Tony Tan Caktiong

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 6 th 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.

John Gokongwei
Gokongwei Jr. was once a scion of a wealthy Filipino-Chinese clan. He was born with a silver
spoon—he was studying in one of Cebu’s premiere schools (San Carlos University), and their
family was known to be one of the richest in Cebu. Unfortunately, one day, all these things he
enjoyed were taken away from him when his father died. The creditor seized their home and
cars, their business were gone and suddenly everything he had had disappeared.

They became flat broke. At 15, Gokongwei Jr. had to work to provide for his family. His mother
had to sell her jewelries. His siblings were sent to China where the cost of living was cheaper. He
sold roasted peanuts and opened up a small stall in the market, where he had to compete with
other vendors to sell his goods. He sold soap, candles, and threads to earn money. Determined
as he was, Gokongwei Jr. knew he had an advantage as he was younger, therefore he used this as
a strength in his job.

It was in 1943 when Gokongwei Jr. began trading goods from Cebu to Manila. When the World
War II ended, he saw this as an opportunity to trade goods in the Philippines. He put up Amasia
Trading with his brother which helped bring back his siblings home to help out with the business.
He then went on to pursue other business ventures: from cornstarch manufacturing, to food
production, to purchasing shares in San Miguel Corporation, the then leading business in the 70s.
He had a vision to make every Filipino fly thus the creation of the low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific,
in 2003 he established a mobile company, in 2004 he introduced C2 beverage, and all that
comprise Gokongwei Jr.’s empire, the JG Summit holdings.

It didn’t always go smoothly—in between these success come failure. He had a hard time to get a
loan, but fortunately one bank trusted him. He started getting recognized at the business scene
but before that he had to fight for a position. His loss and failures were broadcasted. But still he
succeeded—and is now considered as a key player when it comes to the powerful business
sector.

Now, John Gokongwei Jr. is the second richest Filipino in 2016, according to Forbes Magazine.
Aside from being a business magnate, he is also a philanthropist. And with all the businesses he
owns in the country, he provides thousands of jobs to people. With his story, he hopes to inspire
people to have the determination to bounce back in life without ever quitting.
Joseph and Victoria Mojica

Angel’s Burger was started by husband-and-wife Joseph and Victoria Mojica in 1997, after their previous
goto and bulalo food venture proved unprofitable. Where did Angel’s Burger get its name? The business
was actually named after their first daughter, Angelica.

The burger chain started out with only five outlets but quickly grew to several locations in just a couple
of years. In 1999, after acquiring knowledge from America and experimenting with the burger’s recipe,
the couple revamped Angel’s Burger into the brand we now know and made it available for franchising.

As the self-proclaimed “Burger ng Bayan”, the brand takes pride in its affordable food offerings. Most
kiosks are strategically located on street corners to make them more accessible to those looking for a
quick but inexpensive meal. Their flagship product, the Buy 1 Take 1 burger, is hugely popular among
Filipinos because of its value for money.

Angel’s Burger’s menu varies from one kiosk to another but here are some of their consistently available
food products:

Buy 1 Take 1 burger (plain)

Buy 1 Take 1 cheeseburger

Ham sandwich

Ham and cheese sandwich

Ham and egg sandwich

Meatloaf sandwich

Hotdog sandwich
To make sure that the burgers maintain good taste and quality, Angel’s Burger partnered with San Miguel
Pure Foods – Great Food Solutions Inc. (GFS) to consistently supply flour, cheese, burger patties, and San
Mig Coffee 3-in-1 mix to its food stalls.