Is Regine Velasquez similar to Steve Jobs & Henry Ford?

The only thing that overcomes hard luck is hard work. —Harry Golden

Singer/actress Regine Velasquez Alcasid was the special singer at the Oct. 19 state dinner hosted by President Noynoy C. Aquino and Kris Aquino at Malacañang Palace for French Prime Minister Jean Marc Ayrault. 

On Nov. 16, Regine will hold her biggest-ever concert titled “Silver” at the SM MOA Arena with The Philippine STAR as one of the co-sponsors along with Belo, Bench, Smart, Sunlife, BDO, SM Cinema, etc.

Regine is not only an inspiring “rags-to-riches” saga of triumph over poverty through singing, hard work and wise investments, she revealed to me over dinner at her elegant home on Oct. 20 that she also suffered in school as a kid due to dyslexia.

Hollywood actor Tom Cruise also has dyslexia, a reading disability with the brain not properly recognizing and processing certain symbols like letters or words. Regine only realized that she was dyslexic over a decade ago when she chanced upon an episode of the Oprah Winfrey TV show, where a guest talked about her being dyslexic.

Instead of being defeated by obstacles, Regine coped. She told me she became successful by relying on a good memory, hard work, creativity, prayer and determination. 

Aside from dyslexics often excelling in the arts, many dyslexics become highly creative and innovative entrepreneurs. Among these include Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad, who revolutionized affordable furniture; The Body Shop cosmetics founder Anita Roddick; Apple founder Steve Jobs, who revolutionized technology; CNN founder Ted Turner; Virgin Group founder Richard Branson; Ford Motor Co. founder Henry Ford; Disney founder Walt Disney; Cisco CEO John Chambers; US billionaire Charles Schwab; Australia’s richest billionaire, the late Kerry Packer, and his son James.

Last year on HBO’s HBO2 channel, the documentary Journey into Dyslexia by Oscar-winning filmmakers Alan and Susan Raymond profiled many famous dyslexics. One amazing topic they explored is the high proportion of top entrepreneurs being dyslexic.

Alan Raymond told Bloomberg Businessweek magazine: “They’re people who don’t fit in typical societal norms, so they sort of create their own world. It’s a fascinating idea.”

Inc. magazine writer Eric Markowitz said, “Having a disability like dyslexia … forces one to develop street smarts as well as how to handle hardship and failure — solid preparation for life as an entrepreneur.”

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Dingdong Dantes, the wise investor

Philippine STAR reader, actor Dingdong Dantes, co-star and co-producer with GMA Films of the new horror-adventure film Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles, is very happy these days. Tiktik grossed P70 million in its first week.

Tiktik is the first Philippine horror flick with full computer-generated imagery (CGI).  Let us support efforts like this to innovate in the movie business!

Dingdong, who studied at the Ateneo de Manila University, has invested in film production and a townhouse project in Pasig City. Dantes is a good role model for professionalism, entrepreneurship and wise investment of earnings.

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More ‘hidden champions’ in business

“Please support local manufacturing and agriculture for more new jobs.” This was the appeal of local factory owners at the festive 62nd anniversary celebration and induction of new officers at the Philippine Confectionery, Biscuit, and Snack Food Association (PCBSFA) last Oct. 17 at the Manila Polo Club in Makati City.

PCBSFA businessmen, led by president Rey Go, asked me — the only media guest invited there — to convey their request for support from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Bureau of Customs (to curb smuggling “by plugging loopholes”) and Department of Trade and Industry (to grant incentives to factories that source raw materials like sugar and coconut oil from local sources).

Special guests who heard the factory operators’ appeal included Senator Loren Legarda (champion of the amended micro-, small- and medium-scale enterprises or MSME law), Liberal Party senatorial candidates Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel and Sonny Angara, UNA spokesman and Navotas Congressman Toby Tiangco and Mayor John Rey Tiangco.

Among the member factories of PCBSFA are several firms that I would classify as “hidden champions of Philippine business” due to their low-key but outstanding business successes: Columbia candies, Clover Chips maker Leslie Corp., WL Food Products, Boy Bawang maker KSK Food Products, and Regent Foods. 

These local firms employ tens of thousands of workers and compete head-on with Western multinational giants and also cheap imports. Let us support local factories!

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Another hidden champion in the unheralded sector of Philippine manufacturing is Novellino wine producer Bel Mondo Italia Corp., owned by entrepreneur Vicente “Noynoy” Quimbo. He founded this firm 13 years ago. His nephews include Corona impeachment trial spokesman Congressman Miro Quimbo and Dr. Rico Quimbo.

Last Oct. 11 at 10 a.m., Quimbo’s University of the Philippines classmate Senator Manny Villar and Christ’s Commission Fellowship (CCF) Pastor Joby Soriano were special guests at the inauguration of the new Novellino winery factory at Camelray Industrial Estate in Canlubang, Laguna.

Senator Villar joked in his speech that people not smart enough to go into business are not hopeless, “for they can still go into politics.”

Nonoy sells over a million bottles of wine yearly. He told me he hopes to export. I think among the success secrets of Novellino here in the Philippines are affordable prices and its unique, Filipinized taste. Will it adjust for the export markets?

Ports tycoon as ‘education king’?

While the Philippines’ biggest port operator Ricky Razon is now passionately investing in tourism and casinos, the second biggest port operator, Eusebio “Yosi” Tanco of Asian Terminals, Inc. (ATI), is busily building up his financial and educational groups.

Tanco is now the biggest in pre-need plans, with his Philplans First, Inc. having bought Philam Plans and Philam Care from US-owned Philam Life Group. He recently also bought AsianLife Financial from Maybank ATR KE Capital Partners, Inc. to merge it with his Banclife to create PhilLife, which he envisions to be a leader in the life insurance sector.

In the past decade Tanco has steadily built up STI into the country’s largest private non-sectarian educational group in terms of networks and number of students.

Not counting Philippine Women’s University (PWU), of which Tanco is vice chairman and has at least 40 percent shareholdings, STI Group now has over 75,000 students. STI has 26 directly operated colleges, 39 colleges operated by franchisees, 16 educational centers operated by franchisees and four wholly owned educational centers.

When asked about STI’s success secrets, the London School of Economics graduate said: “We look after our students well by offering courses which can get them jobs immediately after graduation; we take care of our brand STI with quality and integrity; we maintain affordable tuition fees; and we bring schools to the people in most major cities and municipalities nationwide.”

Asked if he hopes to expand STI schools overseas, Tanco replied: “That is always a dream and a future plan.”

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