5 Most Inspiring OFW Entrepreneurs

The awardees were Agnes Marrero of Mt. Province, Eugenio Tayag of Tuguegarao City, Consuelo Valencia of London, Michael Abubakar of Sulu, and Norma Macalindong of Batangas.

Marrero, a mother of four, worked as a domestic helper in Hong Kong for 15 years. She now manages a family resort, a dry goods store and a banana plantation in Tadian, Mt. Province.

Tayag, a medical doctor, worked in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to save money to start a family life. He now has a farm and a ranch in Tuguegarao that employs 23 permanent farmhands. Tayag at the same time works as the City Health Officer of Tuguegarao.

Valencia, on the other hand, was a former domestic drudge in London who rose to be a successful businesswoman by setting up remittance, freight and travel services, in addition to venturing into the sales of phone cards and real estate and recruitment and publishing house business.

She had been featured in British newspapers narrating “How a cleaner became a millionaire in 10 years.”

Abubakar, a civil engineer who worked in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for 27 years, came home to build homes for the homeless in conflict-stricken Sulu. While most people would agree that addressing the issue of homelessness in Sulu is absurd, Abubakar thought otherwise.

Macalindong worked in Rome, Italy as a parttime domestic helper cleaning several houses in a day. She finally ventured into selling Filipino food and products in Rome, which proved to be successful.

During the same occasion, the President also handed the Special Citation for the Enhancement of Service Exporting Enterprises to the Philippine Association of Exporters Inc. for romoting not only the welfare of OFWs but also of their families through projects that
provide training and opportunities for sustainable economic activities and enhancing the OFWs’ readiness and effective reintegration in Philippine society.

Carlos Salinas of the Philippine Transmarine Carriers Inc. was awarded the Most Inspiring Maritime Service Provider/Entrepreneur for dedicating 46 years of his career in the maritime field, learning the ropes from the ground.

The President was assisted by Presidential Consultant for Entrepreneurship Jose Concepcion III and Labor Acting Secretary Danilo Cruz. (PNA)

by OFWBalita.com