay – Current: Movenpick
Resort & Spa Boracay).

With his determination to make something out of nothing, he was able to achieve beyond what he could ever
imagine. One important life lesson for Alfredo Yao is to just work hard and never lose hope.

“Credibility is built, not given. Respect is earned, not bought” – Alfredo Yao
 HE WILL BE MISSED. Mariano Que, the founder of Mercury Drug, passed away last April
15, 2017 at the age of 96. IMAGE Medium.com

When Filipinos need medication, a couple of names usually come up: Generika, The Generics Pharmacy,
Watsons, and the most well-known of them all, Mercury Drug.

Mercury Drug has been synonymous with quality pharmaceuticals and it owes its success to one man who
recently left us: its founder, the late Mariano Que.

His company may not have been the first drugstore in the country, but his pioneering spirit behind the
pharmaceutical retail industry paved the way for all the rest that followed.

It all began with P100 and a bottle of Sulfiathiazole

P100. That was all Mariano Que had in his pocket after World War II. An employee of a drugstore prior to the
war, Que knew that Filipinos would need the “miracle” drug sulfathiazole, believed to cure many (if not all) sorts
of diseases and illnesses.

He saw an opportunity to help his countrymen by buying the bottle from a peddler in Bambang St. He then sold
these tablets (which he knew was genuine sulfathiazole thanks to the ‘W’ on the tablets) per piece to make it
more affordable. After making a profit, he was able purchase other medicines and a pushcart so he can sell his
medicines to the public.

FIRST OF MANY. A photo of the first Mercury Drug store in Bambang St., Manila.
IMAGE Mercury Drug

He continued selling medicines off of his pushcart until he was able to save enough to put up the first Mercury
Drug store on March 1 along Bambang St.

More than 70 years later, Mercury Drug is still at the forefront of Philippine pharmaceutical services, with over
1,000 stores nationwide. It’s also the first to use a central computerized and temperature-controlled warehouse,
24-hour service, and pharmacy counseling.
More than just a businessman

Que proved to be more than just an enterprising businessman. He founded the Mercury Drug Foundation (MDFI)
as a way of giving back to Filipinos for their support throughout the company’s 70-year existence.

Today, MDFI helps Filipinos across the country mainly through these programs:

 Operation Bigay Lunas – free medical services and medicines to underserved communities
 Operation Pa-Tubig – access to water for marginalized waterless communities nationwide, done in
partnership with the Philippine Business for Social Progress
 Bantay Kalusugan – free health profiling, screening, counseling, and education activities for non-
communicable diseases
 Pharmacy Scholarship – full scholarships given to third and fourth year Pharmacy students enrolled in
member schools of the Philippine Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (PACOP).

They also give out awards of excellence for Math and Science (Gawad Talino); search for, nurture, and train
future leaders (Sagip Talento); and provide immediate relief assistance in the form of medicines or hygiene packs.

MARIANO QUE, DOCTOR OF HUMANITIES. It was UST that conferred a

Doctor of Humanities, honoris causa to Mariano Que. IMAGE Inquirer.net

He has also been conferred an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree by the University of Sto. Tomas College
of Medicine for his pioneering spirit behind the pharmaceutical retail industry and his advocacy for affordable
medicine and assistance to the needy.

Apart from the honorary degree, he has also received a lot of awards, including:

 President’s Award: Plaque of Merit, Most Prestigious Drugs Manufacturer and Distinguished Civic
Leader in 1973
 Award of Distinction by the Philippine Chamber of Health and Pharmaceutical and Non-
Pharmaceutical Industry in 1986
 Father of Philippine Health and Wellness Retailing by the Philippine Retailers Association in 2012
 Dr. Cecilio K. Pedro

People thought Dr. Cecilio K. Pedro was crazy for going against big companies in the toothpaste industry.
Many years later, Hapee toothpaste remains as a major competitor against global brands in the Philippines.

Cecilio Kwok Pedro, of Chinese descent, was born on 1953 in the Philippines. Even when he was young,
Pedro already has a knack for business, selling pens to his schoolmates. Dr. Pedro’s story is not the rags-
to-riches type, but his success is nevertheless admirable.

He graduated from Ateneo de Manila with a degree in Business Management. It was around 1975 when
Cecilio to put up his own business. He borrowed P20,000 from his father and founded Aluminum
Containers, Inc., supplying collapsible aluminum toothpaste tubes to Colgate-Palmolive, Procter & Gamble,
and Philippine Refining Company. But due to environmental concerns, the companies decided to use
plastic-laminated toothpaste tubes instead in 1985. Cecilio’s company took a huge blow, prompting him to
close his business in the same year.

Dr. Cecilio did not allow this problem to put him down. In 1985, he decided to start again and established
Lamoiyan Corporation. Lamoiyan was the Cantonese name of her grandmother, whom he loved and look
up to. It was her that introduced their family to Christianity.

The initial plan was to use the machines from his defunct company for epoxy but he thought that the market
was too small. Since he used to be a supplier for a toothpaste company, this is where he focused the
business instead, much to the disapproval of many. He developed his own brand of toothpaste, Hapee.
Contending against well-known, international brands is a tough one, so Dr. Pedro realized that the only way
that his toothpaste can get noticed is to sell them at a lower price, 50% less that of Colgate and Close up.
The company also developed different fruity flavors of Hapee which enticed the children. They also
manufactured the toothpaste in smaller packs and sachets; hence, catering to different markets.

It was they took Lea Salonga as their first celebrity endorser to further improve brand awareness. Hapee
was getting 15% of the market already and getting a famous endorser increased it. In later years they also
introduced other variety of products like dishwashing pastes and fabric detergents.

Not only is Lamoiyan Corporation known for creating a Filipino brand of toothpaste, but also for its
commitment to supporting the deaf community. The company employed hearing-impaired people, and
required employees to learn how to communicate with the deaf. And since he is a devout Christian like her
grandmother, Dr. Cecilio Diokno also founded and chaired the Deaf Evangelistic Alliance Foundation
(DEAF) which gave scholarship to the deaf community and introduced them to Christianity, standing by the
company’s motto, “To make a difference for the glory of God.”
 Corazon D. Ong

Unrelenting passion and the need for financial betterment, is what drove the young Corazon D. Ong to establish his
business empire. With the right amount of knowledge, skills, and liking for what she does, Corazon rose from a simple
homemaker to a very successful businesswoman. Let us look at how she managed to flip the tables around!

Corazon D. Ong, was a simple homemaker then; a good wife to his husband Jose who is a professor at the very
prestigious Ateneo de Manila University, and a loving mother to his three kids – Jerome, Jason & Sharmaine. Aside
from that, she is also a licensed dietician. So, what she did then, as part of her daily routine is to prepare food for the
fami8ly. Being a dietician, she keeps in mind the significance of a balanced healthy meal to the body, so to make sure
that her family will be getting the best meals, she prepares them herself. Little did she knew, that this hobby of her
will be the root of their success.

As mentioned, the production of food started out as a hobby. She prepares them tocino, longganisa, and other easy-
to-make processed food. It was initially for the family only, but she noticed that many moms in their neighborhood
also likes these products, she started to sell out. She saw the need of these moms to prepare a quick-fix yet healthy
lunch for their kids, so to help them she started retailing small amounts of these products. It was highly praised, and
Corazon received a lot of positive feedbacks. So, what she did was, borrow from a local bank a total amount of P60,
000 to put up an official business. It was in June 25, 1975 when she established CDO Food Products at the backyard of
their humble home. The first product they released was longganisa and tocino among others.

In 1981, Foodsphere Inc. was duly registered and CDO was retained as the flagship name of its food products.
Innovations and modernizations followed to ran after the growing industry. The company was converted into a family
corporation. Her whole family worked together to make the business more successful. However, tragedies cannot be
avoided. It was in 1987 when a fire broke out in the company’s processing area, destroying most of their advanced
processing equipments. It was one of the incidents that really challenged the faith and dedication of Corazon. But she
stood above it, nevertheless. Two days after the fire, Corazon called her staff to plan about what they will be doing
next. Because of that, CDO Foodsphere Inc., was again back on its feet to serve the Filipino people.

Bouncing back from that, CDO became even more eager to expand their products horizon. From then on, different
innovations of products were continuously being researched to satisfy the palates of the consumers especially
Filipinos. From Longanizas to tocino, hotdogs and many others, the company tried to develop more and more
products to cater the masses based on their consumption. In 2001, the company introduced carne norte which suited
the Filipino taste at a very reasonable price and another innovation in the industry. CDO-Foodsphere has emerged as
the number one producer of carne norte in the land. She was also the brain behind the San Marino Corned Tuna,
which is now a hit in the market. CDO Foodsphere has established its success based on the needs of the consumers.
Ong’s core vision came to reality that is to provide affordable food products to the most number of Filipino
households.

Looking back, who would have thought that a simple desire to give the best meals to the family would became a very
profitable and successful business? Yes, CDO’s Corazon really proved that there is more to being a simple
homemaker. Because of her successes, he has received a lot of awards in her field of interest. These are: Most
Outstanding Nutritionist of the Year in 1996, Agora Awardee for the Most Outstanding Medium-Scale Entrepreneur in
1997, Most Outstanding Professional in the Field of Dietetics in 1999, Most Outstanding Woman in Valenzuela in
2006, and Woman Entrepreneur Award in 2009. But above all these achievements, her most satisfying award is the
way he has brought up their children.

Her son Jerome is now the corporate Vice-President who has a degree in Economics from the University of the
Philippines; Jason, is now a nutritionist and head of the research department; and their only daughter, Sharmaine, a
licensed physician but joined the family business as the one handling the financial aspect. This is what she considers
her life’s best blessings.
 Tony Tan Caktiong

Known to be the man behind the country’s famous bee, Tony Tan Caktiong is another
rags-to-riches story – from owning a small ice cream franchise, to heading some of the
Philippines’ most famous food chains.

Born third of seven siblings, Tony Tan Caktiong was from a poor family in China who
immigrated to the Philippines in hope that they may have a better life. His family helped
each other out, establishing a restaurant business in Davao which enabled young Tony
to study Civil Engineering in the University of Santo Tomas.

When he was 22, Caktiong decided to shell out P350,000 in an ice cream parlor franchise.
He opened Cubao Ice Cream House and Quiapo Ice Cream House. As their business
becomes more and more successful, they started to hire more people to help them
manage it. Two years later, he decided to serve hamburgers, fried chicken, and spaghetti
as people began to tell him that they don’t want to eat ice cream all the time. It was then
that they decided to rebrand and change their name to “Jollibee” as it represents them as
a company, and the people that they cater to – hardworking and happy.

McDonald’s came into the picture not many years later, but they failed to take over
Jollibee’s popularity as, according to Caktiong, they don’t know the local food culture.
Filipinos have a sweet taste on food, so Jollibee decided to serve spaghetti with a sweeter
flavour. Filipinos like to smell everything they eat, which is the reason behind the
“Langhap Sarap” tagline they have been using for a while now.

As years go by, the Jollibee group grew bigger. Caktiong partnered up and established a
couple other food chains including Chowking, Red Ribbon, Greenwich, and Delifrance.
Aside from bringing Jollibee, Chowking, and Red Ribbon to other countries, they’ve also
established new food chains in China and Taiwan which suit the tastes of the people
there.

As of 2016, Tony Tan Caktiong ranked 6th in Forbes’ Philippines’ 50 Richest. He was also
awarded the Entrepreneur of the Year and the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year
in 2004.