The woman behind winning wares
 T could stand for trendy, tasteful, tantalizing, taking, transcendent, taintless, timeless and so on. Design muse Josephine Locsin took to account all definitions then summed them up in one great brand: Tumandok Crafts Industries.
Tumandok, one of the most remarkable businesses which trace its roots in Bacolod, is Locsin’s initial entrepreneurial adventure. It is a handicraft company aimed at manufacturing and distributing resin-based products.
Established in 1988, Tumandok began as a trading firm providing alternative employment to sugar workers during the height of the sugar industry crisis in Negros Occidental. From there, it became a dynamic venture passionate in promoting the Filipino flair.
“Innovation with a Pinoy flavor is our key to materialize items which normally stay in a person’s imagination. With our products, we aim to leave our patrons a superior and lasting impression,” said Locsin, who was once nominated by Ernst & Young as the Entrepreneur of the Year.
Tumandok, which literally rose from the ashes after getting its factory razed by a fire in 2003, continues to produce top-notch light furniture, house wares, and decors from dried tobacco leaves, coco twigs, rice hulls, and other indigenous materials. Locsin’s brainchild is currently exporting its products to China, Middle East, USA, and Europe.
When the demands for laminated products increased in the export market, Locsin has already set up her own lamination company to complement the cutting-edge designs of Tumandok. She also opened a sub-factory based in Bacolod City, in tune with the company’s vision to set up satellite factories in rural and urban areas through the transformation of its diligent workers to enterprising subcontractors.
For contributing to the business development in Negros and instilling Filipino pride in her world-class masterpieces, Locsin will be hailed by President Arroyo and Presidential Consultant for Entrepreneurship Jose Concepcion III as an Inspiring Bacolod Entrepreneur, an award given by the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship as part of the Go Negosyo sa Bacolod slated on July 13-14 at the La Salle Bacolod Coliseum.
Go Negosyo sa Bacolod is part of PCE’s latest endeavor, the Go Negosyo Caravan, which aims to bring Go Negosyo forums and expositions in key cities outside Metro Manila.
Go Negosyo sa Bacolod is supported by the Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Bacolod City Economic and Business Council through the representation of Bobby Montelibano (President) and Bro. Rolly Dizon (Chairman), respectively.
Go Negosyo sa Bacolod is presented by Philippine Airlines, PAGCOR, Globe, Hyundai, PLDT, Smart, Islands Souvenirs, DTI-OTOP and RFM Corporation. Other partners of the event include SM Supermalls and La Salle Bacolod, The Philippine Star, The Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Manila Bulletin, GMA Network Inc., RPN9, NBN4, Aspac-Law, Ideal Minds Corporation, and Full Circle Communications.
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More than Public Service Glam
Public service seems to take an overrated image and much abused words these days. With the influx of controversies maligning the supposed benevolent causes of various individuals, separating the unadulterated from the white-washed seems to get harder and harder as the days progress.
 Joseph Marañon, the revered governor of Negros Occidental, and Cecilia del Castillo, an average citizen who made a difference in the thrift bank sphere, were only two of the people that were visibly filtered from the rest of the pack. Both establishing firms that did not only give means of living but also establishments their kababayans can be proud of, these duo undoubtedly etched a mark in the hearts of the people in Bacolod.
As tourism promotion form part of the seven-point agenda of Governor Marañon when he assumed the office in 2001, he made it a point to develop a spot in his administered land that will lure both local and foreign tourists to flock their hometown.
Realizing the potential of Mambukal Resort, one of the oldest tourism destinations in the province, he led the Negrenses in building infrastructures and attention-grabbing spots in the area, hoping that they would soon revive its status as one of the country’s premier tourism destination.
Today, Mambukal prides of a very rich flora and fauna with seven spectacular waterfalls. Over 2, 000 bats of three different species abound the trees surrounding the resort. It has overnight cottages, dormitory-type accommodation, and affordable rooms in the Tourist Lodge. There are also 32 picnic huts and a number of canopies available for excursionists. The 80-year old Ishiwata Bathhouse was also recently renovated and now has five dipping rooms that provide a more private experience.
Because of the governor’s efforts, Mambukal is now being flocked by various people from across the region. Other than the provinces’ locales, the resort has been getting a lot of visitors from nearby provinces like Iloilo, Aklan, Negros Oriental and Cebu. The warm sulfur pool also lures Koreans, Japanese and several other foreigners in the region.
Government offices now hold most of their meetings, seminars and team buildings in Mambukal. Religious groups also find the place very suitable for their retreats and workshops.
Heading the first microfinance thrift bank in Western Visayas, Cecillia del Castillo paved the way for smart investing for her kababayans. As President and Chief Exceutive Officer of Dungganon Bank, Inc., she has offered ways and means of saving up for the Negrenses, impressing on them the significance of wisely allocating their hard-earned money to those that would matter in the future.
 Realizing that there were few projects in the province that focused on women, she also established the Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation (NWTF). Inspired by the Grameen experience in Bangladesh, NWTF embarked on a journey of upholding women’s rights and status in the society and organized credited several programs and activities which all promoted women empowerment. To gain better insights on how else she can help the organization, she went several times to Bangladesh to train and participated in several forums in Grameen. Today, the foundation has about 75,000 members predominantly composed of poor women, from different islands. She also became an elected board member in the province of Negros Occidental from 1988 to 1992.
Because of their significant contributions in their province, Maranon and del Castillo will be hailed by President Gloria Arroyo and Presidential Consultant for Entrepreneurship Jose Concepcion III as Inspiring Bacolod Entrepreneurs, an award given by the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship as part of the Go Negosyo sa Bacolod slated on July 13-14 at the La Salle Coliseum.
Go Negosyo sa Bacolod is part of PCE's latest endeavor, the Go Negosyo Caravan, which aims to bring Go Negosyo forums and expositions in key cities outside Metro Manila.
Go Negosyo sa Bacolod is presented by Philippine Airlines, PAGCOR, Globe, Hyundai, PLDT, Smart, Islands Souvenirs, DTI-OTOP and RFM Corporation. Other partners of the event include SM Supermalls and the Cebu City Marriot Hotel, The Philippine Star, The Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Manila Bulletin, GMA Network Inc., RPN9, NBN4, Aspac-Law, Ideal Minds Corporation, La Salle Bacolod and Full Circle Communications.
Helping people may serve different purposes to various individuals. But with both Maranon and Del Castillo’s efforts that resulted to changing the lives of their fellow Negrenses, they have indeed given public service a reasonably different but highly respectable name.
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Sweet servings of success
 Philosophy bakes no bread. But a touch of hardwork and an ounce of perseverance make a whole lot of difference.
Initially learning the ropes of business by selling firecrackers with his brother, James Chua also sold T-shirts bearing caricatures of an old, portly and jolly Archer ala Robinhood carrying an eagle with an arrow stabbed on its body during celebrated Ateneo-La Salle games in his college years at the De La Salle University. It was at that moment that he realized his future in business.
After graduating with a Business Administration degree, Chua first tried the corporate nooks of insurance business when he joined the Sun Life of Canada as an insurance agent. It was his boss Mr. McClaren that eventually ignited his desires and challenged his skills to the core.
“He’d always say that average is the best of the worst and the worst of the best,” Chua shared. “He would also remind us that we must know how to turn misfortune to an opportunity. That taught me to always have a sense of excellence and strength amid adversities,” he said.
And now, he’s strongly holding on to the position as President of Foodman Industries Corporation, one of the premier leaders of the baking industry in the country. Though baking was foreign to both James and his wife, he believed that “knowledge can be acquired.” So he went to Manila for a one-month course on baking at the Philippine Institute of Baking. At that time, all the odds seemed to be going towards putting up his own bakery. “I realized that the most important equipment is the oven, the rest you can do by hands,” he said.
So in 1982, with P63,000 as capital, a borrowed VW combi as the delivery van, their guestroom as their bodega, the terrace as the working area, the back lawn as the oven area and the front lawn as living quarters for their employees and for firewood storage, Foodman Industries Corp. started to rise from the typical backyard business rank. From just one outlet since its establishment, it grew to 15 outlets with a snack bar today. It also spawned a string of new businesses--a noodle factory in 1992, a supermarket and department store in l997 and an ice cream factory in 1998. James Chua is also taking care of 300 employees to date.
Chua has also been an active member of various organizations that promote business growth in Bacolod. He is currently the President of the Bacolod Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Inc. and the Filipino-Chinese Bakery Association. Aside from Foodman, he’s also the President of Jacman Realty & Trading Inc. and VJC Agri-Aqua Development Corporation.
Chua has definitely fashioned more than just a birthday cake. “I’ve always believed that today must be better than yesterday and tomorrow better than today,” Chua said. “It must also be better than expected. Because quality has no finish line.”
For their outstanding feats in their respective industries that changed the lives of many and furthered the business growth in Bacolod and all over the country, James Chua and Olivia Villaflores-Yanson will be hailed by President Arroyo and Presidential Consultant for Entrepreneurship Jose Concepcion III as two of the Most Inspiring Bacolod Entrepreneurs, a citation to be given by the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE) as part of the Go Negosyo sa Bacolod slated on July 13, 2007 at the Univ. of St. La Salle Coliseum.
Go Negosyo sa Bacolod is the second part of PCE's latest endeavor, the Go Negosyo Caravan, which aims to bring Go Negosyo forums and expositions in key cities outside Metro Manila.
Go Negosyo sa Bacolod is presented by PAGCOR, Globe, Hyundai, PLDT, Smart, Islands Souvenirs, DTI-OTOP and RFM Corporation. Other partners of the event include SM Supermalls and the Cebu City Marriot Hotel, The Philippine Star, The Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Manila Bulletin, GMA Network Inc., RPN9, NBN4, Aspac-Law, Ideal Minds Corporation, and Full Circle Communications.
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A Taste of Bacolod
There is one thing that binds Roberto Montelibano and Jose Maria Cajili: the Bacolod palate.
Montelibano and Cajili are just among the brave entrepreneurs of Bacolod who ventured in the food industry, hoping to offer their townsfolk a lasting tang on their lips, and the rest of the country with such tasty homegrown flavor.
 Montelibano founded in 1993 GH Foods, Inc., which produces the American variety of cucumber (Gherkins) into sweet pickles (Whole Pickles, Pickle Chips, Pickle Relish and Mixed Pickles). Also produced by GHFI are nata de coco, kaong, and coconut milk.
According to Montelibano, GHFI was set up to provide flavorsome complements to some of the common finds in the Filipino plate. He said that their products, which are freshly packaged in glass bottles (pickles, nata de coco, and kaong) and tin cans (coconut milk), are singled out by some major restaurants in Metro Manila to match their menus; Pancake House, Dencio’s, and UFC, to name some.
“No matter how challenging it is, we always make sure that our products appeal to the taste of almost every consumer,” Montelibano said. “The secret is to stay true to the ‘fresh’ and tested procedures which have since produced quality goods.”
Before GHFI, Montelibano has also established RM Poultry Dressing Plant, which offers services for Poultry Dressing Operations and Blast Freezing and Storage. The company, recognized for four consecutive years as the Cleanest Triple-A Dressing Plant in Region 6, has been an active dressing plant business partner of Swift Foods, Inc. in Negros since its inception until today.
 On the other hand, before Cajili came up with the idea to serve what would be known as one of Bacolod’s best, Chicken Inasal was unknown to many. But when Bacolod Chicken House was founded in February of 1976, the scrumptious chicken wonder became an instant favorite.
With three branches in Bacolod City and four branches in Manila serving tastefully marinated and grilled spare ribs, pork barbecue, and lechon manok, Bacolod Chicken House continues to literally wow eaters from all the country over.
As well, at Bacolod Chicken House, the eating public does not only seek its meaty chicken but also its “pinangat” (gabi leaves with tinunuan), pansit moto, crablets, fruit punch with ubod and Napoleones (one of Bacolod’s delicacies).
Because of the warm response of the multitudes favoring their food, Cajili said that there are plans for his tasteful business to go global.
On July 13, Montelibano and Cajili will each be recognized by President Arroyo and Presidential Consultant for Entrepreneurship Jose Concepcion III as an Inspiring Bacolod Entrepreneur, an award given by the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship as part of the Go Negosyo sa Bacolod slated at the La Salle Bacolod Coliseum.
Go Negosyo sa Bacolod is part of PCE’s latest campaign, the Go Negosyo Caravan, which aims to bring Go Negosyo forums and expositions in key cities outside Metro Manila.
Go Negosyo sa Bacolod is supported by the Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Bacolod City Economic and Business Council through the representation of Bobby Montelibano (President) and Bro. Rolly Dizon (Chairman), respectively.
Go Negosyo sa Bacolod is presented by Philippine Airlines, PAGCOR, Globe, Hyundai, PLDT, Smart, Islands Souvenirs, DTI-OTOP and RFM Corporation. Other partners of the event include SM Supermalls and La Salle Bacolod, The Philippine Star, The Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Manila Bulletin, GMA Network Inc., RPN9, NBN4, Aspac-Law, Ideal Minds Corporation, and Full Circle Communications.
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Cuts from the same exquisite cloth
 To pull out from their wardrobe an unlimited supply of garments made from the finest cloth might as well be a lovely fantasy for little girls. Today, girls are lucky enough to find such whimsy a reality as two entrepreneurial fairies from Bacolod have just fulfilled their fancy.
In 1992, sisters Lynn Agustin and Corcor Bitong, together with their husbands, founded Bayo out of their love for fashion. Apparently not just catering to female kids, Bayo, an Ilonggo term which means dress, is one of today’s sought-after clothing brands, achieving success in incorporating the stylish whims of women in its venture to showcase the new glamour of the modern Filipina.
Starting out as a small made-to-measure shop in Makati, Bayo set out on relocating Filipina fashion on the global ramp, so to speak. Despite the tough competition in the industry, Agustin and Bitong pursued the overwhelming demands of the local and international markets, focusing on producing good quality products at very affordable prices, which were still very much attuned to the lifestyle of Filipinas.
“This is what set the brand apart, its devotion to staying true to its roots as a Filipino brand,” said Agustin. “It has no pretensions on what the brand image is all about and rather keeps in tune with the brand's origin, which is still Filipino.”
From its Makati office, Bayo transferred to Greenhills, later on launching its ready-to-wear line and first mall branch in Robinson’s Galleria. It has kept its tradition of reflecting a clean, classic image for women who embody the laid-back, casual lifestyle in all its 44 operational branches nationwide, all located in major malls.
In addition to the product line’s progress, Bayo has acquired two iconic rockers as its main endorsers: Kitchie Nadal and Barbie Almalbis.
“Bayo aims to create a lifestyle for women by providing them with a diverse range of products,” Bitong said. “This we see as a way to empower them by building up their confidence through the clothes we urge them to wear.”
After the establishment of its first franchise outlet in Iloilo in 2001, Bayo has been a regular in major franchise trade shows locally and internationally, which were mostly organized by the Philippine Franchise Association.
On July 13, Agustin and Bitong will each be recognized by President Arroyo and Presidential Consultant for Entrepreneurship Jose Concepcion III as an Inspiring Bacolod Entrepreneur, an award given by the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship as part of the Go Negosyo sa Bacolod slated at the La Salle Bacolod Coliseum.
Go Negosyo sa Bacolod is part of PCE’s latest campaign, the Go Negosyo Caravan, which aims to bring Go Negosyo forums and expositions in key cities outside Metro Manila.
Go Negosyo sa Bacolod is supported by the Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Bacolod City Economic and Business Council through the representation of Bobby Montelibano (President) and Bro. Rolly Dizon (Chairman), respectively.
Go Negosyo sa Bacolod is presented by Philippine Airlines, PAGCOR, Globe, Hyundai, PLDT, Smart, Islands Souvenirs, DTI-OTOP and RFM Corporation. Other partners of the event include SM Supermalls and La Salle Bacolod, The Philippine Star, The Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Manila Bulletin, GMA Network Inc., RPN9, NBN4, Aspac-Law, Ideal Minds Corporation, and Full Circle Communications.
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