BY this time, most of my friends have already made their pick among the Selecta Gold flavors: Berry Strawberry, Chocolate Truffles, or Hazelnut Brownie. Which one is the best? We each had our own favorites.

The three flavors are concocted by renowned Filipino chefs: J Gamboa of Cirkulo for Berry Strawberry, Rolando Laudico of Bistro Filipino for Chocolate Truffles and Sau del Rosario of Chelsea for Hazelnut Brownie. To find out which one is best, my brother-in-law bought all three. I bought a couple of pints too, when I’m not really a regular ice cream buyer (and if I do buy, it’s not Selecta). The thought, though, of having gourmet ice cream done by chefs was irresistible.
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WE SEE the signs around us: more stores putting up “Sale” signs to entice more shoppers to come in, and less people eating out and buying clothes. Just how do Pinoys behave in a financial crisis like the current one?

“Some people ask, ‘With all our economic problems, why aren’t people out on the streets? Where are the riots?’ Coping is an uphill battle that has left consumers frustrated and overextended, and this is even more true for those at the bottom of the pyramid, which is the biggest chunk of our population,” says Emil Avenido, research director of the Philippine Survey and Research Center-Research International (PSRC-RI).

The reaction, says Avenido, is not aggression but of withdrawal: focusing on oneself and family. Family is very important to the Filipino.
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Family businesses aren’t a sure thing. Some last for many decades, while others go pffft when the second or third generation members take the helm.

One family business that’s gaining strength as the years go by is the jewelry business of the Sarabia-Gorriceta family of Iloilo. Amparo Sarabia started a jewelry store in Iloilo. Later on, her eldest daughter, Dr. Sandra Sarabia-Gorriceta (an optometrist following the footsteps of her grandfather, Dr. Federico Sarabia, the first optometrist in the Philippines), also went into the jewelry/pawnshop business with her own shop, the SS Gorriceta, which now has three stores in Iloilo. Now Dr. Sandra’s son, Felix Gorriceta III, is following tradition, heading the jewelry chain store Karat World.

“Growing up in Iloilo, I was exposed early to the business. I have a brother and a sister, but I was the only one interested in the jewelry business,” shares Felix. He recounts that when he was in grade 1 or 2, he already knew how to open the store vault. In high school, he helped out in the store, and listened in when his mom talked with suppliers.
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THE HOTTEST brand nowadays in the Philippines is Manny Pacquiao. Yes, the boxer who won the victory over Oscar Dela Hoya and put the Philippines in everyone’s consciousness last Sunday is a mega-brand worldwide.

From Mike Tyson and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to the barrio people in the provinces, Pacquiao has a following. The crime rate in the country goes down to zero whenever he has a fight. A-list cinemas and city halls around the country broadcast his fights and these places are fully packed when Pacquiao steps on the ring.

And talk about Pacquiao being an endorser. From beer to muscle pain relaxant, cellphone to karaoke mic, energy drink to a hamburger place, and much more, Pacquiao has become a dream endorser. He is number 3 on Wikipilipinas’ Top 10 Philippine Celebrity Endorsers, just below actresses Kris Aquino and Sharon Cuneta.
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HOW DOES one survive in retail? Furthermore, how does one make it in the highly competitive fashion retail business? Let me tell you a story about a business called Chocolate, which isn’t into chocolates but into something else that makes us feel good – nice clothes.

Ana Amigo-Antonio, founder and managing director of Chocolate Clothing Company, has grown her fashion retail store from just a space in Rustan’s Department Store five years ago into the multi-store establishment it is today. The young fashion-conscious from the AB markets check out her stores regularly for cool clothes from Australian brands Grab and Sass, among others. Fashion magazines regularly feature Chocolate’s new stuff, and fashionistas in the know come in droves whenever Chocolate announces a warehouse sale which offers price cuts up to 75 percent off.

Ana attributes her success not to luck, but to hard work. “There’s really no secret. If you put a lot of hard work, inevitably, something will come out,” says Ana. “It’s like caring for a plant. With sunshine, water and lots of love, the plant will grow. This is also how I try to run the business, caring for it 24/7.”
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