Saturday, July 28, 2007 Proud of Davao By Joy Romares-Sevilla
SHE has made it her calling to help fellow entrepreneurs in the community.
Thus, Leny Villegas Castillo, described by friends as energetic and focused, has become the driving force behind "Proudly Davao Product Branding Program" of Davao City, a special joint project of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (DCCCII), Philippine Chamber, Davao City Government, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and Senator Francisco Pangilinan, whose office provided the funding.
Raised in Davao City, Castillo is a woman of persistence who always believes that in order to acquire longevity in every endeavor, doing what you love to do is something that matters.
Castillo, married to Rossano Castillo, a businessman, is a mother of three. She once dreamed of becoming a nun, having been enrolled in a Catholic school in her primary, intermediate, and secondary education in the University of Immaculate Conception (UIC).
She was a consistent valedictorian at the UIC, then called the Immaculate Conception College or ICC, and a dean's lister in Dela Salle University where she took an accounting course.
This Davao entrepreneur, a certified public accountant (CPA), is the current vice president for trade and commerce of the DCCCII where she is also a member of the pool of consultants and director of the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Development Center. She is also the project director of the Promoting Regional Opportunities for Enterprise and Livelihood (Propel) development, a project of Senator Francisco Pangilinan.
Castillo has been an entrepreneur since 1989. She is the managing director of the Great Gifts and Souvenirs International Corporation, a family-owned, export-oriented company and a reliable supplier of handicrafts, gifts, and houseware using indigenous materials.
On the side, she is accounting and special projects manager of the family-owned GAP Orchard Resort in Ma-a, the president of the UIC Alumni Foundation, and the chair of the Crafts Atbp. Foundation Inc.
Before becoming an entrepreneur, this multi-awarded lady was with the financial audit staff and later became computer audit specialist of the SGV & Co., an audit firm in Makati City.
Her husband, Rossano, was her classmate in college and while they started their married life in Metro Manila they didn't waste time to move back to Davao where she started her business and her endeavor in community work.
"We moved in to Davao because I thought Davao would be a better place to raise my children, it is an ideal place to bring up a family," she told Sun.Star.
Putting up a business, she said, entails a lot of considerations, challenges are big too. An entrepreneur needs to be very flexible in order to constantly meet his fixed overhead, she said.
Having a business engaged in manufacturing handicrafts, Castillo sees a different fulfillment every time she comes up with a tangible thing of a uniquely-made design.
"I get designers if I can afford, but I also make designs. If you do something that you love to do, you won't really look at it as work, instead, you will look at it as a learning process to become better," Castillo said.
Being a woman of achievement, Castillo still believes that it is in the kind of person why he or she can stand out.
"Women and men have unique attributes; it is in the person why he/she succeeds, not in the gender. Today, it is good a thing there is a gender sensitivity where women are given equal rights to stand out," she said, adding that what she can consider as strength of the women is that they are able to see even the little details and angles.
As director of Propel, Castillo faces challenges on how to sustain her current passion; this is to help Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the region to acquire the excellence and standard quality for locally made products through the Davao Branding Project.
She said Propel, which started the branding project in September 2006, now appeals for partners in order to sustain the initiative.
"We are looking for partners to continue the initiative, it would be stronger if we have partners since we also have limited funds," she said.
The project seeks to upgrade the current level of appreciation for excellence and quality of locally manufactured products by introducing a branding system for homegrown products that are of exceptional quality.
This shall be made by coming up with a widely-accepted and highly regarded product accreditation system spearheaded by the DCCCII, DTI, Davao City SME Development Council, Davao City Field Office and the City Government of Davao that will distinguish high-quality Davao products.
Hence, the project should result to improving the general marketability of the products identified. The envisioned market expansion of the accredited products will translate to increased employment opportunities and taxes for the city.
Castillo said the city government has a strong support in this undertaking. In fact, an Ordinance for the Davao Branding System to raise the quality, standards, and marketability of Davao-made products was already proposed by Councilor Peter Laviña.
Today, Castillo said there are already eight SMEs who have been accredited by the system. They will be given technical and marketing assistance, she said.
"You can see that the SMEs have an initiative to be more competitive, to become good and better, you can see their willingness to strive on their own to be international," Castillo said.
Castillo urges her co-entrepreneurs to help each other for the benefit of mankind and to practice their respective roles in the society.
"Bloom where you are planted, in whatever role you are given, make it the best and always stamp your work with your signature," she said.
