It is to the amusement, if not curiosity of everyone to ask how do Cebuano entrepreneurs differ from the rest in terms of creating and managing business. Many of us would wonder what made us uniquely Cebu with the sight of mushrooming businesses all around, rising not only in the island of Cebu but also gaining ground in other regions of the Philippines. The inculcation of Cebu brand culture is even more escalating almost everywhere with its looming presence in the global scene. In the realm of heritage, tourism, technology and other trending industries such as food, real estate, tourism and entertainment, Cebu stands out as the best performing among other business districts in the country with its distinctive brand equity.
What has become of Cebu must have its foundation which has been outgrowing from traditional but effective paradigms rooted in principles, values and character. And our incessant probing would find us in a situation where we could not resist a temptation to paint a picture of a Cebuano entrepreneur with fine strokes of traits portraying entrepreneurial attributes that are uniquely Cebuano.
Cebuano people are inherently creative people with impressive strategic mind. This twin distinctive qualities have given birth and nurtured more exemplary values worthy of emulation for aspiring Cebuano entrepreneurs. This had ripened into a cultural trait with historical roots in our Cebuano forefathers who had shown at earliest time the spirit of entrepreneurship coupled with well-entrenched values and vision.
Early Shapers of Cebuano Entrepreneur’s Spirit
A closer look into the Battle of Mactan that happened in midnight of April 27, 1521 will lead us to surmise how the chieftain Lapu-lapu had exemplified set of core values like patience, courage and determination to win which have been applied in today’s world in seizing opportunities, managing business and sustaining growth.
During his engagement with Spanish voyager Ferdinand Magellan and his men, Lapu-lapu and his warriors didn’t take an advance position against Magellan despite superior number of warriors. Instead he waited at the shore of Mactan for Magellan to attack them. Lapu-lapu knew that the best virtue in any life’s undertaking is patience; that victory is designed for them who have the ability to wait. By being patient, Lapu-Lapu has mastered the art of perfect timing, seizing the most opportune time to attack.
We waited too long before we went into condominium business, coffee shop, beauty and wellness and many other industries which we never imagined to having in the island of Cebu decades ago.
Even though he fought less than a hundred men, he still brought out his full force to foil the enemy with utmost certainty. Lapu-Lapu had that discipline to never underestimate the enemies who were equipped with war boats and armed lances, swords, crossbows, and muskets. It means that he was not complacent with his strength and power and even augmented it by tapping the resources available in his place and converted them into a weaponry of iron swords, bows, and “bamboo” spears.
In today’s business, Cebuano entreprenuers brought out their full force by participating in various activities organised by Cebu business organisations like Cebu Chamber of Commerce, Mandaue Chamber, and many other organisations for Cebu to be highly competitive not only in the Philippines but in global arena.
In the same vein, Cebu enterprenuers have never displayed an attitude of being complacent but instead went beyond by maximising and innovating local resources into innovative products of export quality like dried mangoes, elegantly designed furnitures, salted dried fish and a variety of local delicacies which have already market footprint in some parts of the world.
Although, he was a brave warrior, Lapu-lapu valued the worth of his people by not exposing them to uncalculated risk. He was so keen on how to manage his most valuable resource – people. As recalled, they stood on the ground until Magellan’s forces paddled ashore to attack them. However, charged and prepared, Lapu-lapu quickly subdued Magellan’s forces which compelled some of them to retreat to the waiting ships.
As if conversant about the “Art of War” by Sun Tzu, Lapu-lapu seemed so familiar with the strategy of Positioning. In the market parlance, Positioning refers to the place that a brand occupies in the mind of the customer and how it is distinguished from products of competitors. If Lapu-lapu had entrenched his foothold on the island of Mactan to the exclusion of intruders, so then with our present Cebuano entrepreneurs engaged in hotel and tourism industry whose brands are identified with the white beach resorts not only in Mactan but in the entire island of Cebu being surrounded by waters. In the minds of customers, Cebu means white sand and pristine waters.
However, the protectionist mindset of Lapu-lapu does not always align with the pursuit for wider opportunities of growth. Thus, his closed-door behavior has been tempered with an open-door paradigm of another local chieftain of Cebu, Rajah Humabon. As the first indigenous convert to Christianity, Humabon opened himself to a new world and established alliance with Magellan by undergoing a blood compact with him. As recorded, it was during “Humabon’s reign that the region had become an important trading center. The harbors of Sugbo became known colloquially as sinibuayng hingpit (“the place for trading”), shortened to sibu or sibo (“to trade”), from which the modern name “Cebu” originates.”
His amiable nature has also resonated in the hearts and minds of Cebuano entrepreneurs in the way they formed partnerships with other countries like Japan, South Korea, China, US and European countries, to name a few. Cebu has also become a hub for outsourcing industry and served as a host in ASEAN summit, APEC and other regional economic cooperation — a gesture of open-mindedness, however, with reasonably cautious stand against parasitic partners.
The continuous but unrelenting adherence to these deep-seated values in modern times is an honest display of Cebuano entrepreneurial spirit which is still alive today and culturally entrenched in the entire ecosystem of Cebu business.