Whadup. You’re invited to the Entrepreneur’s first Networking Night for the year. And since the April issue is The Big Food Issue, our guest speakers will also come from the food industry: food blogger Anton Diaz (www.ourawesomeplanet.com), restaurateur Anabelle Wisniewski of Raintree Restaurant, and Chef Tony Elepano of Chef Tony’s Popcorn.

His is a story we’ve heard, seen, and read many times before: born in the province and raised in the slums, abandoned by his mother, raised by his blue-collared father, walked to school, realized he could run, did so without shoes, was seen by a talent scout, earned a scholarship, ran in a marathon, created a marathon, and became a millionaire. It’s a story we know all too well. But this one is different: he wears an afro.

Tall, lanky, and with skin brown from spending afternoons under the sun, Rio dela Cruz, 27, is a child of the streets. A native of Bato, Camarines Sur and the youngest of 14 children, dela Cruz was barely a year old when his mother left the family leaving all parental and nurturing duties to Rio’s father and grandfather. This led to his first foray into entrepreneurship: harvesting kopra at an uncle’s farm for two Pesos a day. With mounting problems on how to sustain their large family, it seemed like the obvious thing to do was simply run away from it all. While Rio didn’t exactly do that, he did however, learn to run. “Ever since I was a child, my basic game was running,” he recalls.

It was upon taking the train to Manila in 1985 that the young Rio saw the world beyond the rickety corners of their shanty, and the vast expanding space before him. With an allowance of one Peso a day, dela Cruz began attending public school, enduring the daily three-kilometer walk. However his ideal mode of transportation was running. “During my elementary days, I would always observe my friends. They were engaged in running,” says dela Cruz. “I thought to myself: ‘I think I can do that.’ Then later on my PE teacher invited my two classmates to try out for the team.” As luck would have it, the other guy didn’t make the cut so Rio took it upon himself to approach the coach. “Sabi ko (I said), ‘Can I try out? Then I removed my shoes and began to run. I was first, and that was the start.”

With advice from his coach the following year, dela Cruz shifted from being a sprinter to a long distance runner. “Back then,” he recalls, “I was running barefoot every time since I couldn’t afford to buy running shoes.” Thanks to a generous neighbor, he received his first pair of running shoes. And although they were a few sizes too small, he managed to make it work for him by cutting the front end open, exposing his toes. All the while the lanky kid with the afro was beating more senior athletes with years of running experience under their belt. Soon, the coach of the University of the Philippines (UP) took notice and offered dela Cruz a slot on the varsity track team.

College proved to be a turning point in his career. After being named Rookie of the Year and winning two silver medals in 2001 in his freshman year, dela Cruz began breaking and establishing records, winning more medals, and soon joined the National Team in his second year in college. In 2004, popular sporting brand Nike noticed the running kid with an afro and signed him up to become an endorser. “Two months before my graduation, UP hired me as a coach for the track team.” It was also during this time that dela Cruz began to teach running one-on-one. His clients, company presidents and CEOs, actors and socialites, made him the running coach to the country’s running elite. And Rio became Coach Rio.

“At that time, I was already thinking of organizing races myself.” With a challenge from his then girlfriend that he couldn’t do it, the then 25-year-old dela Cruz took it upon himself to prove her wrong. Armed with nothing but his experience as a racer and a little over a hundred thousand Pesos of his own money, dela Cruz took to organizing his own race. It was a one-man team–from producing registration materials, designing flyers, looking for sponsors, creating the race route, applying for permits, delivering registration forms, and even creating jerseys. “I based it on experience. Since I always race, I already had an idea on what the basic needs of a runner are in an event.” And in August of 2007, the grounds of the University of the Philippines was swarmed by nearly two thousand runners participating in The Great UP Run. The result was an event worthy of its name. “That was where it all began,” dela Cruz says, “the notion that if Coach Rio organizes a race, it’s a quality event.”

Now, in only two years’ time this veteran of over twenty races in more than four countries, has managed to make himself and his full head of hair a brand that holds quality and world-class racing events popular amongst the country’s running community. To put it into perspective, his last race, the 2009 Timex Run held last November, drew in over 4000 participants and cost 5.7 million Pesos. “After that event, I felt challenged to do better. I really think I can do better,” says Rio.

And better, he did. In 2007, dela Cruz established Entraineur, an events and sports management company that handles corporate accounts. In 2008, he launched Finishline.ph together with business partner Vince Mendoza, an online sports management company that organizes races. And just last year, he launched Run Rio Incorporated which holds dela Cruz’s own running series called The RunRio Trilogy–a yearly triple combination of three major running events, and RunRio Sportswear–Rio’s own running apparel brand.

The success of dela Cruz in such short a time is nothing short of stunning. “I think what they like about me is my enthusiasm as a runner to create a good race,” he says, “And then, of course, the innovation I put in my races, because if you get stuck in the usual or traditional event, nothing will happen. My technique is to bring innovation in my races and create quality events. That’s the key to my success.”

Currently, dela Cruz is training for the Holy Grail of marathons, the Boston Marathon in April of this year for which he qualified, and the New York Marathon in November. But for this kid from the province, the ultimate dream is as big as his afro and as far as the kilometers he’s run: to find himself at the starting line in the city with the same name as his: the 2016 Rio Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The barefoot-running kid with an afro has become the running guru still with an afro. However, he now makes it a habit to slip on some shoes when he runs. When asked how many pairs he now has, “More than a hundred pairs,” he answers matter-of-factly. And how many of those did he buy himself? “Not one.”

PHOTO CREDITS
www.runrio.com

Just a year old, Manor Superclub has already gained a cult following in the metro’s party scene, with partyphiles, and until recently, call center agents, entering its glass doors three nights a week, from 10pm to five in the morning. According to Erik Cua, operations director, Manor is “the premiere dance club in the Philippines with three areas where people can go to unwind, meet new people, and dance the night away.”

Launched in January of 2009 from the people behind the metro’s top clubs, Manor Superclub has gained notoriety among the country’s club-hopping and music-loving elite. The conceptualization process took around six months, while the construction of the three main areas, the penthouse, basement, and the terrace, took five months, with each area having its own distinct ambiance and music.

The guys behind Manor did more than just your simple party-planning. “First [was] finding the location we really wanted, then finding the right partners to complement each other,” says Cua. Thanks to Stephen Ku, marketing director, and Bingo Manahan, promotions director, they were also able to choose the right promoters to partner with. Carlo Aquino, Manor’s entertainment director took care of the music. The result was a place deserving of its name.

With its posh interiors, pulsating dance music spun by Manila’s top DJs, as well as a wide selection of cocktails for your enjoyment, it isn’t unusual to see long lines of people snaking around the corner waiting to be let in. According to Cua, Manor’s guests are usually college students, yuppies, industry people, businessmen, as well as models and actors. However, with the recent surge of BPOs in the country, particularly in the Quezon City and Pasig area, they’ve also gained a new client base. “It has actually gotten stronger since some of the call center agencies have held their parties in Manor.”

Open every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday night, many call center agents in the area actually choose to go to Manor during their “lunch break” sometime between midnight and 2am to relax and escape from the stress and pressure of work. While they’re service hasn’t changed with the emergence of this new market, the team behind Manor Superclub has begun thinking of ways to bring more of them in. According to Cua, “We give nothing but the best party for call center agents.”

At the end of the day, which in this case, is at six or seven in the morning, all everyone’s looking for is a place to relax with perhaps some booze on the side. And in Manor, it doesn’t matter if it’s during your lunch break.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Manor Superclub
www.manorsuperclub.com
F1 Big Kahuna Bldg., Eastwood Citywalk, Libis, Quezon City
(02) 421-3180, info@manorsuperclub.com

PHOTO CREDIT
Dairy Darilag

***

From Entrepreneur Philippines´ December 2009 issue.

Held at The Loft @ Manansala in Rockwell, Makati City, the country’s top ten entrepreneurs of the past year were recognized in Entrepreneur Philippines annual Entrepreneur 10 Awards Night 2009 last December 15.

In what has been—to say the least—a challenging year not only for business-owners but for all Filipinos, the night was a farewell to the year that was and a glimpse of hope into the next year. While to have survived the past year is an achievement in itself, to have gone way and above the rest deserves a very classy AVP with a kick-ass soundtrack–not a business term, but that succinctly sums everything up.

10 Outstanding Entrepreneurs of 2009

The seventh batch of Entrepreneur 10 winners are Patricia Besinga of Prestige Labels Co., they provide affordable R&D for start-up businesses; Junie del Mundo of EON Stakeholder Relations Firm, he has managed to transform the PR scene with his “stakeholder” concept; Benjamin Liuson of The Generics Pharmacy, he has over 600 outlets all over the country; Roberto Locsin of Locsin International, am uber-successful furniture exporter; Jerry Perez de Tagle of Integrative Learning International Inc., a genius; Jovita Romero, co-owner of Danilyn’s Enterprises, also exports furniture; Dr. Vivian Sarabia of Vivian Sarabia Optical, eyewear outfitter to the stars; Edgar Injap Sia of Mang Inasal, `nuff said; Carson Tan of Aquabest, `nuff said; and Kerwin Tansekiao of Jimini Foods and Pizza Pedrico’s, ’nuff said.

Before the night ended, Entrepreneur 10 awardee, Jerry Perez de Tagle spoke on behalf of his fellow winners, summing it up succinctly, “We all followed our DAD: pursued our dream, took action, and had discipline.”

Check out www.entrepreneur.com.ph for more on the event.

Entrepreneur 10 Awards Night 2009 was co-presented by Globe Business, Nokia, and Western Union.

The management copy of Entrepreneur’s December issue arrived the other day. I’m beginning to really like the direction our covers are going. After the November redesign issue, this is probably the most excited I’ve felt for an issue to arrive. It’s probably because this one contains my first cover feature—twelve glossy pages all to myself, ten stories on new markets. As an aspiring journalist, there is no greater thrill in the world than seeing your name in print. It’s like crack to me.

The issue also contains a really classy spread on our annual Entrepreneur 10 Awards that features the top ten entrepreneurs of the year. While surviving through what has since become a nightmare year for all business owners—big or small—is a feat in itself, coming out on top deserves some sort of recognition. The formal awarding will be on the 15th at The Loft in Makati.

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Monday was a national holiday. But instead of spending the day at home I found myself getting up from bed at five in the morning for a whole-day seminar in Manila. I only wake up early for very few things: work, a book sale, or if my room is on fire. Seminars aren’t my thing. The idea of having someone say, “This is what you should do” doesn’t appeal to me. I’d prefer to just do it myself. This seminar was different.

Known as the most in-demand business workshop in Asia, Rich Dad Asia was hosted by Bellum Tan, once a student of, and now colleague of business genius Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad and other hugely popular books on how to make money. He’s also the creator of Cashflow, a boardgame designed to teach you accounting, investing, and finance while you play. My concept of finance is not spending my paycheck on a new pair of shoes. Their concept of finance involves investing in stocks and property.

Up until a few years ago, I had absolutely no idea who Tan or Kiyosaki was. A friend of mine was obsessed with the “Rich Dad” philosophy. He read the books, bought the boardgame (which costs about 20 thousand Pesos), and became a hermit. I was skeptical. But in our third year in college, that friend earned his first million.

The organizers of Rich Dad Asia gave several complimentary tickets to Entrepreneur. Now who am I to say no to a gift?

The first half of the seminar was spent talking about Kiyosaki’s business philosophy. And one of the things Tan pointed out was something he called the “Rich Dad Financial Warning.” In 2002, Robert Kiyosaki published in his book several predictions on the future of business around the world. In it he predicted the collapse of big financial institutions like Lehman Brothers and AIG. Unless you’ve been in a comatose for the past six months, you’ll know that in September of last year, global financial-services firm Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy (the largest in US history) and, AIG, United States’ largest multi-line insurance company, requested for a bailout of (as of October 2008) more than $90 billion. The effect of those events was global and the phrase, “global financial crisis” has since become part of pop culture. People called Kiyosaki crazy. Now he’s a god.

Rich Dad Financial Warning

• All currencies will eventually go to zero.
• You can’t depend on saving for your retirement.
• After the recession, the greatest opportunity to invest is right now.
• Your greatest expenses in life will be paying your taxes, paying off debts, inflation, and preparing for your retirement,
• The rich will get richer while the middle class and the poor will be gone.
• The Dollar will crash.
• Cash is the worst place to put money.
• Change your mindset about money by being financially educated.
• The friends you have will determine your financial future.
• It would be wise to invest in the following: gold, silver, and real estate.

The next three hours were then spent playing Cashflow. It’s similar to Monopoly but not really. There are no Get Out Of Jail cards, but you can get downsized. You don’t claim $200 from the bank every time you pass by start, but earn a monthly paycheck. There are no houses or hotels to put up, but stocks and properties to invest in. You have to diligently maintain a balance sheet of your debits and credits so stealing from the bank isn’t an option. You may, however, take out a loan. There’s no such thing as Boardwalk, but buying a two by three bedroom sounds even better as long as the cashflow is good, the return on investment is reasonable, and the downpayment is low.

I generally like money, especially if it’s my own. If there’s one thing I learned from the seminar, it’s that money isn’t everything, it’s a lot. Still, it’s just a piece of paper.

According to the Department of Tourism, in the first half of this year alone some four million tourists from all over the world visited the Philippines. The number is already more than the yearly total of the previous two years. And with airlines now offering affordable travel packages plus cheap accommodations catering to jet-setting business travelers and backpackers, the numbers are bound to rise. But what happens when travel agencies and tour services have closed for the night? Seeing the opportunity to create a new service, Singapore native Darren Murali Palanisamy created the country’s first 24-hour touring service in Eliz & Ethan Tour Services.

Established in June of this year with his Filipina wife Arlyn Carino, and with a start-up of only 25 thousand pesos and a staff of six, Palanisamy developed a simple concept: to give every traveler a personalized, cheap, and round-the-clock touring service in and around the Philippines.

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Newspapers around the world are experiencing a recession of their own with major broadsheets closing down after decades of loyal service. Many titles in the United States have closed down or are facing imminent shutdown.

With the rise of the internet and cheaper broadband rates, more and more people are turning to the world wide web to get their daily fix for news and pop culture. What will happen with newspapers are completely obliterated? It’s a scenario that’s just too unthinkable to happen. One might think that the print medium is on its way out. However, magazines, are in a league of their own.

The Twenty Tweetable Truths About Magazines

There are some things in life where bigger is definitely better: your paycheck, a computer hard drive, a queen-sized bed, and most important of all, food. Finally putting an end to the endless squabble on the perpetual question, “Does size matter?”, a group of innovative and hungry friends created what would be the last word (at least so far) in the size debate: a 35-inch pan pizza.

Starting as a business among friends, El Buono Pizza began in October of 2008 when Laura Murayama, now the over-all manager, wanted to venture into a food business that’s familiar to Filipinos but also has a foreign touch. Meanwhile, Lance Sarvida, head of product development, simply wanted what every guy craves for: the biggest pizza. Researching online gave him his dough recipe. Then, Sam Calaca, who had a background in marketing, took to spreading the word about the biggest pizza in the metro. That set Loreta Cuizon, head of their commissary and finances, to the job of putting it all into production. And in November of the same year, El Buono Pizza revealed their 35-inch creation aptly called The Celebrity Pizza.

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As a writer and a slightly obsessive-compulsive note-taker, I tend to be picky with the notebooks I use. In an age where everything has become digital, barely anyone walks around with a notebook anymore. I myself prefer the sound of my fingers on a keyboard, the ease with which I can edit my work on a computer, and occasionally, shift-F7 for an instant thesaurus entry. However, once in a while, nothing beats the feeling of running a smooth flowing pen on a clear sheet of paper.

While I’ve tried everything notebook save for the one with tacky photos of local celebrities on the cover, nothing beats a Moleskine. They’re damn expensive, but with a leather cover, and a self-publicized history that includes crazy people like Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, and geniuses like Ernest Hemingway and Bruce Chatwin, who can resist the lure of notebook that costs ten times more than that one with Judy Ann Santos on the cover amongst plastic flowers and a badly-illustrated landscape of rolling hills?

There’s a certain pride in pulling out a Moleskine from your pocket or bag, removing the leather strap that holds it all together, and, flipping through its yellowing pages. I can imagine finding a dusty stack of them in the future and immediately thinking they contain something of prime importance. If I find a pile of spiral notebooks with Juday on the cover, I burn them.

For the first time, popular notebook brand Moleskine, and National Book Store are bringing the My Moleskine exhibition to Manila. The exhibit showcases the talent and creativity of contemporary artists in Asia. In the interactive exhibition in select NBS stores in the metro, artists show their work in progress, giving the audience an insight into their creative process.

Presented are the works of 34 artists from the fields of design, photography, painting and music who use their Moleskine notebook as their canvas to express and showcase their inspirations and artworks. Two Filipinos, multi-media artist Justo Cascante III, and open media artist Arnel Agawin, are part of the group.

Arnel Agawin’s Moleskine notebook is on exhibit in National Book Store Glorietta 5 up to November 30, 2009 and then at National Book Store Powerplant until January 22, 2010. He had a Hokusai wave thing going on. I have no idea why there are bananas in the ocean. Justo’s Moleskine notebook is on exhibit at Bestsellers Robinson’s Galleria up to January 22, 2010.

Arnel Agawin: An open-media Filipino artist, studied arts at the University of the Philippines. His art is based on the processes (material, mental and spiritual) that manifests the exhibited objects (paintings, installations, actions, etc.) connecting his concepts with the viewer. He identifies with artists concerned with contributing their works for a peaceful, just and spiritually conscious society.

The event was hosted by Tessa Prieto Valdez and Tim Yap. It was hard to miss them.

Together with the exhibit, Moleskine and NBS are also launching the My Moleskine Open Call Manila to promote the bond between Moleskine notebooks and artistic expression. Pimp the pages of your Moleskine notebook and get a chance to win P25,000 worth of gift certificates from NBS and represent the Philippines in the MyDetour Shanghai 2010. The top entries will also have a chance to be part of the permanent roster of Moleskines being showcased around the world. This is notebook doodling to the next level. I was able to get an expanding 2010 Moleskine planner that expands to over five feet. I’m thinking of drawing a very long landscape or just something long; like a pencil. Deadline for entries is December 15, 2009.

Entrepreneur Philippines launches it’s redesign issue this November with Mang Inasal, Edgar Injap Sia II, on the cover. After a month of waiting, the management copy finally arrived this morning. In a word, it’s sexy.  The pages are thicker, the cover’s matte, and the whole look inside the magazine is more, ummm, kick-ass–not a magazine term, but it works.

The issue also has the first two articles I wrote for Entrepreneur. One on Eliz and Ethan Tour Services, a 24-hour travel agency, and what has been my most favorite (and delicious) assignment so far, El Buono’s 35-inch pan pizza. The issue also includes a recap of the ongoing battle within popular local coffee chain Figaro.

Mang Inasal has been expanding all throughout the Philippines with an energy that I can only describe as furious imperialism. Meet the real Mang Insal, Edgar “Injap” Sia II.

Darren Palanisamy of Eliz and Ethan Tour Services.

After this shoot, I brought a whole pizza up to the Summit office for everyone to devour. When I came back from an event the pizza was still there and everyone was full. Love this shoot. Love this pizza.

All is not well with your favorite coffee company.When business goes bad, it can really get ugly.

The November issue hits your favorite newsstands and magazine shops next week. Pick one up for P125. View the e-mag here.

Part of the job description as Editorial Assistant is to represent the magazine in the different events we usually get invited to but don’t have the time to attend. It sounds better in my contract. Companies usually invite the press for one simple reason. It’s not their earnest desire to spread goodwill towards all men by feeding them and giving them free stuff. If there’s one thing I learned from my Economics class, it’s that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. They all want publicity.

But in this case, I got a free lunch.

Maginhawa Street in Teachers’ Village, Quezon City is slowly becoming the strip for unique, satisfying, and affordable hole-in the-wall establishments. Pino Resto Bar (122 Maginhawa St., Teachers’ Village, Quezon City) is one of them. Operating for more than a year now, I remember going there during my third year in college, looking for a late lunch, only to find out they were closed on Mondays. I swore to return, but never had the chance, until now.

To celebrate its first anniversary, resident Chef Edward Bugia whipped up his “fusion cuisine,” combining Filipino delicacies with a refined touch, or as I would like to call it, deconstructed Filipino food with a kick.

Bored of your usual kare-kare dish? Try their Kare-kareng Bagnet. Crispy Ilocano double fried pork belly cuts in a peanut butter sauce served with bagoong rice. It’s a heart attack on a plate, but a delicious heart attack nonetheless. Tired of the usual pasta dish? Try their Seafood Gambas Aligue Pasta smothered in crab fat, topped with squid rings, and shrimp. I could feel my arteries clogging.

Chef Edward Bugia and his appetizer buffet of shrimp and pork lemongrass skewers (P175), nori cheese sticks (P165), mini sisig tacos (P185), tofu balls with cheese (P145), and tempura oysters and pearls (P185).

Owners Pj Lanot and Star

Pino also houses artwork by some local artists, painters, and photographers, as well as holds exhibits every quarter. Their walls were designed/vandalized by the people of WeeWillDoodle (weewilldoodle.com).

Kare Kareng Bagnet (P245)

Seafood Gambas and Aligue Pasta (P165)

Sisig Carbonara (P165)

Chocnut Turon (P110)

Chunky Choco Tempura (P125)

And as a treat to all customers, for this year alone, diners who order a main course (or survive the main course) can bring their favorite chocolate bar and the staff of Pino will gladly drop it in tempura batter and deep fry it, for free. Take advantage of this while you’re still alive. I’m thinking of bringing a whole bag of Hershey’s Kisses with almonds.

Pino Resto Bar is open everyday for lunch and dinner. Call 4411773 for details. Bring a defibulator.

Working at Entrepreneur for the past three months has given me a sense of loyalty to the magazine, as well as the company, Summit Media. Whenever I find myself at a grocery store, department store, magazine stand, convenience store, or any establishment that happens to be selling Summit titles, including Entrepreneur, I have always, although discreetly, always moved up our magazine up “the rack”. The rack is the official Summit Media rack that houses all the Summit titles; Entrepreneur, Cosmopolitan, Preview, Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Candy, Town & Country, FHM. My Managing Editor tells me that the people at circulation rotate the titles every month on who gets to sit on the top rack. The top rack is the most coveted position it being the first place the customer sees. It’s the window seat on a plane, the cherry on a sundae, the seat with no vandalism, the the pencil with no chew marks, the girl who isn’t a slut. I digress.

After a dinner meeting–something I have to get used to saying since for me, dinner has always been dinner and a meeting has always been a meeting–with a subject the other week, I went to Fully Booked in Greenhills, Promenade to browse through some titles I want to buy but don’t have the time to read. I usually save the titles in my phone to give to my brother the next times he travels abroad. That way, I get the books I want, I read them at a later time, and I don’t pay for them. On this night, after moving all the Entrepreneur magazines on the top shelf, covering Preview in the process (I’m sure they do it too.), I saw the September issue of Town & Country sitting above the shelf with some odd writing on the plastic cover.

I moved in to get a clear view and saw this.

While I support all the titles under Summit, even the sleaziest ones (i.e. FHM), my first reaction was of amazement and awe. Whoever did this had guts. Plus he/she had to bring his/her marker pen to do it.

This prompted a lengthy discussion with my superiors in the car about Irene Araneta (aka Irene Marcos Araneta) on the way back to the office. By the way, the M that’s my middle name, stands for Marcos. Ask me when you meet me.

There was one night at work where we ended at around 11 at night from a studio shoot in the freezing cold Summit Studios. While the adjacent studio was blaring with Beyonce, Rihanna, and T-Pain for Cospomolitan’s October cover shoot with a lady I would describe as “the one with ginormous legs,” the photographer, art director, and myself were silently crouched over a small plastic platform surrounded by lights, taking pictures of a phone and a book. I was freezing and feeling pangs of hunger, and the only thing I had in my bag was bottled water and a banana I had put there before leaving for work in the morning.

This one’s for Mac World’s cover. I wish our studio looks like theirs.

Can you smell a business trend or sense business news a mile away? Entrepreneur Philippines, the country’s leading monthly business magazine for MSMEs, needs people like you to become trend-spotters and contributors in your respective provinces.

We need people who will actively look for and write about breakthrough business ideas, the people behind those ideas, and other related events in the region. Applicants must have a knack for spotting compelling stories, the passion to actively pursue them, and above average writing skills to write about them.

See your work appear in future issues of Entrepreneur Philippines, and receive compensation for it, too. We are looking for contributors from the following areas: La Union, Baguio, Cavite/Batangas, Laguna/Quezon and Bicol in Luzon; Cebu, Negros Occidental/Bacolod/Iloilo, Negros Oriental/Dumaguete in the Visayas; and Davao/General Santos, Zamboanga in Mindanao.

To apply, send a cover letter, your most recent resume, and at least three sample articles (preferably business-related) to entrep.writers@gmail.com with Provincial Contributor as your subject.

Requirements can also be sent to the Entrepreneur office at the address below.

The deadline for application is on September 7, 2009. Applications will be screened and deliberated on by the Entrepreneur Editorial Team. Potential contributors will be contacted by phone.