10 Successful

Filipino
Entrepreneurs
Feb. 23, 2023
1. SOCORRO C. RAMOS
National Book Store, Inc.
 
Ms. Socorro C. Ramos started working as a salesgirl when she was 18
yrs. old in Goodwill Bookstore in Escolta.

She was good in selling, that’s why she became in charge of the store.
When she was married to Jose Ramos, they put up The National Book
Store.
Her vision was to extend the National bookstore not only here in
Luzon but also to Visayas and Mindanao for cheaper access to books
and school supplies.

Before, the National Book Store was a general merchandise store.

Until later on, it was selling books, greeting cards, and school
supplies.

Today, more than 70 National Book Store can be found nationwide.

 
2. TONY TAN CAKTIONG
Jollibee Foods Corporation
 
Jollibee was formerly selling Magnolia Ice Cream, then
it was recognized as selling chicken and burger. Tony
Tan Caktiong, the president and CEO of Jollibee, was a
name to remember, not only here in the Philippines
but also in other parts of the country, like in US,
Hongkong, China, Indonesia, and Japan. 

He had received several awards in the business and

the likes. The success of Jollibee according to Mr.
Caktiong is sharing to people what they had achieved. 
Jollibee had been known to be a happy and
hardworking insect. It is the favorite place to dine in of
many Filipinos especially the kids.
3. Lucio Tan
Philippine Airlines
 
Lucio Tan’s story was from rags to riches tale. Before working
in the tobacco industry, his business was a scrap. His dream
was to become a scientist but his fortune was bound to
become an entrepreneur. His hard work made him successful
and became famous. 

Now, he owns Asia Brewery, Tanduay, Fortune Tobacco,

Philippine Airlines, Allied Bank, and many more to mention.
4. ATTY. FELIPE L. GOZON
GMA Network, Inc.Atty. Felipe L. Gozon is the
chairman, president, and CEO of GMA Network.
He was credited for the success of GMA
Network in radio and TV broadcasting,
filmmaking, and music recording.

He was Master Entrepreneur in 2004. Because

of the leadership of Atty. Gozon, he made GMA
as one of the top networks in the country today.

Currently, GMA had via-satellite broadcasting in

Asia and in other parts of the world. 
 
5. Henry Sy
ShoeMart
Henry Sy was born on December 25, 1923, in
Xiamen China. In his early twenties, he used to
sell American shoes. Then after three years, he
was able to have his first shoe mart store.

SM group of companies was one of the biggest

companies in our country and the man behind it
was Henry Sy. His self-discipline, perseverance,
and hard work made him what he is today. In
almost every part of the country (as well as in
Asia), there is SM mall.According to Henry Sy Sr.,
success will not last if you do not care of it.
That’s the secret of their success.
6. Jaime Zobel de Ayala
Ayala Corporation
 
Jaime Zobel de Ayala was before president and
chairman of Ayala Corporation. He was
considered as one of the richest persons tied
with Henry Sy in 2007. He had received many
awards and the latest was Entrepreneur of the
Year 2012. His strategy for being successful in
this business was getting partners with those
who are in need in the community. He believes
that gaining profits was not really the concern of
every businessman, but to help the poor people.
 
7. Alfredo Yao
Zest-O Corporation
 
Alfredo Yao came from a poor family and
became rich due to hard work and
determination. He didn’t finish his education at
Mapua Institute of Technology.  He experienced
to work in the printing press and then ventured
to this business for 20 years. Then, he shifted to
a juice manufacturing business.

Zest-O became hit to mothers because of its

being convenient to be placed in every lunch
box of the children. Today, Zest-O was one of the
leading juice manufacturers in the country, in
China, New Zealand, Singapore, and many
others.
 
8. Mariano Que
Mercury Drugstore
Mariano Que first worked in a drugstore. When
he was given the opportunity, he invested his
100 pesos in the sulfathiazole tablets. He sold
his products to the people by making use of the
wooden pushcart. After saving a lot of money,
he was able to built Mercury. It was made
known to the people as selling safe medicines
and opened for 24/7.

Mercury, like any other leading drug stores, had

many stores nationwide.That was because of the
innovations he made in his products.
 
9. Cecilio Kwok Pedro
Lamoiyan Corporation
Cecilio K. Pedro finished his business
management degree in Ateneo de Manila
University. He founded the Lamoyan Corp.
which produces toothpastes like “Hapee” and
“Kutitap.” This made toothpaste affordable to
the masses. He survived in the industry because
of being tough and innovative to fight for the
multinational companies. His company had
received an award, “Most Outstanding Program
for Equal Employment Opportunity,” giving
importance to those who have difficulty in
hearing to work in his company.
 
10. Corazon D. Ong
CDO Foodsphere, Inc.
Corazon D. Ong is the founder of CDO Foods. It
was a hobby of Ms. Ong to make processed
meats products such as corned beef, hotdog,
meatloaf and hamburger patties. She was a
dietician by profession. So she understood what
the preferences of most Filipinos are. Today,
CDO Foodsphere, Inc. was recognized as the
leading supplier of meat toppings. Why??
Because nowadays we have many working
mothers and it is convenient on their part to
have foods which can be cooked easily.
 
Sources
• https://ourhappyschool.com/education/10-famous-successful-filipino
-entrepreneurs