Trailblazing Davao entrepreneur prepares youth for a good future

Joji Ilagan Bian BING GONZALES

MANILA, Philippines — Joji Ilagan Bian is best described as a trailblazer, carving her own paths to success in business, education and social development advocacy. She has the distinction of achieving many “firsts” throughout a career that has spanned over four decades and changed the lives of countless youth in Mindanao.

Bian’s professional career started with the founding of Joji Ilagan Career Center Foundation Inc. in 1982. She single-handedly managed what used to be a one-classroom vocational school, driven by her desire to help young people transform their lives through quality education.

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“In 1982, tech-voc (technical-vocational) education was not an attractive option for the youth because of the state of tech-voc schools in Davao and in the Philippines. My desire to see our youth, especially those from the impoverished sector, gain financial empowerment and independence at the earliest time possible gave me the motivation to change the perception of tech-voc schools,” recalls Bian, then a university teacher.

“So what I did was to build my own tech-voc school with top-of-the-line facilities focusing on hospitality. But that was just the first step. Along with it, I started a strong advocacy campaign on the opportunities that a tech-voc education can give, that tech-voc is a dignified and respectable profession, that in three to six months, one can find work and help their family and even pursue higher education,” she adds.

Success

Bian’s training approach was also immediately set apart by her passion for instilling an entrepreneurial mindset in her students.

“People began looking at tech-voc differently. Our skilled graduates were immediately hired by industry, and the rest is history,” she says.

Under her leadership, the pioneering endeavor, with a startup capital of only P350,000, grew into what is now the Joji Ilagan-Bian (JIB) International Schools, a network of learning centers in Davao and General Santos cities that offer transnational skills-based education and training matched to industry standards, allowing its students to earn internationally recognized certifications.

The JIB network includes the Joji Ilagan College of Business and Tourism; the Institute of International Culinary and Hospitality Entrepreneurship, the first culinary school in Davao and General Santos cities; the International Management School; Stockbridge American International School; and Joji International School of Hotel and Tourism Management.

In 2007, she established the JIB e-Academy, the first call center and English academy, and JIB Welding Academy, the biggest and most modern welding school in Davao City, catering to trainees from poor families who take the courses on scholarship.

Sunday program

To allow household helpers, laborers and out-of-school youth to earn skills, diplomas and degrees, JIB rolled out a “Sunday Program” so they can take the training on their day off. JIB also provides free training in basic cooking, food service skills and hairdressing to grassroots communities in Davao and General Santos cities through community extension work.

With the ability to engineer the phenomenal growth of her enterprises, impart excellent training to students and help achieve a good impact on their lives, Bian has been recognized as a leader of innovation in technical and vocational education in Mindanao.

Such achievements have also catapulted her into leadership roles in the business and education communities. From 1993 to 1994, she became the first woman to lead the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry. She then chaired the influential Mindanao Business Council (MBC) from 1998 to 2003, when there was a great need for a united voice for business to ensure the southern region’s meaningful inclusion in the national government’s international development agenda.

Under her leadership, MBC united all chambers of commerce and government and nongovernmental organizations to push for a common economic and social agenda, making it a key player in the regional cooperation program called the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area, which helped open new trade and economic routes through the country’s backdoor.

In recognition of her active role, she was chosen as deputy chair of the East Asean Business Council from 1998 to 2003.

Business-friendly policies

While at the helm of MBC, Bian was able to steer business groups in forging solid collaborations with Mindanao political leaders to promote transparency and good governance, a legacy that has left a lasting imprint on Mindanao’s economic journey.

She effectively used MBC as a platform to consistently advocate for business-friendly government policies, increase public spending for Mindanao, and call on the government to cease its all-out war policy and resume peace negotiations with Moro rebels.

Bian has also led other business, education, and social development groups and associations, all of which display her professional flair and resoluteness in achieving results.

To honor her achievements and contributions to the community, the Davao City government honored Bian with the Datu Bago Award in 1997. At 41, Bian was the youngest to receive the citation since it began in 1969.

Former President Joseph Estrada also conferred on Bian the Kabalikat Laang Bisig Presidential National Award for promoting and developing technical-vocational training in the country. In 2005, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo awarded her the Presidential Service Medal of Merit.

Outside the country, the Asean Women Network cited Bian as an “Outstanding Asean Woman Entrepreneur” in 2017, the same year she was cited by the Canada-based Global Filipina Network as among the “100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the World.”