In line with the global celebration of Women’s Month, the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship-Go Negosyo will hold its 6th Filipina Entrepreneurship Summit this Friday, March 7 at the World Trade Center, Pasay City.

This summit will feature women of grace and empowerment like Kris Aquino, Senator Grace Poe, Senator Cynthia Villar, Maria Ressa, Korina Sanchez, Nicole Hyala, and other inspiring and successful Filipina entrepreneurs sharing their success journeys and stories.

This year, Go Negosyo will recognize and honor inspiring Filipina entrepreneurs. These are the women who moved up in life through passion and hard work in growing their business. Among the awardees are president and founder of the first Multiple Intelligence International School in the country, Mary Joy Abaquin. As a Go Negosyo Angelpreneur, she is committed to sharing her time by teaching many aspiring and young entrepreneurs. Using her own money, she put up a progressive school in 1996. Today, her school has over 700 students and over a hundred teaching staff. For her, education is the key to empowering and enabling people.

Edith Dacuycuy, the Dragon Fruit lady from Ilocos Norte, is the founder of the Association of Dragon Fruit Growers. Her search for a cure for her daughter’s condition led her to establish a vast dragon fruit farm. Today, her farm is the country’s leading dragon fruit exporter and her product innovations are very notable for its zero-waste farming practices.

Milagros Ong-How, founder of Universal Harvester Inc., is a distributor and importer of world-class fertilizers. Her experience and education in handling chemicals and seeing the opportunity of business growth eventually led her to fertilizer manufacturing.

Maria Ressa, founder and CEO of Rappler.com, established the leading social news network in the country. Her vision is to inspire community engagement and discussions with the help of new technology and social media. Ressa is a renowned journalist in Asia.

President of Nurture Spa Village Cathy Turvill, a pioneer and leader in the Philippine spa industry, established her spa in her personal search for tranquillity. It soon evolved into a venue offering international-standard spa services with a touch of Filipino ambience.

Owner of XC Manufacturing and Trading Enterprise Donna Jiao, the leading exporter of jewelry in Bulacan, started by helping her mother in their pawnshop business. Having had experience, skills, and creativity in jewelry design, she was able to grow their business, which has many of the country’s top socialites and members of the elite as its clientele.

President of Zen Zest Asia, a Filipino bodycare product retailer, Michelle Asence-Fontelera saw the opportunity to pioneer a complete body and bath care product line. She was able to expand her business locally and market it abroad through continuous research and innovation.

Owner of the first waxing salon in the country Monique Hilario wanted to offer a hair-removal service, which was not readily available to most of the beauty salons in the country. Together with her sister Fiona, they conceptualized a waxing boutique. It was a business concept they did not plan at all, but its unexpected success changed their lives.

Founder of a training school for singing enthusiasts, Gwen Albarracin continued what she and her husband started: to train singers and performers, establishing Center for Pop. It was a small garage business that is now a three-story building complete with training facilities, music library and concert hall.

Leslie Corporation president Judy Wong manufactures healthy and delicious snack products. Her passion for producing quality snacks made her company one of the leading snack-food companies in the Philippines operating several modern and fully automated manufacturing plants.

Among the judges in selecting the nominees were longtime Go Negosyo trustee Rosalind Wee and founder and COO of Richwell Trading Corporation Myrna Yao.

It is best to recognize and honor the works and success of exemplary and inspiring Filipinas like them. They will surely serve as good role models for developing empowered and enterprising Filipinas, to beat poverty and fulfill their dreams.