FOR its 250 branches scattered from Appari to Jolo, Ang Lechon Manok ni Senior Pedro is the most sought-after in most regular costumers nation wide with its mouth-watering sweet quality roasted-to-perfection chicken packaged into one, and made affordable for only P150.
Peter Unabia, the man behind the success of Senior Pedro, has climbed up to the ladder and became one of the most wealth persons in Mindanao. Yet, he remains to be humble of his God given blessings.
Unabia grew up from a poor and big family in Malaybalay City. He is the ninth of 11 siblings. He became an orphan at a young age, got married to Ging-Ging with whom he has three children.
Despite the struggles he encountered during his childhood days, Unabia remains to be very hard working and became a scholar at the Ateneo de Cagayan. He has maintained close ties with his family whom he considered his inspiration to strive harder.
After finishing his Agronomy course, he volunteered for the Mangyans in Mindoro for a few months and returned to Cagayan de Oro to work at Unibet. But he resigned to put up his own business.
Unabia started as a peddler of different basic commodities such as eggs, chorizo, dressed chicken and sugar. But an opportunity knocked on his door when his brother Antoneto gave him the secret recipe for his roasted chicken.
With P5,000 capital, he opened Senior Pedro’s first branch in Hayes St. in 1994 and did all the cooking and chopping by himself.
Unabia said the name Senior Pedro came from the famous drama aired over the radio in the 1990s which starred Esteban Escudero entitled “Ang Manok ni Senior Pedro.” He said this is to remember the name easily.
Not long after, Senior Pedro became an instant hit in Cagayan de Oro. Two years after, Unabia opened his second branch near the Dynasty Court Hotel. And the rest is history.
At present, Unabia owns a vast poultry, an ice plant, dressing plant and feeds mill in which 3.75 percent of his earnings goes directly to the Anak Tering Foundation, which was named after her mother Teresa.
Now that he is earning more than what he expected, Unabia said he felt sad remembering his parents for not having tasted the fruits of his labor.
“That is why we built the foundation in 2006,” he said.
Anak Tering Foundation benefits 2,411 local growers of chicken who grow a maximum of 1,000 chicks and earn P15,000 in every harvest.
As a devoted Christian, Unabia has done a lot of good deeds to his society. He is now a provincial board member in the second district of Misamis Oriental and helps other people.
Despite the glorious success he enjoys which he believed came from God, Unabia remains to be humble by heart and hopes to serve more people who need livelihood.
This, as Unabia believes in the principle of “sowing and reaping.”