PRESS RELEASE
Reference: Iris Sañez (0916-7591562)
{English}
Ordinary entrepreneurs get extra-ordinary honor
It is time to place the nation’s real role models to their pedestal. In a very rare event dubbed as “Modelo”, our nation’s ordinary individuals living extra-ordinary lives will outshine big businessmen who would be watching them on stage over dinner on Thursday (October 22) at the NBC Tent, The Fort, Taguig City.
Sixty ordinary entrepreneurs survived as finalists in the 2009 Pondo sa Sipag, Puhunan sa Tiyaga search. Of the 60, eleven are former OFWs who decided to spend their hard-earned money to start a business here in the country. Each finalist shall receive a prize of twenty thousand pesos (P20,000). The original P10,000 prize was doubled as a way to help the winners cope with the effects of Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng. A grand prize of P100,000 each await the regular entrepreneur and the OFW category winners.
“This is the second year of Senator Manny Villar’s annual tribute to the true backbones of the nation,” said Atty. Rhaegee Tamaña, Executive Director of the Sipag at Tiyaga Foundation.
Among the finalists were Elisa Tomas of Quirino province, Marvin Mapote of Cauayan City in Isabela, Francisco Aranda of Sorsogon and Rufo dela Cruz of Calasiao, Pangasinan.
Tomas is a former OFW in Malaysia who went home with meager savings. She saw an opportunity in utilizing massive leftover bananas in the trading post near her residence. With P200 cash on hand, she started a banana chips business that eventually grew as the Melizabeth Food Products.
Mapote, Aranda and dela Cruz also made milestones in their own ventures -homemade donuts, brewed coffee and rice cake (puto), respectively.
The 2008 “Pondo sa Sipag, Puhunan sa Tiyaga” Search recognized 16 outstanding entrepreneurs.
Joining Atty. Tamaña in the Board of Judges were Prof. Prospero de Vera and Prof. Jaime Veneracion of the University of the Philippines. #
{Filipino}
Mga Karaniwang Entrepinoy Umani ng Di-Pangkaraniwang Parangal
Nararapat lamang na bigyang parangal ang mga tunay na modelo ng ating bansa. Sa isang natatanging pagdiriwang na may temang “Modelo”, ang mga ordinaryong mamayan na may di-ordinaryong karanasan at angking sipag at tiyaga sa negosyo ay magniningning sa harap ng mga kilala at malalaking negosyante ng bansa. Ang mga nanalo sa patimpalak ng Pondo sa Sipag, Puhunan sa Tiyaga 2009 ay pararangalan ngayong huwebes (October 22) sa NBC Tent, The Fort, Taguig City.
Animnapung (60) entrepinoy ay napili sa huling yugto ng patimpalak. Sila ay makatatanggap ng P20,000 na premyo, doble sa unang itinakdang premyo bilang tulong upang maibsan ang epekto ng mga dumaang kalamidad sa kanilang sektor. Ang tig-P100,000 na panguhaning gamtimpala ay igagawad sa mapalad na mananalo sa dalawang kategorya, ang “regular entrepinoy” at ang OFW category.
“Ito ang ikalawang taon ng pagpaparangal ni Senador Manny Villar sa mga tunay na haligi ng ating bansa,” pahayag ni Atty. Rhaegee Tamaña, Executive Director ng Sipag at Tiyaga Foundation.
Kabilang sa mga mapalad ng napili ay sina Elisa Tomas ng Quirino province, Marvin Mapote ng Cauayan City – Isabela, Francisco Aranda ng Sorsogon at Rufo dela Cruz ng Calasiao, Pangasinan.
Si Elisa Tomas ay dating OFW sa Malaysia. Sa kabila ng kanyang kaunting naipon, sumubok siya sa negosyo pagbalik nya sa Pilipinas. Nakita niya ang potensyal ng mga nasasayang na saging sa bagsakan center. Matagumpay niyang sinimulan ang Melizabeth Food Products na ngayon ay kilala sa paggawa ng banana chips at yema.
Sina Mapote, Aranda at dela Cruz ay naging matagumpay sa kani-kanilang larangan. Home-made donut, kapeng barako at puto naman ang kanilang produkto.
Noong 2008, ang Pondo sa Sipag, Puhunan sa Tiyaga ay kumilala ng labing anim (16) na entrepinoy na may matagumpay na karanasan.
Kasama ni Atty. Tamaña sa lupon ng mga hurado sina Prof. Prospero de Vera at Prof. Jaime Veneracion ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas. #
