Like an often quoted proverb says, ‘from small beginnings come great things’. When Dennis Uy began his family business in Davao in 2002 to distribute petroleum products to businesses in Mindanao, he never dreamed that his company would become the leading independent and fastest-growing oil company in the Philippines. Over the last 14 years, what is now known as Phoenix Petroleum has grown to a network of almost 500 retail stations serving commercial and industrial clients.From serving its first corporate client, Cebu Pacific, in 2004, the Company’s integrated logistics services today include hauling and into-plane services of Jet-A1 fuels to airports and airlines, and refueling of aircrafts in key cities.
Phoenix Petroleum President and CEO Dennis Uy was celebrated alongside six other respected business leaders who make up this year’s batch of MVP Bossing Awardees at an Awards Night held November 23 at the Shangri-la at the Fort. “I am deeply honored by this recognition. I hope this award encourages more local, provincial entrepreneurs to dream big and persevere even as they compete with bigger brands. There will be lots of challenges and obstacles, but if you’re committed, hardworking and honest, success will follow,” said Uy.
Also awarded were Grand MVP Bossing Tony Tan Caktiong, Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) chair and founder; MVP Bossings Leonardo “Sandy” Javier Jr., Andok’s Litson Corporation CEO; Jeffrey Ng, Astoria Hotels and Resorts president; Edgar “Injap” Sia, Double Dragon Properties Inc. Chair and CEO; Gerry Chua, Eng Bee Tin Chinese Deli president; Kenneth Cobonpue, Architect and designer; and Vivian Que Azcona, Mercury Group of Companies President.
“Since 2009, the PLDT SME Nation MVP Bossing Awards have recognized over 70 outstanding business leaders from different fields, and celebrated each one’s contribution to nation building. Through this annual initiative, we work to ignite the spirit of entrepreneurship across the country and acknowledge the valuable contribution of entrepreneurs to continue to spur economic growth,” said Mitch Locsin, PLDT vice president and head, SME Nation. “Through their inspiring stores, we hope we can motivate more Filipinos to dream big and make their dreams of entrepreneurship a reality.”
First-Ever Kapatid Awards Winners: Poster Children for Success through Inclusive Growth
Sharing the limelight on the same evening was the Kapatid Awards, an offshoot of the recently launched “Kapatid Program” developed by Go Negosyo and the Department of Trade and Industry, in partnership with PLDT SME Nation, to support MSME development through training and partnering with larger, more established corporations. Winners of these awards were successful at adopting an inclusive business model and linking micro and small entrepreneurs in their value chain.
Celebrated as one of three first-ever Kapatid Awardees were SSF Cooperator Leonora Mila and SSF End-UserJoveniana P. Layham of the San Isidro Upland Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative on Abaca Fiber Making Expansion in Santiago, Agusandel Norte. A homegrown Mindanao business in Abaca Fiber Production and Trading, the San Isidro Upland Farmers’ MPC bested other SSF’s from the Region for their success in both business innovation and livelihood creation. The Abaca Fiber Shared Services Facility has benefited over 200 people in its community to include 180 laborers, harvesters and farm workers, by providing 28 direct and 163 indirect jobs, and serving some 400 farmers in the immediate community.
Two other sets of honorees represented Shared Service Facilities from Luzon and the Visayas: SSF Cooperator Jennifer Lapinas and SSF End-User Evelyn Payacda of the Dangdang-ay di Ibila Cooperative Coffee Processing Shared Services Facility in Bauko, Mountain Province; and SSF Cooperator Merlina Lumakin and SSF End-User Fhoebe Behay of the Project Sto. Niño de Plaridel Parish Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MPC) in Baybay City, Leyte for their work on the Pandan and Bariw Bag-Making SSF Project. These winners benefited hundreds of direct and indirect workers, providing employment for countless households in their communities. “Each of these SSF’s has their own unique success story, but also one thing in common and that is they are not alone in their journey. They often achieve success by working with public communities. By being ‘inclusive’ in their business models, they create more opportunities for more Filipinos. Our theme ‘Sulong Bossing!’ also celebrates businesses that have made inclusive growth part of their business journey,” added Mitch Locsin.
Role Models for Countless Filipino Entrepreneurs
Like Dennis Uy, this year’s crop of MVP Bossings have established highly successful homegrown brands. Through grit and hard work, and driven by their leaders’ uncompromising vision, these businesses have outgrown their humble beginnings and managed to grow into strong brands that are also mindful of their responsibilities to look after the welfare of their respective stakeholders.
International QSR with Philippine roots. The Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) story began when Chair Tony Tan Caktiong and his family opened a Magnolia Ice Cream Parlor in 1975. Engaging the services of a management consultant, they shifted business focus from ice cream to hot dogs a few years later and the rest, as they say, is history. Jollibee is today the largest Asian restaurant company in market capitalization, operating in 12 markets, with 3,159 stores outside the Philippines of which 1,082 are Jollibee brand stores. It operates branches in the United States, China, Brunei, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain. The brands under its portfolio are Jollibee, Greenwich, Chowking, Red Ribbon, MangInasal, Burger King, Yonghe King, Hong Zhuang Yuan, and San Pin Wang. Its Philippine network alone has generated close to 41,000 jobs, as the Jollibee Foundation’s outreach programs reach out to the less fortunate through programs such as the School Feeding Program “Busog, Lusog, Talino” that addresses hunger among public school students in Grades 1 and 2.
Father of Litson Manok. Leonardo “Sandy” Javier Jr. struck gold when he opened his first stall on West Avenue in Quezon City selling whole chicken roasted over charcoal, in 1985. Unfazed by his lack of startup capital, that meant borrowing 12 chickens from his mother’s friend to sell. But hardship never stopped the young entrepreneur. Those 12 chickens soon grew a daily inventory of 80. Later, as others joined the Litson Manok bandwagon, Andok’s Litson Manok quickly expanded its network to over 300 outlets across the Philippines, becoming a byword in every Filipino household. In 2004, the Company branched out, pursuing a new fast food dine-in setup that allowed the Company to further generate jobs even as it delighted its customers with high quality products at very affordable prices. Today, Andok’s Litson Corporation’s CEO is incumbent mayor of Javier, Leyte – a position from where he believes he can better share his blessings and help pave the way to a better life for others.
Luxe retreats and incomparable hospitality. Jeffrey Ng’s family had been in the steel manufacturing business for decades when he decided to make the leap to real estate, opening his first venture, Astoria Plaza Full Service Residential Suites in 2001. Mixed use developments housing privately-owned residences and a deluxe hotel were a new concept at the time, and his investment quickly turned profitable. As other hotel brands began to adopt the same model in Ortigas, Taguig, and Makati, he invested in Astoria Hotels in Ortigas,Makati, Bohol, Palawan, and two in Boracay offering luxurious retreat, incomparable hospitality and spectacular destinations. Today, as President of Astoria Hotels and Resorts, Jeffrey Ng and his wife Vivian manage some 8 successful properties and establishments, creating jobs in the labor-intensive hospitality and tourism sectors and creating opportunities to promote local eco-tourism.
Entrepreneur with a Golden Touch. Edgar “Injap” Sia II first gained prominence in 2003 alongside the upward trajectory of his hugely successful Mang Inasal barbecue fast-food restaurant chain in Iloilo City. Recognizing the continued potential offered by Injap’s business, Jollibee Foods Corporation bought into Mang Inasal in 2010, and became full owner in 2016. Sia then trained his sights on growing his real estate business, Injap Land Corporation, established in 2009. Injap Land and Honeywell Properties (owned by Tony Tan Caktiong) went public as Double Dragon Properties in 2014 and their share price skyrocketed from the P2 per share they opened with. Today, the stock is trading at over 10 times its IPO price. At 38 years of age, Sia is the youngest on the list of richest people in the Philippines, making him a certified “entrepreneur rockstar.” He still dreams of making Double Dragon one of the largest and most profitable realty companies in the country, and the biggest mall developer by focusing on unserved cities.
Chinoy snack favorite. Eng Bee Tin president and owner Gerry Chua built his fortune on the Chinese-Filipino popular bean-filled pastry hopia. At the young age of 21, he took the reins of the business his grandfather, Chua Chiu Hong, established in Ongpin in 1912 “armed only with a sincere wish to help his father turn the family business around”. By a twist of fate, he created the now-popular Hopiaube which began Eng Bee Tin’s rise in popularity and eventual evolution into the Chinese deli we know today. The Company now operates 16 branches and its products are sold in supermarkets, groceries and restaurants across the country. It is one of the biggest exporters of hopia in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and US. Such expansion augured well for the employees of Eng Bee Tin whose number grew together with the company.
Global Design Leader. Known for integrating locally sourced materials with innovative handmade production processes, multi-awarded Cebuano industrial designer and manufacturer Kenneth Cobonpue is a household name not only in the Philippines but elsewhere in the world where creative design is valued.In fact, his clientele includes Hollywood celebrities like Brad Pitt and members of royalty. In 2007, TIME magazine called him “rattan’s first virtuoso”.A lesser-known fact is that Kenneth Cobonpue has invested time and talent into training and finding employment opportunities for out-of-school-youth in Cebu through his company Interior Crafts of the Island. The boys are taught to sew and make customized upholstery requirements for Cobonpue’s clients around the world in coordination with Filo D’ Oro Upholstery Subcontractor Development.
From pushcart to self-service. Shortly after the liberation of Manila from the Japanese occupation, Vivian Que Azcona’s father, Mariano Que, bought a bottle of 1000 tablets of the “wonder drug” Sulfathiazole tablets with his hard-earned savings of P100 and sold the medicine “patingi-tingi” on the sidewalks of Bambang, Manila at P1 per tablet. Using his know how from previous work experience in a drugstore, he grew his little business, selling medicine by the piece to those who could not afford a whole bottle. In 1945, he opened his first drugstore, and then a motorized customer delivery service in 1948. And the rest is history. Today, Vivian Que Azcona oversees the country’s largest drugstore chain as President of Mercury Drug Corporation, with stores in over 1,000 locations manned by 12,000 employees. The firm pioneered the self-service concept in 1963 and a 24-hour service model in 1965. In 2015 it launched a mobile application to facilitate filling prescriptions. As President of Mercury Drug Foundation, Inc., she actively pursued activities that promote and build a healthy, educated, and productive nation.
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