Last Nov. 27 was a night of elegance and victory for the 12 new members of the growing PLDT MVP Bossings family. Now in its third year, Go Negosyo and PLDT SME Nation continue to search for the country’s inspiring entrepreneurs people who have hurdled difficulties and endured the challenges of entrepreneurship only to emerge as inspiring icons to others. They have proven that a Filipino can establish a successful enterprise that not only helps strengthen the economy, but also gives opportunities to other people as well. More importantly, these bossings were able to create “glocal” brands (local brands going global), or businesses whose resounding success have also touched the lives of people in the community.

This year’s nomination process was the most extensive that we ever had. The selection was finalized by the committee led by MVP, PLDT president Polly Nazareno and SVP Eric Alberto, Smart head and Sun Cellular CEO Doy Vea, Sun COO Charles Lim, and myself. PLDT SME Nation head Kat Luna-Abelarde, PLDT SME Nation Community Consultancy head Gabby Cui, and Go Negosyo executive director Ramon Lopez took on the tedious task of trimming the nominees from 300 to 24, and from there we selected the final 12. PLDT SME Nation’s team of Eric, Kat and Gabby did a wonderful job in mounting an elegant, inspiring and fast-paced program that everyone enjoyed.

The theme for the night was an homage to Filipino heritage and values, which have guided past and present bossings towards achieving their goals. Throughout the night, Joey Generoso, Champ Lui Pio, The Ryan Cayabyab Singers, Zsa Zsa Padilla and her daughter Zia gave wonderful performances before the 800 guests inside the NBC Tent, which was the place where the first batch of bossings were awarded back in 2010. One of the evening’s biggest surprises, aside from the announcement of the Grand Bossing, was the presence of the founders of Goldilocks, Milagros Leelin Yee and Clarita Leelin Go. For many years now, they have been living a quiet life in the States. In fact, they rarely go to social events, and are most of the time represented by their family members. That is why this year’s ceremony became truly special, as every awardee was personally there to accept their award.

There were also special recognitions given to other leading entrepreneurs in various fields. They are Ray Gapuz for Education; Monastery of Transfiguration for Social Entrepreneurship; Jowee Alviar and Raymund Punzalan of Team Manila and Eric Cua of Kings of Tomorrow for Youth Entrepreneurship; Vincent “Chot” Reyes for Sports; and Maestro Ryan Cayabyab for the Arts.

At this point, let me share the profiles of the 2013 PLDT MVP Bossings.

Golden ABC’s Bernie Liu, who is this year’s Grand Bossing, used his creativity in turning their garments business from a simple manufacturer of corporate giveaways to an iconic brand called Penshoppe that is now growing further overseas. During his acceptance speech, he humbly shared the recognition not only to his fellow awardees, but also to the 3,000 employees that are working for his company. But what sealed Bernie’s success that night was the short video featuring the people from his companies from his vice presidents to his personal driver who have nothing but appreciation for the kind of people-oriented leadership that he practices.

The sisters Milagros Leelin Yee and Clarita Leelin Go are two individuals who turned their hobby into a successful franchise. From starting as a corner store, Goldilocks now has more than 400 stores in the Philippines, as well as in the US and Canada.

Dr. Abraham Pascual is a second-generation entrepreneur who continued his parents’ legacy of maintaining effective yet affordable pharmaceutical products through Pascual Laboratories.

Victory Liner travels great distances literally and figuratively, as they remain the country’s top transportation liner through the leadership of Johnny Hernandez. They have introduced innovations that greatly benefited the whole transportation industry.

Rosalind Wee and her husband were educators who pursued the entrepreneurial path. Aside from successfully finding their niche in the seaweed and carrageenan industry, they have also aggressively ventured more recently into the real estate business.

Mariano Manas’ love for siomai became his inspiration for putting up Hen Lin, a restaurant that caters to Filipinos who crave Chinese food. Giving up on being an employee was a huge risk that he had to take, but his perseverance paid off as his restaurant continues to grow 29 years after it was established.

Mr. Quickie was conceptualized as a remedy to small, everyday emergencies: broken heels, stuck zippers, and lost keys. Years after his father established the business in 1981, Emiliano “Nino” Caruncho IV continued to improve this household brand, and he was able to expand the business nationwide through franchising.

Myrna Yao of Richwell Trading proved her mettle by successfully reviving a seemingly fading brand like Barbie in the country, a feat that even seasoned businessmen had difficulty doing at that time.

The Primer Group of Willy Sy is the company responsible for bringing in the world’s best brands in bags, footwear and outdoor gear. Nowadays, the company has transcended into mounting specialty stores like Roxy, Res-Toe-Run, Travel Club, and many more.

From being a waitstaff and a mascot when he was a teenager, Marvin Agustin has already made a name for himself not only as an actor, but also as an accomplished businessman. Just recently, he also bagged the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Philippines for the success of Sumo Sam.

Naty Yap-Cheng and her husband Robert used to hold their office under a tree outside their rented warehouse. But with their enthusiasm to succeed, Uratex has grown into a diverse business with market-leading products that are synonymous with quality.

Lastly, Wilcon Builders is a one-stop shop for construction and do-it-yourself needs. Behind the success of this business is William Belo, whose expansion continues to provide convenience to thousands of its customers.

On behalf of Go Negosyo and PLDT SME Nation, I would like to congratulate all of the awardees.