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Awarding
of Go Negosyo's Inspiring Filipina Entrepreneurs at the World Trade Center on
March 7. (Lei Adriano)
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By Leilanie G.
Adriano
Staff Reporter
PASUQUIN, Ilocos
Norte—The fighting spirit of a mother in this town to find ways for the relief
of her special daughter with cerebral palsy became her inspiration to pursue a
business not just for herself but for others as well.
Today, 69 year-old
Edita Aguinaldo-Dacuycuy has become one of the most sought after resource
speaker in terms of inspiring women and would-be entrepreneurs to take the
plunge and start a business with no capital but her passion and determination
to succeed.
On March 7,
Dacuycuy along with 10 other successful businesswomen in the Philippines, were
awarded by Go Negosyo’s Inspiring Filipina Starpreneurs at the World Trade
Center in Pasay City, inspiring over 6,000 delegates who attended the 6th
Filipina Entrepreneurship Summit.
The summit
featured women of grace and empowerment like Kristina Bernadette “Kris” C.
Aquino, Senator Grace Poe, Senator Cynthia Villar, Maria Ressa, Korina
Sanchez-Roxas, Nicole Hyala and other inspiring Filipina entrepreneurs
including Dacuycuy, also known as the “Dragon Fruit Lady” of Ilocos Norte.
What is common
among these women is their passion and hard work in growing their business.
“All I want is to
find a relief for my special daughter with cerebral palsy,” said Dacuycuy. “But
as we (Dacuycuy family) discovered that dragon fruit, a little-known fruit from
the cactus family, helped relieve her daughter’s medical problems, she decided
to try to grow the fruit in her backyard.
And for her
longing to be able to share the technology to others, not only driven by profit
but for rural families to have an alternative source of livelihood, the
Dacuycuy family ventured into a dragon fruit plantation, which now serves as a
science-and-technology-based farming, where new innovations like zero-waste
management are shared to farmers.
The REFMAD-V Farms
enterprise of the Dacuycuy family has now expanded into 13 hectares of dragon
fruit plantation in Brgy. Paayas, Burgos, Ilocos Norte and it is still
expanding in partnership with public and private individuals and organizations
in the entire country and abroad.
Here is what she
has to say on the special day for women:
Q: What makes a
woman to become successful?
Edita: Women of
today, let us bravely and courageously face the challenges of our times. Let
not be our gender a setback in the battle for economy and advancement.
It is a common
saying that women are behind a man’s success. I would rather believe, that what
men can conceive, we, women, can also conceive; for what men can do, we, women,
can also do, and for what men can become, we, women, can also become.
Hence, let be men
and women—not behind or affront but work hand in hand the maximum plus factor
to achieve a better tomorrow through our sustainable innovations. Small or big,
our innovations will always be a part of the economy we work for. Failures in
the course of our endeavors serve as our stimulus to work deeper on ideas and
skills putting all together for an efficient, workable and adoptable process.
These are innovations that cater to our needs and can be enjoyed by most—something
that can be applied in our everyday lives, irrespective of our status, gender
and religion, and would certainly bring about a brighter future both for our
family and our country.
Q: What is the
special characteristic of a woman that makes her become successful in business?
Edita: It’s the
fighting spirit of a mother that makes her overcome the challenges of
sustaining a business.
Q: In one word,
how do you inspire women to succeed?
Edita: Love your
work and share it to others. Just deliver the mission and commission will
follow.
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