Sunday, April 08, 2007
ANG TIBAY NAMAN
Strange. Ever since living in Manila, whenever shopping for footwear, I’d always be drawn to those created by a particular Canadian manufacturer. To date, my collection of sneakers, sandals, and slippers purchased locally bear its trademark.It used to be when I cared not for any particular brand; I’d buy whatever style fancied me, or whatever was on sale, without adherence to brand loyalty. That applied to both dress and sports shoe purchases. Darn, when I used to play tennis, I’d even favor those lightweight shoes produced by an obscure company, Bata. However, these days, whenever my casual or sports shoes needed to be replaced, first and foremost, I’d be heading over to a shop that carries Merrell.
The only other time I remember being so fixated to a particular shoe brand was when I was a youngster. Although my parents bought me a pair of shoes only twice a year back then — for Christmas and the new school year — I would wear nothing but a pair of Ang Tibay Shoes. I loved them. In fact, I learned how to tie my shoe laces on my own with my pair of Ang Tibay dress shoes. However, by the second or third grade, I began to favor its penny loafers; I would just slip them on and off my feet.
There was only one Ang Tibay Shoe store that I remember — on Avenida Rizal next to the Manila Opera House where the ReyCard Duet regularly held court. However, by the time I reached high school, my taste for shoes changed, but I’d still browse through its window displays whenever passing by (my high school was in the nearby Doroteo Jose).
Imagine my delight when a couple of months ago, I came across a book that illustrated the life of the man behind Ang Tibay Shoes. His name was Toribio Teodoro; his life, a true rags-to-riches story.
Born on April 27, 1887 in Grace Park in Caloocan City, he had to quit school at 12 and worked at a cigar factory to help his parents make ends meet. He married Florentina Alcantara when he was barely 16 in 1903. His enthusiasm and diligence soon made him one of the highest wage earners in that factory. However, having had enough of the cigar business, which he realized held no future for him, he quit after eight years of working there and got himself a job at a slipper-making company. He even took a second job in the evening at another slipper factory doing odd tasks, and before too long honed his skills as a slipper craftsman.
Fueled by ambition and determination, in 1910, in partnership with a friend, Juan Katindig, they set up a slipper factory at Calle Cervantes, now Avenida Rizal. He was just 23. They started taking in small jobs but soon was churning out a substantial inventory they called Ang Tibay.
In 1921, by mutual consent, Toribio bought out his partner for P43,000, an equal division of their company’s assets, and went on to establish Ang Tibay Footwear Factory in 1922. Esco and Hike Shoes dominated the local shoe manufacturing industry back then, but Toribio traveled to the United States in 1928 to buy sole-cutting machineries. With the installation of these machines and with a staff fully-trained to operate them, by 1930, Ang Tibay was producing 1,000 pairs of shoes daily and was able to effectively compete against the local shoe industry giants.
The great success of Ang Tibay Shoes also enabled Toribio to branch into other enterprises such as Botica de Sta. Cruz, Central Surety and Insurance Co., Photo Chemical Industries, the Manila Grand Opera House, and six other movie houses. Although his education did not go beyond second grade, he wrote and spoke both Spanish and English proficiently. He was also an excellent writer in Tagalog.
He became a widower, but eventually met someone who was to become his second wife, Marta Teodoro; she gave him six children. His two sons -- Prudencio and Francisco -- helped him rehabilitate Ang Tibay Shoes after the Second World War. By the early 1950s, Ang Tibay’s production rate was up to 3,000 pairs of shoes daily; hence, becoming the country’s leading footwear manufacturer at that time.
Toribio Teodoro died on August 30, 1965, but his life story will forever remain an inspiration for many people.
Happy Easter everybody!
Source:
Silent Storms
Inspiring Lives of 101 Great Filipinos
By Fernando A. Bernardo
Anvil Publishing, Inc.
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I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.
Thank you!
*
Labels: Ang Tibay Shoes, Merrell Shoes
posted by Señor Enrique at 8:47 AM
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