Laus family

Liberato “Levy” P. Laus was probably one of the most accomplished and most awarded Filipino
businessmen of his generation and undoubtedly the most familiar champion of countryside
development with a visionary zeal.

Among his prestigious awards are: Most Outstanding Kapampangan in the field of business with civic
consciousness given by the province of Pampanga in 1991, Outstanding Fernandino in the field of
business and entrepreneurship given by the City of San Fernando in 2009, Most Distinguished Bedan
given by the San Beda College Alumni Association in 2008, Most Distinguished Alumnus in the field of
business by the Don Bosco Academy in 1983, Outstanding Alumnus given by Don Bosco Academy on its
50th Anniversary in 2007, Distinguished Bosconian Alumnus given by Don Bosco Academy in 2016
Outstanding Achievement Award from the Clark Development Corp. in 2008, Presidential Medal of Merit
from former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2005 and Blessed Philipp Rinaldi Servant Leader from
the Salesians of Don Bosco Philippines in 2007.

Coming from humble beginnings, Laus was driven by a personal dream to transform his life not only by
achieving success but by building a legacy. In effect, he was a man with an extraordinary mission. Armed
with a vision, imbued with the value of hardwork, challenged by innovation and change itself, and
inspired by love for his hometown, now the City of San Fernando, Laus set out to cut a distinct path for
himself.

In 1978, Laus, already on an upward career trajectory in the banking industry, left his corporate job as
bank manager to pursue his dream and mission. He put up a small and obscure automotive dealership -
three cars on display and funded with a meager capital - in the backwater capital town and in a business
environment threatened by both economic and political uncertainties at the time. That mother
company has since grown and expanded into a highly diversified conglomerate now known as the Laus
Group of Companies. The group is now the largest multi-brand dealership network in the Philippines,
with over 45 dealerships from Metro Manila, Central and Northern Luzon.

Laus had his baptism of fire when Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991 and lahar flow threatened to bury
San Fernando and other parts of Pampanga. With his leadership skill, organizational savvy and unmoved
conviction, he cobbled a disaster management group called the Save San Fernando Movement that
became instrumental in bringing together government leaders, businessmen and other members of civil
society to compel government to build a protective dike to stop lahar on its tracks and save the capital
town from total disaster.

Today, the LausGroup continues to transform the landscape of countryside business and expand its
reach and influence across Northern and Central Luzon hewing as faithful as ever to its avowed role as
catalyst for countryside progress.
Ocampo family

Pampanga is known for good food, creative craftsmanship, and entrepreneurial spirit. The
Ocampos descendants of Santiago and Felipa Ocampo, are among Pampanga’s prominent
business families. All business innovators, they have had many years of partnership with SM
through their mall outlets. Victor and Amanda Ocampo Gutierrez are known for their Ocampo’s
Fine Jewellery stores, while the children Louie, Duizzi, Vittsi, and Loo pioneered trendy silver
jewelry through their Silverworks outlets. Sisters Corito Ocampo Tayag, Divina Ocampo Tayag,
Finina Ocampo Galang, and Evita Ocampo Florend0 followed the footsteps of their late parents
Ricardo and Evansuida, who put up the first jewelry store in Angeles City, through their
Ocampo’s Gemologists and Jewelers stores where fourth generation jeweler Mia Tayag-Zapata
also pitches in. Marni and Mar-g Ocampo, daughters of Mar Un Ocampo III and Nimia Flores,
together with their cousins Aleth and Anna Ocampo, are the women behind the fashion
forward Sari Sari Store. Just as Ocampos showcase Pampanga’s best through their business, SM
serves Kapampangans through SM City Pampanga and SM City Clark which have become not
only great places for families to shop and have fun, but also outlets for the Kapampangans`
entrepreneurial spirit.

Over 60 years of service to the customer and the community has earned Ocampo’s the right to
say: “Buy With Confidence.” Customers have come to rely on Ocampo’s for award winning
designs, professional jewelry appraisals, courteous service and convenient location. A true
Filipino success story, Ocampo’s began in 1948 with the opening of a small store in Angeles,
Pampanga and has steadily progressed to the 1999 opening of an international office serving
North America. The Ocampo attitude toward service is evidenced in its commitment to provide
high quality service for the repair of jewelry and watches. “Plateros” (goldsmiths) and
“relojeros” (watch technicians) are maintained in-house in order to assure customers of the
safety of their treasured pieces and to provide fast, efficient service.
Mekeni Food corp.

Mekeni Food Corp. is a testament of a Filipino family’s faith and sense of compassion to its
neighbors. This was also the same spirit that sustained the company despite the odds to
become not just Pampanga’s pride, but a recognition that Filipinos are, indeed, world-class.

Mekeni Food Corporation began in 1986 as a home-based chicharon and tocino enterprise of
husband and wife, Felix M. Garcia & Medicia L. Santos, both public school teachers from barrio
Balubad, Porac, Pampanga. But the roots of the business span over two decades earlier, when
the couple, assisted by their five sons – Adrian, Pruds, Lito, Doods and Nards, ventured into
backyard poultry and piggery to augment the meager family income. With a loan and some
savings on hand, the family started out with 100 chicken heads, a pen, and two piglets. Their
sons, who were still at school back then, also engaged in selling “ice candy” and chicken eggs
within the neighborhood and at the nearby palengke (public market) to help save for their
studies.

The meat business was a great help for Felix and Meding to send their five boys to college
which wouldn’t be possible had they solely relied on their low government salaries. The
couple’s perseverance, hard work, and commitment to God and family soon paid off. It enabled
their eldest son Adrian to work in the US for a meat processing business after he finished
college in 1977. Also, Pruds and Lito became certified public accountants. Pruds has become an
audit manager in Saudi Arabia while Lito also worked in the Middle East kingdom as a cost
accountant. Doods and Nards soon earned college degrees in business administration.
Toll House

Josie Mendoza, owner and chef of Toll house, highlighted the idea of institutionalizing a
culinary competition to be hosted by no less than the capital city for culinary.

Tollhouse is a name that has been synonymous to good food and family recipes prepared with
love since February 1988.

In 2016, Tollhouse opened 2 new restaurants, one in Newpoint Mall at the Nepo Center and the
other in SM City Clark. Among the popular menu items are Baked Macaroni, Lasagna,
Clubhouse Sandwich, Combination BBQ, Carbonara, Palabok, Halo-halo, Seafood Supreme,
Lengua and Thai fried rice. Aside from these, Tollhouse is well known for its cakes, pastries and
desserts like Black Forest, Pistachio Cake, Lola Nene’s Chocolate Cake, Sans Rival, White
Chocolate and many more. When asked of the secret of their success ,the Concepcion Sisters
would simply say it is “love and passion”. “We treat our employees like family and we teach
them to serve our customers as if they are their family.”
Saver’s
Tracing back Saver’s humble beginnings when its founder, Jaime “Jack” Uy, first opened a small
video rental business simply known as “Jack’s Video”, it eventually evolved to something bigger
and is now a well-known group of companies that have ventured into various businesses most
especially in Angeles City.

The first-ever Saver’s Mart opened in 1986, a modest outlet, which was located along Plaridel
St. in Angeles City. Then in 1992, the company expanded through a new business venture,
which was Angeles City Cable Television Network (ACCTN), a cable television provider, which
continues to service thousands of businesses and households in Central Luzon.

The company is proud to announce that aside from its already impressive roster of brands for
home and office appliances as well as consumer electronics, Saver’s Appliance Depot now also
carries Apple products (the company is proud to be an authorized mono reseller of this well-
known brand), Bose, Belkin, Philippe Gadgets, Audio Technica, AOC, HP, Toshiba, Dell, Lenovo,
Monster Beats, LG, Samsung, and Sony Centre just to name a few. By expanding the appliance
chain’s product offerings, it is able to provide consumers with better options with regard to
what suits their wants, budget, and needs.

Aside from this, Saver’s is also happy to announce its current partnership with Wilcon Depot — one of
the country’s leading companies when it comes to home and office building supplies
Converge
Engineer Dennis Anthony H. Uy started from the bottom of the business pyramid. At 11 years’
old, Dennis had to leave an impoverished China on hopes of a better future in the Philippines.
He worked as a maintenance boy tinkering and cleaning the refrigerators and freezers of his
uncle’s retail store business.

THE COMPANY Converge is a National Telecommunications Commission (NTC)-licensed, congressional

franchised, nationwide telecommunications and ICT company with 19 years of experience in providing
reliable and quality ICT & Broadcast solutions using pure fiber optic technology placed them at the
forefront of innovation. Its congressional franchise is renewable after 25 years.

It also offers managed data center services, business continuity/disaster recovery service and
colocation. Its consumer products and services are FIBERX Plan 20 MBPS, Plan 50 MBPS, and Plan100
MBPS.

All these services are made possible by Converge’s wide network with Metro Manila backbone covering
3,000 kilometer of fiber optic cable and 3,700 kilometer fiber optic cable in north and south Luzon.
Roel’s Food Corp
From its humble beginnings of producing hotdogs in the mid 80s as a small home-based
business in Marisol, Angeles City, Roel's is now an industry leader in the region and is
consistently expanding its niche market in the country. the two owners and founders Romy and
Carol Pecson, that the name Roel came to be very Pinoy indeed.

By 1991 so steadily rising was Roel's popularity that even the booming of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991 did not
hinder this family enterprise from booming as well. A new location was needed to accommodate the
company's growing production needs. By 1994, Roel's saw a new home: a four-hectare plant in Duquit,
Mabalacat, Pampanga. This new plant is the present base of Roel's Food Corporation's 500 personnel, a
number that has grown from a mere 40 people when the move began. It also here that the only canning
facility in Pampanga and one of the biggest food processing plants in Central Luzon can be found.
Pampanga’s Best
The story goes that Mrs. Lolita O. Hizon neighbor, a meat vendor, had some unsold pork at the end of a
market day and, not wanting to let these spoil, asked Mrs. Hizon’s help in cooking them. Mrs. Hizon
came up with a formula to cure the meat; she revised the traditional Capampangan pindang (fermented
pork), causing the pork to acquire the unique salty – sweet taste that we have all come to love. She
called it “Tocino”, derived from a Spanish delicacy that is sweet. Eventually, she refined the formula and
the processing procedures that caused the birth of Pampanga’s Best Tocino – The Original version of
what has now become a national favorite. So, what started out as just a neighborly gesture to help a
friend has turned out to be the cornerstone of a business and a staple item in the Filipino breakfast
table.

Today, Pampanga’s Best, Inc. is a multi-million meat processing corporation, operated and owned by the
couple, Mr. Angelo D. Hizon Jr. and Mrs. Lolita O. Hizon, and their twelve children. It manufactures
eleven core products – Tocino, Hotdogs, Longaniza, Ham, Bacon, Tapa, Burger Patties, Corned Beef,
Embotido, Barbecue, and Nuggets.
Jumbo Jenra

JENRA has recently opened its newest branch in the City of San Fernando.

The newly-opened store, named Jumbo JENRA Dolores, is the fifth supermarket chain of the
biggest homegrown retail player in the province.

It is the latest addition to Tan Song Bok (TSB) Realty and Development’s line of commercial
shopping centers known for bringing value for money products and best shopping deals for the
Kapampangans.

TSB Realty and Development General Manager Byron T. Siy noted that the opening of the new
branch is part of the company’s commitment to provide a venue for retail grocery shopping
while offering affordable wholesale prices, as the brand continues to stay true to its motto
“Presyo at Serbisyo Sigurado Ka”.

“Because of our reasonably priced items and offerings, JENRA is now a platform for local
businesses to flourish. Through the years, we have assisted many small retailers and sari-sari
store owners to succeed in their trade,” he shared.

“We will make sure that the benefits we offer will not just be enjoyed by the Kapampangans, but
also our kababayans from Central Luzon,” he said.

For his part, Mayor Edwin Santiago expressed gratitude to the Tan Song Bok family for its
valuable contribution and investment to the City of San Fernando.