I was sitting down for an interview with Jeron Travel and Tours CEO and suking Go Negosyo events host Chal Lontoc-Del Rosario last week when she sprung upon me some bombshell news: my daughters Monica, Margarita and Isabella were to be on the show with her the following week.

Of course, I laughed and chided myself for not being on top of current events such as these, but I was nonetheless a mixture of pride and amusement that my three girls would be on TV. I made a mental note to message everyone and tell them to tune in, and asked my assistants to get me a copy of the interview. If you’re interested in watching the interview, it’s on the YouTube channel of Bilyonaryo News Channel’s “The Daily Dish” show, specifically the March 16, 2026 episode.

It also did not escape me that March is Women’s Month and this Saturday, March 28, we will be holding the annual Women Summit at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay in Parañaque City, and that the interview was a very smart plug for the event. Monica, you see, has been part of the Go Negosyo team putting this event together for a couple of years now. She’s also helping her old man with his duties at the ASEAN Business Advisory Council and thus is very well versed in women’s economic empowerment issues, even on the regional level. The economic and social contributions of women and the youth are part of the “People” pillar of the Philippines chairship of ASEAN-BAC this year. 

Monica, Magsy and Bella come from a long line of entrepreneurs. Their paternal great-grandfather was the prominent Filipino industrialist Salvador Araneta, and their grandfather is Jose “Joecon” Concepcion Jr. Their grand-uncles Rene and Raul are also prominent businessmen, as are their uncles, cousins and aunts.

Working alongside family members is nothing new among the Concepcions. In fact, it goes back to my grandfather Badong and my father Joecon working together to build RFM. Lola Vic – Victoria Lopez-Araneta – was the frequent work partner of Lolo Badong and also served as the treasurer of the family’s airline company, Far Eastern Air Transport Inc. (FEATI). Marissa and I started Kettle Korn together, and now Monica and my son Christian are getting their feet wet in running the business as well. Monica and Bella started a YouTube channel a while back, and explored putting up a baby-clothing rental business.

Even though they are always welcome (and encouraged) to join the family businesses, I always tell them to learn by starting their own enterprises. Monica started a clothing line called Kwento and, in the past, was in a wellness startup; Margarita is the owner of the excellent Spanish restaurant Bar Pintxos and a café called Outpost; while Bella runs The Bazaar and the perfume brand Bon Voyage.

Being entrepreneurs taught the girls many things beyond the basics of branding, marketing, sales and operations. Bella says her businesses help her in her schoolwork and keep her motivated (I suppose it also rids her of the feeling of missing out on all the entrepreneurial action her cousins and siblings enjoy). Magsy has built her confidence in the F&B industry, which she admits can be tough on girls. Monica has learned to look at entrepreneurship as something beyond just starting a business and making it succeed – that when you go into business, you have to examine what it does to the community and to the nation.

They also said that they are keenly aware of their family’s legacy of patriotism and entrepreneurship. “Privilege opens access, but it’s what we do with the privilege and opportunities … to always look at what it does to the community and the nation. It was something that was very much taught in our family,” said Monica.

I can’t take all the credit for the civic-mindedness and social consciousness of my kids. Their great-grandmother, Lola Vic, founded White Cross orphanage, which my mother, Marivic, continued to grow as a member of its Board of Trustees. Lolo Badong and Joecon were quite active in legislative work back in the day, and Joecon … well, we all know about NAMFREL, but did you know he also took it upon himself to improve his hometown of Pasay City – then a notorious haven for gambling and prostitution – and formed the Pasay Citizens League for Good Government? This was before he took to bringing a whistle with him all the time and directing traffic whenever he encountered a traffic jam. Marissa herself has carved her own space in charitable work with the Laura Vicuña Foundation, which cares for children in need. From her, Monica also discovered the discipline of pilates and was inspired to become an instructor herself.

Being a woman entrepreneur can be tough. There are set barriers, such as the challenge of breaking into male-dominated industries, there’s societal pressure to stay in conventional enterprises and, for women of all social and economic classes, the extra roles they have to take on as part of what has been called the “care economy.” Wives, mothers, daughters, sisters – they are expected to take on household roles and look after the health and well-being of the family. It’s difficult, unpaid work, and no doubt strains and stifles entrepreneurial dreams. I am glad my daughters are learning to find their own space in the entrepreneurial world at this stage in their lives. No doubt they will have more challenges ahead of them, but watching them blossom into strong, independent women gives me assurance that they will have all they need to take on the world.