Mom selling ‘masi’ leads top 10 ACC Winners

A MOTHER of five and a businesswoman engaged in selling homemade snack items in canteens emerged on top in yesterday’s selection of the Asian Carriers’ Conference (ACC) Top 10 Women In Need Now Entrepreneurs and Rolemodels (Winners) held at the City Sports Club.

Hazel B. Del Castillo, 35, from Barangay Cambaro, Mandaue City topped the nine other awardees yesterday as she presented her business proposal on how technology could help her business grow.

Hazel B. Del Castillo like the other awardees will receive a cell phone that she can use for her business operations.

The ACC will select the best business proposals from the chosen 10.

The grand winner will receive the Siberia Internet Kiosk, a one year free broadband subscription from PLDT, P15,000 worth of PLDT, Smart and Sun products and P10,000 cash.

“The winner will be awarded on September 4 in time for the annual Asian Carriers’ Conference in Shangri-La (Mactan Island Resort and Spa) which will gather 1,400 delegates across 46 countries worldwide,” said ACC coordinator Pearl Jacalan.

Yesterday’s Top 10 Winners will be published on the ACC website for other delegates to view and to add further incentives.

Yesterday’s top-ranked winner Castillo makes “maja blanca” (Filipino dessert made up of coconut milk, cornstarch and sugar), “masi” (sweetened mashed peanuts) and ice candy daily which she delivers to canteens in the morning and then collects the sales in the afternoon.

“In a day, I can make P3,600 and a profit of about P1,300 which I use to augment the family’s earning,” said Castillo who used to work as a customer service agent.

Castillo said that three years from now, she wants to set up her own restaurant and catering business which she plans to promote online.

The ACC Top 10 Winners is a subcategory in this year’s Search for Winners organized by the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) for the annual Mandaue Business Month happening every August.

Other winners are Agnes R. Ceniza of Mantuyong, Lourdes Badilles of Subangdaku, Jessa Surmeon of Bakilid, Carmelita Bihag of Tawason, Almira Bihag also of Tawason, Genalyn Mantawa of Umapad, Jonalyn Navarro of Guizo, Daisy Flor Ponce of Cambaro and Teresita A. Adrias of Guizo.

They are engaged in various small businesses including a beauty shop, sari-sari store, and carenderia.

According to Carmel de Pio Salvador, Search for Winners chairman, they partnered with ACC for the subcategory award because they want the finalists to also start looking at how technology can help them grow their businesses.

The ACC award will not however have any bearing on the selection of the 2013 Search Winners grand champion which will happen on August 20 at the Cebu International Convention Center, Salvador said.

“We will still select our own set of Winners from the 20 finalists we have now. The grand winner will win P50,000, first runner up will get P30,000 and second runner up P20,000. The corresponding Barangay Development Coordinators will also receive cash awards,” said Salvador.