Gerry Chua (re-post from My Thoughts on Paper)

Masigasig behind the scenes

I get awestruck when I meet successful people. After every encounter, I get charged up, raring to take on the world and hopefully be successful myself. Thanks to my stint with Masigasig, I met some interesting people who shared inspiring stories. So far, I have managed to get to the revved up part. The part where I have to release the brakes and let the career car accelerate has not happened yet. I just really, truly hope that I find the courage to put down the handbrake and just let it roll.

My last interview for the year was with Gerry Chua, the famous hopia maker, the brains behind the much copied hopia ube, and the owner of Eng Bee Tin. Who would have thought that this man had to go through so many trials before finally, making Eng Bee Tin a household name?

I sneaked out of the office during the lunch hours to meet up with Gerry. The Masigasig team met up at the Café Mezzanine. The café decorated with firemen hats, paraphernalia and articles on fire mishaps, is the Binondo Fire Volunteers hang out. It’s also one of Gerry’s business ventures with the revenues going into his passion --- to the fire volunteers of his community. Acky, the photographer, was busy cleaning his camera lens while eating brunch. Jen, our make up artist, came in full body armor with 2 huge bags of make up kits. Sunshine and Mems our Summit Media connection, came in last and had brunch while we wait for Gerry.

First Impressions

Dressed in his ube-colored fire volunteer shirt, Gerry stepped into the café and greeted most of the customers, who he knew mostly by name. You can’t miss him. He was elected Barangay Chairman in Binondo the day before and was exchanging thanks with the people around. He had this relaxed air around him.

After chatting with his customers and his crew, he sat down with Jen for his makeup session. Jen put on her wonderbelt filled with brushes and laid on the table every make up imaginable. All throughout the session, Gerry would be talking to other customers near him. It was a wonder how Jen was able to spruce him up with all the gab going around. Changing into his ube-colored polo shirt, Gerry was ready for his photo shoot. He was so happy with his look that he asked for Jen’s calling card.

One of the early customers that day was his teacher in grade school, San Lorenzo Ruiz, which was just right across the café. His teacher couldn’t help but smile as Gerry recounted the story that he used to come to school with nothing because of poverty. Raising his hand, he swore that it was his teacher who used to give him pencils so that he can do his school work, “Di ako sinungaling, nagsasabi ako ng totoo. Siya nagbibigay ng pencil sa kin.” He’d add, “tingnan niyo teacher ko, mas mukhang matanda na ko sa kanya.” We all laughed. This guy was something else. Honestly, I really thought we’d be meeting a starched up, stiff businessman, but here was Mr. Gerry Chua, all smiles with a humor of a kid.

The Shoot

While Gerry was being made up, Mems, the art director was collaborating with Acky on the food styling. One of the crew brought us all the flavors of Eng Bee Tin hopia: ube, monggo, baboy, ube-pastillas, ube-langka, ube-queso, and ube monggo lite. I loved the shots they took! Masigasig December is gonna be something else! It’s the last of the series but we’re gonna go out with a bang!

Next in our things to do is the photo shoot of Gerry with his products. We all trooped down the café and into Chuan Kee restaurant --- yet another of Gerry’s handed down to him by his ninong who he helped nurse back to health after a bout of bone pneumonia in the 80s. He even had to close down his stores then to fully devote his time to helping out his ninong. Gerry helped bring down Jen’s bags and handed her a box of hopia goodies. Jen said her goodbyes and was off to another shoot in Sofitel.

From Chuan Kee, we walked a few meters to 628 Ongpin St., where Eng Bee Tin began and still is the center of operations. In all the outlets I’ve visited in the vicinity, this was by far their busiest. There never seem to be a lull in the number of people lined up at the cashier. The shelves are stocked to the brim with hopia and other Chinese delicacies. In between shoots, Gerry would be welcoming his customers and shouting instructions to his staff. The kids around even knew Gerry and would be tugging at Acky’s shirt to see the shots he has taken. It was a delight too when Gerry’s second son (who was as tall as him) went by and had a few shots taken with him. Whaddya know? He’s a dad too.

Story Telling

Gerry wanted to promote his Mr. Ube Rice and Noodle House just up the street of Ongpin. As we ambled to the diner, Gerry explained that the first PhP4.5M revenue from the year-old business (it opened in October 23, 2006 in celebration of his wife’s birthday) will be used to purchase an ambulance for the community. Wow.

Since I’ve been working in Binondo since August, I’ve visited Mr. Ube twice. The food is excellent and the noodles taste like it’s homemade. And we found out why. Gerry told us the story of an 80 year old Japanese guy who he met in Japan in one of his hopia-maker and packaging machine-hunting trips. With his friend, Mr. Yoshida, they ate at the old man’s noodle house in one of their stopovers. The old man enjoyed their conversation and found it interesting that Gerry is a firefighter. Gerry, at age 16, started volunteering as a firefighter. In jest, Gerry told the old man that if he ever decides to visit the Philippines, he’d give the man a tour of the city plus accommodations. Little did he know that the old man will take his offer to heart.

A couple of weeks after they got back from Japan, they gave the old man a tour of Manila. Grateful for Gerry’s hospitality, the old man sent him a noodle maker machine complete with instruction set and noodle recipes. And thus, Mr. Ube was born.

It was lunch time when we reached Mr. Ube so we ordered Maki Mi, Mr. Ube noodle, and dimsum. Throughout the meal, Gerry entertained us with his story.

He started by saying that when he took hold of the business at 21 years old, Eng Bee Tin was bankrupt. Gerry, being the eldest, had to find funds to finance the checks they’re paying their suppliers. He knew if the money don’t get to the bank by noon, word will spread like wildfire in the streets of Binondo and their suppliers would not deliver their supplies. The manager of the bank where Eng Bee Tin has an account saw how hard Gerry worked and did his best to meet the deadline. And so she, gave Gerry a leeway of 2 hours for which Gerry was grateful. It gave him additional time to look for money and for the store to sell its products.

One fateful day though, the manager was out and the assistant refused Gerry’s late payment. It was 2 pm. Gerry was unable to persuade the assistant to accept his money and like a scene from a telenovela, he cried in the bank.

But who’s laughing now? Eng Bee Tin has grown and even exports its products globally. He has a factory at Paco, Manila, 90 employees, 9 outlets and 70 dealers nationwide. His hopia ube was key to his success coupled with Cory Quirino’s feature of Eng Bee Tin in the late 80s.

He said though that it was through fire volunteering that really made him who he is now. If it hadn’t been for the CityLine episode on Binondo where he helped give Cory Quirino and her crew a tour of their firefighting facilities, he wouldn’t have known the host. He is forever indebted to Cory he says. That’s why now, he devotes most of his time to the fire volunteer efforts. He donated fire trucks and even started the TXT-FIRE program.

By the time, he finished his story it was almost 1:30 pm. And we were unable to eat all the food he ordered. I had to get back to the office. LOL. For the full story on Eng Bee Tin, I guess we’d have to wait for the Masigasig December issue.

Acky, Mems, Shine and I left altogether with loads of kwento, photos and a boxful of hopia each. Not bad for our last interview of the year.