Icons of entrepreneurship receive honors

Socorro Ramos of National Bookstore

SOCORRO RAMOS received multiple standing ovations and extended rounds of applause last night at the MVP Bossing Awards 2011.

The matriarch, responsible for the success that is National Bookstore, collected her trophy for the Grand Bossing award before the country's top business leaders and members of the media.

The MVP Bossing Awards, held at the Meralco Theater, were handed out by PLDT SME Nation in partnership with Go Negosyo. It is an annual search for successful small and medium-sized businesses--those individuals who display an exemplary enterprising spirit and innovation.
 
“The entrepreneurial spirit is really the driving force for economic growth. A country could have significant resources, whether mineral, or forestry, or aquatic resources, but these will lay dormant if no one is able to develop those,” said PLDT Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, who headed the judging committee together with PLDT executives and other industry experts.


Over 200 nominations were received across all sectors including commerce and trade, industrial and manufacturing, retail trade and finance, travel and leisure, and service industry. Aside from Socorro Ramos, other awardees include:

Willy Tee Ten for Autohub Group
Samie and Eric Lim for Automatic Centre/BLIMS Furniture
Tennyson Chen for Bounty Fresh
Felix Ang for CATS Motors
Francis Juan for Chic-Boy
Tommanny Tan for FERN Inc.
Rosalinda Hortaleza for HBC Inc.
Robert Trota for Max's Fried Chicken
Martin Lorenzo for Pancake House Group
Justin Uy for Profood International Corporation
RJ and Arianne David for Sulit.com.ph. 

Phil and James Younghusband of Younghusband Football Academy

Special Awards were also given to members of Philippine Azkals, Phil and James Younghusband for Youth and Sports Development and EchoStore’s Chit Juan for Social Entrepreneurship.

Chit Juan of Echostore

“Our 12 new Bossings for this year have demonstrated that the value of entrepreneurship extends well and beyond the lives of the SME owner and his family. It creates job opportunities and livelihood for more people. We at PLDT SME Nation aim to provide these entrepreneurs with the support they need, using technology to bring their business to the next level,” said PLDT SME Nation VP and Head Kat Luna-Abelarde. 

Now on its third year, the “Bossing Ako” campaign, profiles entrepreneurs’ success stories and how, through the use of information and communication technology (ICT), SMEs can be truly competitive with large local players and multinational companies.

Each winner received a Kenneth Cobonpue-designed trophy. The acclaimed furniture and industrial designer, an entrepreneurial icon himself, created a trophy featuring a man perched on top of a tower, symbolizing the success story of winning over adversity. All awardees will be part of the 2012 PLDT SME Nation Bossing Ako, a year-long multimedia campaign (print, radio, online and events) to be rolled out next year.

Pangilinan said: “An entrepreneur must have passion and the drive to succeed, because the life of an entrepreneur is quite risky and is subject to ups and downs, particularly in starting a business and expanding it. You really must love your work and your business. And the thing that will keep you going, is the passion for it.”

For details on the MVP Bossing Awards, visit its website at www.pldtsme-nation.com.ph/bossingako.