344. Brand Stories: DANGWA TRANSPORTATION COMPANY, 1928

BADO DANGWA, Gounder of Dangwa Tranco

DANGWA has become synonymous with blooms and flowers, so that when one needs them for special occasions, one is directed not to Dimasalang St. but to—“Dangwa”, where the buses that drop these flowers all the way from Baguio have their terminal. The bus line owes its name to Igorot maverick Bado Dangwa, a La Trinidad Agricultural School graduate.

DANGWA, 1960, screengrab from igorotna youtube post

DANGWA BUS, 1970. from the blog 'Home Court'

His ambition to be a teacher was put on hold when his school principal James Wright, convinced him that there was a better future in the transportation business. To get him started, Wright provided the cash-strapped Dangwa 5 Chevrolet cars discarded by the North Garage transport service. Dangwa was suddenly in business, using these cars to ply the La Trinidad-Baguio route.  Thus the DANGWA TRANSPORTATION COMPANY was born.

DANGWA TRANCO, Fleet no: 578,Bus Manufacturer:Santarosa
Motor Works Inc., Model: SR SDX,Taken: East Ave., Quezon City,
 posted by markstopover on flickr.com

Eventually, he would grow his fleet from just 3 cars in 1928 to 173 vehicles at the onset of World War II. After the war where he served as a guerrilla leader, he put the Dangwa Transportation back on its feet, and which continues in business today with its modern fleet of  air-conditioned buses. Dangwa would later become the governor of the Mountain  Province.

 WATCH "DANGWA TRANSCO"

The Beginning and Early Years,  uploaded by igorotna

20 Sep. 2020

SOURCES: Dangwa Tranco, The Beginning and Early Years, youtube, uploaded by igorotna, 20 Sep. 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ofy4l4lW2pA

Home Court, https://rusa4.wordpress.com/tag/dangwa-tranco-bus-1970/

Dangwa Terminal FB Page

Flickr.net: Posted by markstopover, DANGWA TRANCO, Fleet no: 578, Bus Manufacturer: Santarosa Motor Works Inc. (Philippines), Model: SR SDX, Shot Taken: East Ave., Quezon City

Gutierrez, Lazaro, Memoirs of Baguio 1901-1960, Summer Capital Publishing House, p. 215.

Fry, Howard T., A History of the Mountain Province, New Day Publishers, Quezon City, Philippines, © 1983

343. Brand Stories: ALEMAR'S "The Biggest and Most Modern Book Store in the Far East", 1945

THE SIBALS, Founders of ALEMAR'S, 1945

When couple Dr. Ernesto and Alegria Sibal started selling American books from a one-table store in 1945, little did they know that their business would grow into  “the biggest and most modern bookstore in the Far East” in the 50s and 60s. Their bookshop—ALEMAR’S  was derived from Mrs. Sibal’s name—ALEgria, and the first given name of the Sibal daughters, MARia. 

VISIT ALEMAR'S, 1975 AD

ALEMAR'S, in its heyday, had its main store on Rizal Avenue and branches in Ermita, Recto, Quezon City and Makati. It ventured into printing and publishing in 1950, through its Phoenix Press and Phoenix Publishing House.

DOVER & SUNSET BOOKS, 1978 AD

BY 1975, ALEMAR'S WAS EVEN SELLING KIDDIE CLOTHES!

 ALEMAR’S  carried more than just books—local, imported, textbooks, used books-- it also sold  school and office supplies, toys, men’s, ladies’ and children’s wear, home accessories, magazines and more. Central Book Supply, a division specializing in law books, was also put up. With more aggressive competition from National Bookstore and with heirs leaving for the U.S., ALEMAR'S started closing its shops in the 1980s.

SOURCE: “The Alemar’s Story”, 1961 Philippine Business Progress Report, pp. 24-25.

342. Pop from the Past: AVENUE BEVERAGES

AVENUE BEVERAGES Print Ad (1956) & BOTTLE.

AVENUE beverages were manufactured in the 1950s by Avenue Aerated Water Co.,in Grace Park, Caloocan. This 1956 print ad lists 6 tasty Avenue flavors: Red Berry, Orange, Sarsaparilla, Cream Soda and Pineapple. Avenue sold for 10 centavos per bottle and remained available all through the 60s.

SOURCES:

Avenue Beverages & Soda Bottle, courtesy of Siglo Antiques & Collectible

341. Brand Stories: ELPO RUBBER SHOES of El Porvenir Rubber Products Inc., 1933

EL PORVENIR RUBBER PRODUCTS, INC. 1933

The story of El Porvenir Rubber Products Inc., more popularly known as ELPO (diminutive of El Porvenir St., “the future”, in Spanish, and the company address)  is the story of Don Tomas Geronimo, father of the rubber shoe manufacturing industry n the Philippines, who established the industrial enterprise in 1933.

ELPO FOOTWEAR CHRISTMAS AD, 1933

Don Tomas engaged in the importation and exportation of flour and sugar in the 1920s, and from this humble beginnings in Herran, he grew the business by leaps and bounds,

Upon his death in 1940, his son Carlos took over, until the company suffered great financial losses when the war came and destroyed the factory and machines.

ELPO AD, 1956

In 1946, Carlos Geronimo rebuilt the business, producing 2,000 pairs of rubber shoes a day. By the start of the 1960s, ELPO shoes were being produced at the rate of 4,000 pairs daily.  When it opened its 13,000 sq.m. Caloocan compound, Elpo was regarded as the biggest and most modern rubber shoe factory in the Philippines with over 500 employees.  Its company compound stood on a 14,000 sq. m. lot in Grace Park.

ELPO AD, 1956

ELPO Shoes became very popular nationwide by the 50s and all through the 60s. The company was awarded the “Rubber Show Manufacturer of the Year 1950”.

 SOURCES:

Article previously appeared in short form in FilipiKnow and spot.ph (used with permission)

“Porvenir Rubber Products, Inc.”1961 Philippine Business Progress Report, p. 66