Palawan Pawnshop chief executive officer Dr. Bobby Castro is one of the five awardees of the JCI Philippines Inc.’s “The Outstanding Filipino Award” for his significant contribution to the financial services industry.
City Government of Puerto Princesa led by City Mayor Lucilo R. Bayron yesterday conferred the plaque of recognition to Castro recognizing him as among the most accomplishment and successful entrepreneurs achieving an impactful contributions not only to Puerto Princesa but to the Philippine society particularly in the financial services industry.
Castro thanked Mayor Bayron and the City Government for the recognition.
“Napakalaking karangalan itong binibigay sa atin. Dati ako ay struggling businessman na kahit ano anong pinasok na negosyo,” he told city officials and employees during the flag ceremony.
He recalled the humble beginning of Palawan Pawnshop when he acquired it for P40,000 sometime in 1985 as a small pawnshop established in Roxas, Palawan.
Today, Palawan Pawnshop has 3,600 branches nationwide, particularly in all cities and regions in the country with 6,000 partner agents.
“Meron tayo sa lahat ng regions, lahat ng siyudad. Eighty five percent ng towns sa buong Pilipinas ay may Palawan Pawnshop. We have 15,000 workforce plus 4,000 na mga guards, making us as one of the biggest employers in our country,” Castro said.
Aside from his noteworthy contribution to financial services sector, Castro said that they have scholars in Palawan State University (PSU) and Western Philippine University (WPU) to help poor but deserving students who aspire to complete their tertiary education.
They also launched the 1-million tree project producing seedlings as part of their greening effort, which he said that they have partnered with the Office of the City ENRO, led by Atty. Carlo B. Gomez, the City ENR Office.
He assured that they will continue to improve their services to their clients.
“Kami naman sa Palawan Pawnshop ay may misyon na makapagbigay ng maayos na financial services hindi lang sa Puerto Princesa kundi sa buong Pilipinas. Ang aming naging motto noon, hanggang ngayon ‘Better than before, better than others, and better than expected,’ Ibig sabihin gumagawa tayo ng packages sa ating mga customer na mas maayos kaysa dati at mas mabuti kaysa sa ating mga competitors,” Castro explained.
Early this year, Castro also received Doctor of Humanities Honoris Causa from the University of Baguio for his achievements in the fields of entrepreneurship and community service.
In his message, Mayor Bayron admired Castro for his company’s growth and expansion to many parts of the country. Aware of its very humble beginning during 1980s, now Palawan Pawnshop is considered as among the country’s pillars in microfinance and financial services industry.
“Pinagmamalaki ng lungsod ng Puerto Princesa at ng bansang Pilipinas si Dr. Bobby Castro. Kinilala natin ang nakamtan nya, hindi po biro ito. Lima lang sila na ni-recognize nitong year 2021 one of the outstanding Filipino awardee ang kanyang field ay microfinance at Congratulations sa inyo Bobby, sa iyong asawa na si Angie at sa buong Palawan Pawnshop. Tunay na ipinagmamalaki ng Lungsod ng Puerto Princesa ang Palawan Pawnshop kasi dito yan nagsimula ang maliit na negosyong ‘yan. Napakalayo ang narating ng Palawan Pawnshop at napakarami ng natulungan at ito ay dahil sa pagpupunyagi ng mag-asawa,” said Mayor Bayron.
He added that the success achieved by Castro and Palawan Pawnshop is a success story that will inspire many young people in the city, demonstrating the aspirations in life are achieved through strong determination.
“Napakaganda ng ipinakita mong ehemplo, napakaraming kabataan ng Puerto Princesa na titingin sa yo at gagawin kang modelo,” the mayor said.
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