From earning 50 centavos a day, Socorro Ramos now exemplifies woman power

I am not afraid… I was born to do this.— Joan of Arc

The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me. — Ayn Rand

Women are the de facto trailblazers in Philippine life, often, I think, more so then males. Consider the millions of overseas Filipino workers who are nurses, caregivers, nannies, teachers and other diverse vocations, and it’s clear women have been natural leaders in our Philippine society for generations.

Despite being self-effacing person, the “rags-to-riches” National Book Store/Bestsellers/Powerbooks chain founder, 2004 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awardee and Philippine STAR columnist Socorro C. Ramos has become one of the most famous Filipino entrepreneurs. She exemplifies far-reaching women power in the Philippines.

Her own family has its own share of dynamic businesswomen like daughter Cecilia “Bak” Ramos Licauco, daughter-in-law Swatch boss Virgie S. Ramos, and granddaughter Xandra Ramos-Padilla.

Socorro Ramos’ inspiring life story has already been written about so many times before, even by the late National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin. However, this writer was surprised that Summit Media’s latest children’s book on her saga still has so many new tales and insights. For instance, she called her husband Jose Tan Ramos by the nickname “Ling” from the word “darling.”

The Oct. 8 book launch of Nanay Coring: The Life Story of National Book Store’s Socorro Ramos by Summit’s Dream Big Books was held at National Book Store, Greenlanes Arcade of Greenhills Commercial Center in San Juan City.

Aside from the whole Ramos family and others, a special guest at the book launch was presidential sister Viel Aquino-Dee. A forthcoming children’s book of Summit Media’s Dream Big Books will be on the lives of Ninoy and Cory Aquino.

Retailing for only P125 each, the Nanay Coring children’s book was authored by Town & Country Philippines magazine editor-in-chief Yvette Fernandez and beautifully illustrated by Studio Dialogo design firm co-owner Liza Flores of Ang Ilustrador Ng Kabataan (ANG INK).

Part of the sales of this book will be donated to the National Book Store Foundation, Inc. which aims to promote love of reading among kids nationwide through various projects like mobile libraries or book and school supplies donations.

During the rare open forum at the book launch for the public to ask questions, the 90-year-old Socorro Ramos shared: “Life is always up and down. It can’t always just be going up, so it is more exciting, for without those times of going down, life would be boring.”

Viel Aquino-Dee dropped by the book launch. The book about Ninoy and Cory Aquino as narrated by President Noynoy Aquino is set to come out next in the series published by Dream Big Books.

She recounted her humble beginnings as a tindera or salesgirl in Goodwill Bookstore, working for a salary of 50 centavos per day, adding that the peso-dollar exchange rate then was P1 to one US dollar and that pork sold for only 45 centavos per kilo.

Her original childhood dream? Socorro Ramos revealed in the open forum: “I wanted to be a doctor, however bo-chi (we had no money).” It was surprising to hear her speak with a Hokkien or south Fujian phrase. Her late immigrant father died early when she was a kid.

She’s the fifth of six siblings of her family in Santa Cruz town, Laguna. As a five-year-old girl, Coring used to accompany her maternal grandma nicknamed Lelang to the market to sell bananas, vinegar and bakya (wooden sandals).

I highly recommend that people of all ages — not just kids — buy and read the new children’s book on Nanay Coring for its interesting story of struggle for success. Her quest for success wasn’t only financial success, but also a happy family life. Aside from the touching story and the well-illustrated images, the book has 12 gems of wisdom shared by Socorro Ramos on business and life.

Here they are, with some of my own comments:

1. Know what you want to do and believe in yourself. If you want to be a salesman, make sure you are the best salesman you can possibly be. In the case of Nanay Coring, I would describe her as a “super-saleswoman,” which she has continued to be up to this very day. When one meets her, she never ceases to passionately talk about the importance of buying and reading books.

Swatch’s Virgie Ramos, Summit Media’s Lisa Gokongwei, the book’s author Yvette Fernandez and National Book Store’s Miguel Ramos

2. Find out what your customer wants. Ask him. Ask around. Sell him what he wants.

3. Make sure every customer feels important. Be humble and always willing to serve him. This tip applies not only to business people or professionals, but especially to our politicos who shouldn’t only treat the public as customers during elections!

4. Buy something for one centavo. Sell it for more. But always less than the people who are selling the same thing. In other words, don’t be too greedy but think long-term.

5. Be frugal. Live simply. Wealth hasn’t changed the simple life of Nanay Coring.

6. Always be on time. Never be late. This tip of Nanay Coring is actually quite revolutionary, if we could just make a cultural and attitudinal change. Instead of accepting the age-old habit of so-called “Filipino Time,” why don’t we start a “New Filipino Time” for the sake of better overall efficiency and faster progress?

7. Don’t be afraid of anyone. Speak out when you have to. All people are the same. They all have stinky farts. Though Nanay Coring looks serious and venerable, she actually has a great sense of humor!

8. Work hard, very hard. There is no express elevator to success, you have to climb the stairs.

9. If you have the love and passion for what you do, hard work will not be a sacrifice, but a joy! Indeed, up to this day, 90-year-old Nanay Coring still loves to work.

10. There will always be hard times. There will always be failures. If you fall down, get back up. Never give up.

11. Invest in your mind. Read more. Know more. Earn more. Instead of spending a lot of money monthly on cell phone load for texting, why not set aside some money to read books, magazines and newspapers to upgrade your intellect and language skills as well as to exercise your brain power? Instead of wasting too much time in social media or computer games, why not relax and seek higher levels of fun by reading? 

12. Buy lots of books from National Book Store.

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