Vibal Foundation

Mrs. Esther A. Vibal (center) receives the award from Ms. Corazon Dayro Ong, president of CDO Food products and 2009 Woman Entrepreneur awardee, and Ms. Fe Barin, Chair of Securities and Exchange Commission.

Vibal was a journalist for The Manila Times when she co-founded VPHI with her late husband, veteran journalist Hilarion P. Vibal, in 1951. She took the reins of the company in 1971, and VPHI became a leading developer and publisher of textbooks and instructional materials in the country.

Today, the 57-year-old company continues to dominate the textbook publishing market, accounting for over 50 percent of textbooks distributed to an estimated 18 million Filipino children in public elementary and secondary schools nationwide.

Vibal continues to lead VPHI in making significant developments in educational publishing. VPHI has pioneered the production of digital learning tools such as interactive CD-ROMs, DVDs and audio CDs. It is also the first educational publisher to produce a textbook supplemented with a CD-ROM and a website for text enrichment.

Vibal has also pursued corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects  through the company’s non-profit arm, Vibal Foundation, Inc. (VFI). VFI manages four revolutionary websites offering books, information, news and educational resources online for free. VFI has also become the country’s pioneering digital publisher, after its launch of 200 new electronic book (e-book) titles, under its digital imprint Vee Press.

Meanwhile, Tennyson Cheng, president of Bounty Fresh Food, Inc., was named Entrepreneur of the Year Philippines 2010, and will represent the Philippines in the World Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in Monte Carlo, Monaco in June 2011.

Other winners include:

Mrs. Vibal with fellow awardee, Mr. Tony Meloto, founder and chairman of Gawad Kalinga. He is the recipient of this year's Social Entrepreneur award.

The winners were chosen from among 18 finalists from diverse industries, whose businesses operate in different parts of the country. The others finalists were Mary Joy Canon-Abaquin (Multiple Intelligence International School), Corazon Pineda-Aquino (C & Triple A Supermarket, Inc.), Paolo Benigno Aquino IV and Mark Joaquin Ruiz (MicroVentures, Inc.), Adelfa Lepura Borro (Ted’s Oldtimer La Paz Batchoy), Ireneo D. Dalayon (Federation of ARB/Banana-Based Cooperatives of Davao), Junie S. Del Mundo (EON), Teodoro L. Ferrer (Generika Drugstore), Anthony T. Huang (Stores Specialists, Inc.), Benjamin I. Liuson (The Generics Pharmacy Franchising Corp.), Ronald Pineda (Adenip Inc.), Remegio Salanatin (R.G. Salanatin Construction) and Annabella Santos-Wisniewski (Raintree Management Partners, Inc.).

The nominees went through a strict financial data ranking system which is used by all participating countries. The finalists were further evaluated by an independent panel of judges  composed of distinguished personalities from government and business.

The panel was chaired by former Philippine prime minister Cesar E. A. Virata, corporate vice-chairman of Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC). Co-chair was De La Salle University (DLSU) president Br. Jun Erguiza. The other panel members were Securities and Exchange Commission chairperson Fe Barin; Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) undersecretary Merly Cruz; SAP Philippines country manager Jennifer Ligones; Philippine Stock Exchange president and CEO Val Suarez; and Planters Development chair and president, and Entrepreneur Of The Year 2009, Ambassador Jesus P. Tambunting.

The Entrepreneur of the Year Philippines is a program of the SGV Foundation, Inc., with the paticipation of co-presentors: DLSU, DTI, Philippine Business for Social Progress, Philippine Stock Exchange and the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.

Mrs. Esther A. Vibal, Ernst and Young Woman Entrepreneur of the Year 2010 on ANC