The Philippine Online Chronicles

“To dream is to believe,” says the old adage, and so on October 12, Ernst & Young (E&Y) lauded local entrepreneurs who dared make their ideas into reality.

With a theme of “Believe,” the 2010 Philippine Entrepreneur of the Year Awards recognized some of the country's top businesspeople. Among these was Esther A. Vibal, president of Vibal Publishing House Inc. (VPHI), who was honored as Woman Entrepreneur of the Year.

Other awardees included:

• Tennyson Chen (President & CEO, Bounty Fresh Food Inc.) - Master Entrepreneur and Philippine Entrepreneur of the Year; will represent the country in the World Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in Monaco in 2011
• Antonio Meloto (Chairman, Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation) - Social Entrepreneur of the Year
• Gabino Abejo Jr. (President & CEP, Abejo Builders Corp.) - Young Entrepreneur
• Lyndon Tan (President, Basic Necessity, Inc.) - Agribusiness Entrepreneur
• Edgar Sia II (Chairman & CEO, Mang Inasal Philippines Inc.) - Small Business Entrepreneur

The Entrepreneur of the Year Philippines program was implemented in 2003, and according to E&Y has “become one of the most prestigious events for the local business community.”

The search is open to all Filipino entrepreneurs. Nominees must be Filipino business owners or founders and active in their businesses, which need to have been in operation for at least two years. Their financial records will be scrutinized as well.

Judges in this year's panel reportedly included Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. corporate vice-chairman Cesar Virata; De La Salle University president Br. Jun Erguiza; Securities and Exchange Commission chair Fe Barin; Department of Trade and Industry undersecretary Merly Cruz; SAP Philippines country manager Jennifer Ligones; Philippine Stock Exchange president and CEO Val Suarez; and Planters Development Bank chair Jesus Tambunting, who was last year's Entrepreneur of the Year for the Philippines

“To believe is at the core of every entrepreneur...We believe that Filipino entrepreneurs, in their own way, contribute to the nation's progress,” said SGV Foundation vice chair Atty. Vic Noel in a statement earlier in the year.

Educational powerhouse

Esther Vibal is the president of Vibal Publishing House Inc., and according to VPHI has led her company to dominance of the competitive textbook publishing market. The company has published over 61 million textbooks, and is a pioneer in digital learning in the Philippines. Its corporate social arm, Vibal Foundation, Inc., runs the Philippine Online Chronicles among other projects,  and is the country's first digital book publisher.

Mrs. Vibal is known internationally as the first Asian and Filipino president of International Inner Wheel, a socioeconomic organization formed by wives of members of Rotary Club International, according to her biography at Wikipilipinas. She is also active in many socio-civic organizations, and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the UP Center for Women's Studies Foundation.

She was a journalist for the Manila Times before teaming up with her husband to put up Vibal Publishing House, Inc. in 1953, according to Ernst & Young's biography of her. She assumed control of the company in 1971, “at a time when publishing was a male-dominated world.”

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