Lamoiyan Corporation was born out of the desire of Pedro to rise from the sudden end of his previous business venture Aluminum Containers Inc., during the time ACI was doing good supplying Aluminum tube containers to Multinational Corporations., In 1985 MNCs started to adopt plastic laminated tubes, and in 1988 Aluminum containers were no longer used. The move of MNC’s to use Plastic tube containers forced Pedro to close down his factory. Thinking of ideas to bounce back, he then entertained the idea that he should make his own toothpaste, already having the packaging needed to contain the product. He partnered with a Japanese firm to develop a product, they were successful and were able to develop a competing product against the competing brands, hence, knowing that he may have a product that could compete in the market. Rising like a phoenix from the remnants of Aluminum Containers Inc., Pedro started Lamoiyan Corporation to kickstart his ventures. And in its core product is the newly developed brand called Hapee and Kitutap, selling at affordable prices.

Hapee, just as we know well today is very successful in the local market. One aspect of corporate culture that helped propel Lamoiyan into success was their equal employment program. Pedro reaped the reward of including PWDs into his workforce., they are able to avail tax benefits, lower overhead, and a more productive workforce by being able to include PWD workers in their workforce.

His initiative to help vulnerable workers is again threatened by changes in the market and these changes are out of their control. Due to improvements in technology and automation, many imported goods have become cheaper and with the rise of contractual manufacturing, even labor has become cheaper.

Personally, this was the first time that I have heard of such efforts in an enterprise, as a Lasallian business student, I want to urge every business leader to follow and emulate Pedros’ way of finding solutions, by including the most vulnerable into the solutions of his business problems. Not only does he reap the rewards of a good corporate image but he also directly provides help to the most vulnerable people within our society.