Jose Mari Chan talks about running his own sugar company

Jose Mari Chan is a popular singer and songwriter in the Philippines, well known nowadays for his Christmas songs. But some might not know that he is also a CEO of a local sugar company.

In an exclusive interview with Paolo Contis in Just In, Jose talked about his business called BISCOM.

"BISCOM is the company that I inherited from my father. BISCOM stands for Binalbagan Isabela Sugar Company."

"My father came from China, he was only 14 years old noong dumating siya sa Philippines because they were poor. The mother had to support seven other children, my father lost his father when he was only 10."

He added, "HIs mother could not afford to raise all of them so she decided, with the help of an uncle, she decided to come to the Philippines to seek a better life in Iloilo. He migrated here and then he started to work and then eventually started a business, so he's a self-made man. When I look back, I really respect him."

Jose Mari also discussed the story behind the name of his company.

"Binalbagan is one of the areas in Negros Occidental and Isabela is another part of Negros Occidental. So we cover those two areas of sugar lands and my company is a central, it processes sugar cane."

He continued his story about his company by telling the way they process the sugar.

"This truck here, it's loaded with sugar cane, tubo. And then they bring the cane to the mill and we process it and we produce brown sugar. And then after that we take it to another area in my complex which is a refinery. We process the brown sugar and we convert it to refined white sugar."

According to Jose Mari, he is hands on when it comes to his business.

"I'm hands on except that I'm quarantined so I cannot fly to Negros."

He also clarified that his company is not the biggest one found in the Philippines.

"There are many mills and sugar centrals that are bigger than mine, but I don't mind."

Jose shared that what his father did is something that he is thankful for.

"Looking back, I can never accomplish what he accomplished. So right now I tell my children, if we are seated under the shade of this massive tree, we have to thank my father who planted the seed of this tree."

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