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

340. Brand Stories: GOLDILOCKS BAKE SHOP, 1966

GOLDILOCKS, the old and the new, 1986 and current brand visual identity

In the mid 60s, anyone wishing to enjoy an honest-to-goodness slice of cake for a meatime dessert or a mid-afternoon treat had to wait for mother’s free time to bake one.

EARLY GOLDILOCKS MASCOTS, Source: Goldilocks website

In the Leelin clan, three young housewives’ favorite pastime was baing cakes and pastries. Encouraged by the mounting orders from relatives and friends, their hobby evolved into a small enterprise. On May 15, 1966, a modest  store was opened by sisters Milagros Leelin Yee and Clarita Leelin Go, with sister-in-law Doris, in a small space in an unpretentious apartment row on Pasong Tamo, Makati.

1985 GOLDILOCKS 20TH ANNIVERSARY PRINT AD

A third sister, Maria Flor, suggested that they name the enterprise "GOLDILOCKS”,  after the fairy tale character. The intention was to make it easier for children and their mothers to remember the bakeshop's name, and also because it suggested luck and prosperity. The store was manned by a staff of 5, who took turns in shaping dough, filling in shopping bags and loading goodies for deliveries. In time, the name GOLDILOCKS was associated with “home-baked” confections and pastries , and when one wanted cakes, one thought of GOLDILOCKS.

1990s GOLDILOCKS BRAND CHARACTER

A GOLDILOCKS image was created in the mid-1980s with the help of the store’s ad agency—a standing figure of a girl with golden locks. In the mid-1990s, an industrial design agency streamlined the character, using just GOLDILOCKS' face and a unique font specially created for the GOLDILOCKS brand name. 

The character was altogether dropped, and now, the GOLDILOCKS shop is represented by its monogram G in script, encased in a circle of turquoise shade.

SOURCES:

Adapted from Goldilocks 20th Year advertorial, “Your Good Taste Made It Happen”, Sunday Times Magazine, 11 May 1986.  p. 23.

Goldilocks photo: https://www.goldilocks.com.ph/our-story

Alex R. Castro, “10 Memorable Classic Characters From Local Ads”, spot.ph

339. 3D ELECTRIC FANS, Vintage Ads 1987-1990

One of the more popular brands of electric fans in the 1980s were made by 3D Industries Inc., the manufacturing arm of Northern islands Co. Inc. (NICI)  which started as a pioneer home appliance marketer and distributor in the Philippines, back in 1957. Founder Mr. Francisco Guy, grew it from  a modest business selling buttons for the local market.

 

3D DESK FAN AD, 1990, featuring Subas Herrero & Noel Trinidad 

His small enterprise really took off when he received an exclusive contract with Mitsubishi Electric Company Ltd., which signalled the beginning of his  electric fan product line. The "3D" brand of electric fans, made under license from Mitsubishi of Toyo, Japan was sold across the nation for more than 30 years.

WATCH THE 3D ELECTRIC FAN TVC, 1987, Champoy Duo

3D was heavily supported with tri-media advertising, featuring popular local TV and movie stars like the Champoy gang (Subas Hererra, Noel Trinidad, comediennes Tessie Tomas, Nanette Inventor, Dely Atay-atayan and actress Nida Blanca. Some of the jingles that accompanied the ads are still recalled today, reworked from traditional Pinoy folk songs.

 

3D DEBONAIR AD, 1987 featuring Subas Hererra, Noel Trinidad & Tessie Tomas

When the contract with Mitsubishi expired, Mr. Guy continued to manufacture and market quality home appliances under the brand - "3D". The 3D line of appliances include Desk Fans, Oval Oscillating Fans, Stand Fans. Industrial Fans, Box Fans,Tower Fans, Wall Fans, Air Coolers, Ceiling Fans, Air Circulators, Ventilating Fans, Mini Fans. It also carries Kitchen Mates—assorted home and kitchen appliance—from coffee makers, deep fryers, gas stoves, electric ovens, slow cookers, electric grills, flat irons, and many more. No wonder, 3D is known through generations for “the quality you can trust”.

 WATCH THE 3-D ELECTRIC FAN AD

featuring Nida Blanca and Dely Atay-Atayan

SOURCES:

Northern Islands Co., Inc. History: https://3-d.com.ph/about

3D Electric Fan, Noel & Subas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gmJshtXwlE

c/o Jojo Bailon view on the 3^rd

3D Electric Fan, Nida & Dely: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs6y7MyYQuA

c/o Jojo Bailon view on the 3^rd

338. Beauty Queens as Ad Models: EVANGELINE PASCUAL, Miss World 1973 1st Runner Up

Miss RP 1973,  Miss World '73 1st Runner up, EVANGELINE PASCUAL for RIVLENE

Orani-born Evangeline Louise A. Pascual was just 18 when she was  crowned Miss Republic of the Philippines 1973. She went to the Miss World pageant in London  and placed 2^nd after a tie with Miss U.S.A.. Marjorie Wallace was broken by American actor and judge, Gregory Peck. However, after a few months, Wallace was stripped off her title for failing to meet her contractual obligations.

 Miss RP Vangie Pascual with Miss World 1973 (dethroned) Marjorie Wallace, U.S.

The Miss World crown was then offered to Pascual, being the 1^st runner-up, which she refused as she had already began a more lucrative showbiz career by then. She had previously appeared in corporate sponsor ads like RIVLENE Fabrics, 100% polyester double-knit materials,  manufactured by Riverside Mills Corp. in Pasig. The company was plagued with labor problems in the 1980s, until it ceased it sold its assets and ceased its operations.

RIVLENE was a major contest sponsor of Miss RP 1973.

Pascual also appeared in a n obligatory print ad for another major sponsore, KOKURYU Cosmetics, manufactured by Cherry Laboratories Inc., under license from Kokuryu-do Co. Ltd of Tokyo, Japan, established on February 1965. Kokuryu attained a measure of popularity in the Philippines and actively advertised on Philippine television, and continues to operate in the Philippines today.

VANGIE PASCUAL for KOKURYU COSMETICS, 1974

From ads, Pascual progressed to movies, playing lead roles alongside Fernando Poe Jr., Joseph Estrada, and Ramon Zamora. She was married to J. Anthony B. Lapid of Guagua, with whom she had a son, Niño Antonio, a U.S.-based artist. Evangeline Pascual continues to remain active in media and the arts as a radio host, presenter, and is a Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) at Toastmasters International.

 SOURCES:

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangeline_Pascual

Photos; Alex R. Castro Collection