For consumers: It’s affordable coffee, convenient, and tastes better than your typical nescafe 3-in-1 (argueably).

For Investors: Low franchise fee, high demand, and easy to set up.

The value proposition was perfect. A lot of Filipinos hopped in the bandwagon. Kiosks spawned everywhere.

For reasons to be discussed the kiosks just started disappearing.

Weeks later former franchisees began posting their stories..

HIDDEN FEES

On paper, the franchise fee was ₱30,000. That’s what was written in the contract. Easy to say yes, especially, for a first-time business owner who’s in a budget.

But that’s not what they paid.

Multiple franchisees confirmed they handed over ₱300,000 in checks to Big Brew management. Ten times what the contract stated. When asked why the contract only showed ₱30,000, they were told it was to avoid paying large taxes. No official receipt was issued. No paper trail that could hold up anywhere. Instead, everything ran through an “internal agreement”.

THE LOCATION TRAP

Finding a good location is 90% of the battle in any local food and beverage business. Franchisees knew this. So they did their homework, scouted their areas, and submitted their chosen spots for approval.

Then they got rejected.

Not because the location was bad. Because it was too good.

Former franchisees report that management would block prime locations from being approved. Then, shortly after, Big Brew itself would set up shop in that exact same spot.

One franchisee put it bluntly: the moment you find a great location, that’s the moment you lose it.

This wasn’t a one-time complaint. It showed up across multiple accounts, from multiple former owners, in different parts of the country.

A pattern that’s hard to call a coincidence.

Got it. Moving to the account management problem.

UNPROFESSIONALISM

When you sign a franchise deal, you expect support. Someone who knows the business, answers your calls, and helps you when things go sideways. That’s part of what you’re paying for.

What Big Brew franchisees got was different.

Multiple former owners described their account managers as undertrained, unresponsive, and frankly, unqualified. One franchisee used the word “OJT” — meaning the people handling their accounts felt like they were still learning on the job. At the expense of the franchisee.

And the consequences were not small.

One account was hit with a ₱250,000 penalty — almost the same as the original franchise fee — over an allegation that they were buying supplies outside of Big Brew’s approved channels. The franchisee had proof of purchase from Big Brew’s own suppliers. Didn’t matter. The account manager pushed through the charge anyway.

For a first-time business owner who already stretched their budget to get in, a surprise ₱250,000 bill isn’t just frustrating. It’s devastating.

BAD BUSINESS ECONOMICS

Allegedly, every peso that comes into your Big Brew kiosk, 60% of it goes straight to the cost of goods (COGS). That’s your coffee, your cups, your supplies (all sourced from Big Brew’s approved channels at their set prices). You don’t negotiate that number. It’s fixed.

That leaves you with 40%.

From that 40%:

You pay your rent.

You pay your electricity.

You pay your staff

Some franchisees even reported that even at decent sales volumes, meeting minimum wage was a struggle. There’s also the 2% royalty fee charged on your gross sales.

Not your profit. Your gross.

One former owner described the cashflow as “maganda ang ikot” — it looks like money is moving. But looking busy and actually making money are two different things.

The business was not designed for the franchisee to win. It was designed for money to pass through the franchisee and into Big Brew.

TOO MANY TOGETHER

The franchise contract had a distance rule. There should be enough space between each Big Brew location so that one branch doesn’t eat into another’s sales. That protection was in writing.

It just wasn’t followed.

Franchisees reported Big Brew kiosks being set up right beside each other — sometimes on the same street.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU SPEAK UP

In a healthy franchise system, a franchisee who raises a concern gets a response. A fix. At minimum, an acknowledgment.

In Big Brew, franchisees say they got something else.

One former owner of six branches described what happened after a group of franchisees banded together to file complaints. Management didn’t address the issues. Instead, multiple stores were shut down simultaneously. The message was clear: complain, and you lose your business.

Franchisees reported that some owners would sabotage fellow franchisees — spreading rumors and sowing distrust — just to get closer to the CEO and secure favors.

Instead of a community of business owners supporting each other, it became a competition for survival.

THE EXIT TRAP

If you survived your contract and thought of leaving they won’t let you.

Franchisees who reached the end of their contract reported being hit with penalties and renewal fees on the way out.

Former owners say that management’s end game was the location itself. The good spots that franchisees built up over two years — the ones with the foot traffic, the loyal customers, the proven sales — those were the real prize. Once the franchisee was out, Big Brew would move in.

It reframes everything. The blocked location approvals. The complaints that got stores shut down. The penalties at the end of the contract. All roads led to the same destination: get the franchisee out, keep the location.

SO WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THIS?

Always ask for an official receipt. If a franchisor cannot give you one, that is your first red flag. No receipt means no paper trail. No paper trail means no protection.

Read the contract with a lawyer. If the amount written on the contract does not match what you actually paid, you have already lost before you even opened.

Check if the distance rules are being enforced. Visit existing franchisees in the area. Talk to them. Not the ones the franchisor introduces you to. Find the ones they don’t want you to talk to.

Do the math. If 60% goes to COGS before you even pay rent and wages, the numbers need to work on paper first — not just in your hopes.

Remember: A long line of customers means nothing if the system behind the kiosk is built to drain you.

YOU CAN FIND THE FEEDBACKS AND STORIES FROM THIS REDDIT POST.

Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the world right now. In the United States alone, there are over 13 million players.

Resorts, malls, and subdivisions across the Philippines are already setting up courts. Big names (like Manny Pacquiao) are spending money on it.

Love it or hate it pickleball is here to stay. Don’t miss out on this golden opportunity, just choose your cash cow below!

Tournaments

This is the option Pacquiao chose, just like what he did with basketball he’ll do the same with Pickleball.

Don’t be intimidated! Let Pacquiao get the cream of the crop players. There’s still a lot of opportunities from smaller tournaments.

From amateur tournaments to community based tournaments the opportunity is still endless. Here’s an example (I won’t name drop the organizers).

Organizer A charge ₱500 entry fee per head, get 40 participants for (a small tournament), that's already ₱20,000 in your pocket before the event even starts. Plus there's no cap on how many players can join.

On top of that, most Philippine pickleball tournaments don't even give out cash prizes — medals, paddles, and shirts are the standard. The best part? You don't have to pay for those yourself. Sponsors cover them. That means your entry fees are almost pure revenue.

Layer in sponsor deals, food concessions, and merchandise and you've got multiple income streams from a single weekend event.

But move fast — the community is starting to notice cash-grab tournaments and players are getting pickier about where they spend their money. Right now people are still happy to pay for bragging rights. This window won't stay open forever unlike the next one.

Court Rental

Right now there are not enough courts to meet the demand. Just check the Reclub App (most used app to find games), most of the open plays are packed 7 days a week!

Rates in the Philippines currently range from ₱400 per hour on the low end to ₱1,000 per hour on the high end —the quality plus location will be your biggest pricing factor.

A well-maintained court in a good area can easily command the higher rate. Charge per hour, per session, or offer monthly memberships to regulars. The income is predictable and the overhead after setup is low.

This is also a perfect play for landlords and sub-lessors sitting on extra real estate. If you have an idle space turn that liability to an asset by converting it to a pickleball court.

Want to squeeze more out of every square meter? Add a small F&B setup on the side. A simple list of Pocari Sweats, Gatorades, and Sandwiches might even exceed your court rental earnings.

The average open play last for 3 hours.

They get thirsty, they get hungry.

The best advantage a business can get is a starving crowd.

Court Construction

Every new court rental business needs someone to build the court first. That's the opportunity here.

As demand for courts explodes across the country, the need for contractors who actually know how to build a proper pickleball court is growing just as fast. We're not just talking about painting lines on a basketball court.

A proper setup includes the right flooring, the correct court dimensions and spacing, proper net installation, good lighting for evening play, and an effective roof to make sure that the rainy season won’t get in your way.

Court construction in the Philippines currently ranges from ₱150,000 on the low end (which we don't recommend) all the way up to ₱800,000 for a full premium build. The sweet spot sits somewhere in the middle where you get the right mix of quality and price without cutting corners that will cost you later.

If you're already in construction, renovation, or any related trade, this is a natural extension of what you already do. If you're not, partnering with someone who is and specializing in court builds is a legitimate niche.

The clients are already there. The courts just haven't been built yet.

Open Play Organizer

Not everyone wants to join a tournament. Most pickleball players just want to show up, play a few games, meet new people, and go home happy.

As an open play organizer, you book the court, set the schedule, collect the fees, and manage the flow of players in and out.

It sounds simple because it is. But simple doesn't mean small.

A well-run open play session with 20 players at ₱200 per head is ₱4,000 for a few hours of work. Run it three times a week and you're looking at ₱48,000 a month from one court. The real value you're building here isn't just the income; it's the community.

A loyal group of regular players is an audience you can eventually sell tournaments, merchandise, and the next one.

Coaching

Every new player who picks up a paddle have no idea what they're doing. That's your market.

Pickleball coaching in the Philippines is still wide open. There are not enough coaches to meet the number of beginners flooding the courts every week. If you can play at a decent level and explain the game well, you can charge for it.

Private one-on-one sessions, group clinics, and beginner bootcamps are all formats that work.

Want to go bigger? Add kids and youth clinics to your roster.

Build a reputation as the go-to coach in your area and the referrals will do the selling for you.

How much? That’s the beauty of coaching, you decide.

Paddle Retail

Every single pickleball player needs a paddle. There is no playing without one.

The challenge right now is that good paddles are hard to find locally. Most players are either ordering online from international sellers or buying overpriced ones from resellers with no after-sales support.

That’s the gap you fill.

Paddles range from budget-friendly options like the Vatic Pro at around ₱2,000–₱3,500 all the way up to premium brands like Selkirk’s Boomstick which can go for ₱12,000–₱21,000 a piece. Buy at wholesale, sell at retail, and the margin takes care of itself.

A player upgrading from a beginner paddle to a mid-range one is a sale you can make over and over again as the community grows.

You can also source blank paddles from manufacturers, slap your own branding on them, and sell them as your own product line. It sounds simple but this route takes more capital, more logistics, and more quality control. It’s not for everyone but if you pull it off, you own a brand — not just a reseller account.

You don’t need a physical store to start. An online shop or even a Facebook page can get you your first sales.

Shoes & Clothes Retail

Paddles get all the attention but the real repeat purchase in any sport is apparel.

Players buy one paddle and upgrade every year or two. But shoes wear out, shirts get sweaty and old, and people always want to look good on the court. Pickleball-specific court shoes are a real thing.

Brands like K-Swiss, Asics, and New Balance all have dedicated court shoe lines that pickleball players swear by.

On the apparel side, moisture-wicking shirts, shorts, and skirts designed for court movement are your bread and butter. The barrier to entry here is low. You can start with a small curated collection, sell online, and test what moves before going bigger.

And just like paddles, if you have the appetite for it, you can eventually private label your own pickleball apparel line and build a brand around the community you're already part of.

Content Creation

Every business on this list needs content.

Tournament organizers need hype videos.

Court rental owners need social media posts.

Coaches need reels that show off their skills.

Paddle and apparel sellers need product shots and reviews.

If you know how to make content, you are sitting on a skill that the entire pickleball industry in the Philippines needs right now.

Start a pickleball-focused page, grow an audience of players and enthusiasts, and suddenly you become the media arm of the community. Brands will pay to reach your audience. Courts will pay you to shoot their facilities. Coaches will pay you to document their sessions.

You don't need a big following to start getting paid; you just need to be the most consistent creator in a space that barely has any yet.

Next to him is, Ramon Ang, with an estimated net worth of $3.6 billion. He owns San Miguel Corporation and Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

There’s one thing these two richest Filipinos have in common: They don’t teach you how to become rich!

But, for whatever reason, there’s always a random guy in facebook who’s a multi-millionaire and is going to teach you how to become one.

You just have to follow his lead, don’t be depressed, attend his seminars, and buy his courses.

Lucky for you to come across this article, because, instead of being a customer my offer is better. You become the guru yourself.

PHASE I: PERSONAL BRAND AND PRODUCT SELECTION

Who you are in reality, is not who you are in public.

The first thing you do is make your “personal social media accounts” private. Even better delete them all.

Besides your Mom and the 3 other friends who knows you personally, no one needs to know your history.

The best part about this business is you can start fresh. You can rewrite history. You decide what happened during your childhood, and all the trials and tribulations you had to overcome.

For beginners, I suggest a difficult childhood. Along the lines of living in the streets, eating soil for dinner, your single mom getting sick forcing you to fend for your 9 siblings at the age of 10.

As for your product, we need to be able to connect it with your rewritten history.

Let’s use “Toasted Soil Chips” for this example.

Don’t worry, the product you choose here is irrelevant. You’re not going to sell it anyway. This product is only a symbol of your hardship and prop to make you look “Entrepreneurial”.

Even if the product is bad as long as it can be created by hand and doesn’t kill buyers it should be good enough.

Now that we got your story written and your product manufactured, it’s time we have others to hear it.

PHASE II: LEAN INTO THE HUSTLE CULTURE

If you try and please everyone, you’ll please no one.

The key here is to be polarizing. Polarizing like DDS vs Pink, they’re the complete opposite, you just have to pick sides.

In business the polar opposites are the hustle culture, work until you’re dead vs the chill guy that’s ok if they get rich or not.

Since it’s proven already pick the Hustle Culture side.

Your tagline: “Work until you’re a Billionaire or die trying”

Great examples for these are Rendon Labrador and Josh Mojica, two infamous gurus in the Philippines.

This will get you a lot of hate... but this will get you a lot of love as well from your hustle bros.

Those hustle bros will side with you NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, trust me.

Create a new tiktok account with the name following this template: HustleBro_<Your name>.

Ask AI to summarize the top contents from Philippine gurus, hit record, read the script, post x3 a day.

PHASE III: SELL SOMETHING CHEAP OR FREE

Now that you have an audience, it’s time for us to make use of “lead magnets”.

Lead magnets basically are free or cheap products that might or might not give you any profit rather, they give you something far more important. Trust and contact details.

Just like your Toasted Soil Chips, this product doesn’t need to be good, here’s why.

Let’s say this product is a “Billionaire’s Daily Routine Checklist PDF File”.

Even if you find it stupid, as long as “you say” you follow this checklist and it helped you to get from 0 to 1,000,000,000 then that’s all the proof they need.

The best thing about this lead magnet is that you can have chatGPT generate it for you. No effort what so ever.

What if no one buys? Good question!

Repackage or Pivot until something sticks. What do I mean.

Repackage means: From “Billionaire’s Daily Routine Checklist” to “Millionaire’s Morning Routine Secret”

Pivot means: From selling a checklist to selling a “beginner meta ad cheat sheet”.

Just like the old saying, throw a spaghetti on the wall a thousand times, at least 1 pasta will stick.

PHASE IV: UPSELL UPSELL UPSELL

This is the shortest phase but this is also where you’ll earn the most.

Those who bought you lead magnet will be in what we call the “sunk cost fallacy”.

This means, they’re already committed a stupid amount of effort and watch a stupid amount of content from you already to say you’re fake.

This means you make a more expensive version of your lead magnet (yes, doesn’t need to be better). Make 3 more tiers of that then you’ll have a product that can be bought by any one from any part of the economical standing.

Whenever they bought anything, set a reminder for 30 days to contact them to sell the next tier until you are forced to make new tiers every 30 days.

PHASE V: GASLIGHTING MASTERY

This is the MOST IMPORTANT PART!

There’s this thing in business called Churn. It’s the number of customers you lose at any given time.

You don’t want to lose your hustle bros. It’s inevitable that you’ll lose them all but you need to delay it as much as you can. Get the most out of them before they wake up from the dream you manufactured for them.

People churn because they see that the product isn’t working. Of course, your product won’t work but that does not matter.

You tell them that it worked for you. It worked for 10,000 other people. Why wont it work for them?

If you quit now you won’t see the fruits of you labor. You just need to reach the 24th tier, maybe there you’ll make it.

Best way to be a master gaslighter is check out footages from MLM (multi-level-marketing), they’re the best at this.

WHAT ARE YOUR CHANCES OF BEING A GURU?

Now that I gave you a pretty good outline of how to be a guru, put it into action.

The chances of you being a guru increase from 0% to 100%.

Remember the first step, delete your social media accounts but before doing that.

Share this to a friend of yours. Subscribe to this newsletter.

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If you’re still not a guru after you’ve done everything I just told you then maybe it’s a you problem.

My students have done this 143,434,344, times already. What makes you different?

One of the tightest F&B competition here is the burger scene. From “Fast food Kariton-Patties” to “Ultra-luxury A5 Wagyu Patties”, the burger selection in BGC are endless!

Having 9 burger places in the same block forced business owners to be creative. Easier said than done but there’s not much you can do to a meal that only has 3 components.

First —and most important— is the patty or the meat.

Second —what most amateur restaurants ignore— is the bun.

Third —where amateurs focus most— is anything besides the first and second one.

That’s why when it comes to ‘Burgers’ you’ve probably seen it all.

This burger place in BGC understood that.

Their lightbulb (spoiler alert!) moment: “why not complicate our ordering process?”

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post, I’m not paid to do this article but I sure hope I was though.

INTRODUCING: GREENLIGHT BURGERS

I have tried their burger once. I liked it. BUT! We’re not here to talk about the burger.

We’re here to talk about their gimmicky concept that honestly irritated the hell out of me.

I might not like the concept but this place sells burgers like fishballs!

Corporate employees are willing to stand long queues and waste minutes of their precious lunch break to get a taste of their meat.

Are their burgers really that special? NOPE.

WHAT’S THE DEAL THEN??

It’s from that Filipino-American chef Alvin Cailan — the guy behind Eggslut and Umami Burger abroad.

Here in BGC, they do simple smash burgers. Thin patties with crispy edges, decent buns, and three sauce options: red (classic), yellow (mustard thing), and green (their fresh/herby one that people seem to like).

Fries are crispy, menu is super limited, no crazy add-ons or milkshakes. Just straight-up burgers that cost around ₱350-₱650.

People say the patties are juicy and flavorful, buns hold up okay. Solid, but not mind-blowing for the price.

It’s good… but the hype is mostly from the gimmick, not the food itself.

Their weird schedule + scarcity trick

You can only order from them 12-3pm and 6-8pm (or until they sell out, which happens fast).

They even have this green light outside hence greenlight burgers….Green means they’re still open and cooking, red means closed or sold out.

For what ever reason, it works!

Scarcity makes people lose their minds. Office workers line up early, FOMO kicks in, and suddenly everyone wants what they might not be able to get.

That limited-time thing turns a normal burger into something “exclusive.”

Smart, but annoying when you’re the one standing in line in this summer heat.

Should you copy this in your business?

If you’re far from BGC, yeah give it a try.

Limit your hours, cap your daily items, or create some visual signal that shows when you’re available.

It builds hype, creates urgency, and gets people talking without spending tons on ads.

Here’s my opinion though..

No gimmick can keep a business open forever. At the end of the day, only a good product saves a business.

Scarcity might drag people in the door the first few times, but if your burger (or whatever you’re selling) is just meh, they won’t keep coming back. Gimmicks are there to help —free initial attention from this very saturated market. If you’re in the FOOD industry then it means the food has to do the heavy lifting.

Greenlight Burgers gets this balance right for now. The concept irritated the hell out of me, but I still see the lines forming.

If that amounts to anything.

Would I queue again? Probably not. But I respect the game they’re playing.

When electricity bills are through the roof, a rooftop solar panel system feels like a no-brainer; especially for businesses that consume far more electricity than your average residential home.

The solar solution became less of a luxury option and more of a mandatory option now for businesses looking to increase their bottom line.

With 82% of the population expressing interest in solar panel systems, it’s safe to say that this industry is growing fast.

That’s when the government steps in.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) just announced it is preparing rules that would require mandatory government certification for solar panel systems sold in the Philippines. Every panel, every inverter, every battery, every charge controller, every cable.

Everything.

The DTI’s Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS) is drafting the order, and it covers both residential and commercial solar installations. The proposal is still in consultation, but the direction is clear.

Everything needs to go through DTI.

The real question is, “why?”

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Why does the DTI suddenly care about your solar panels?

The DTI will tell you that the push for regulation is about protecting consumers. And to be fair, the problem they’re pointing to is real.

Right now, solar products in the Philippines have zero mandatory certification requirements. Anyone can import a cheap panel from overseas, slap it on your roof, and call it a day. That means the only certification it needs is the one from its country of origin.

This has flooded the market with substandard equipment. Inverters that don’t meet international standards. Batteries that overheat. Installations done by uncertified workers with no formal training.

Meralco has already reported fires caused by faulty solar installations that didn’t follow safety standards.

Their own data shows that one in three rooftop solar units in their franchise area are unregistered “guerrilla installations” — no permits, no inspections, no paper trail.

That is a legitimate problem.

Legitimate enough to put DTI and Meralco on the same page.

Meralco Cares??

Meralco is the one pushing hardest for these stricter regulations. At a recent Senate hearing, Meralco’s VP for Utility Economics Lawrence Fernandez personally urged the DOE and the DTI to adopt stricter standards for solar equipment and formal qualifications for solar installers.

They want uncertified products off the market. They want guerrilla installations regulated. They want the government to step in and clean up the industry.

Safety First yes, but what about conflict of interest?

Here’s why.

Meralco is also building their own solar farm. A big one. The Meralco Terra Solar Project. A 3,500-megawatt solar and battery storage facility in Bulacan and Nueva Ecija worth ₱200 billion. It is one of the largest solar projects in Southeast Asia, and it is currently under construction.

Everything…coincidence.

The country’s largest power distributor, which has been charging Filipino businesses some of the highest electricity rates in the region for decades, is now lobbying the government to regulate the same rooftop solar industry that is threatening to reduce their customers’ dependence on the grid all the while simultaneously building a massive solar farm of their own.

Monopolies need to keep being monopolies, because why not.

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Never Ending Government Corruption means Never Ending Taxes and Red Tapes.

Now let’s talk about the other beneficiary in this story.

Fact: Certification doesn’t come free.

Under the DTI-BPS certification scheme, every solar product that enters the Philippine market will need to go through a process that includes application fees, processing fees, inspection fees, and testing fees. And those fees aren’t small. Public comments on the DTI-BPS consultation have already flagged certification costs reaching ₱10,000 or more per application — and that’s before you factor in testing and inspection costs charged by third-party bodies.

The DTI-BPS already runs mandatory certification schemes for 111 product categories in the Philippines. Solar panels are about to become the newest addition to that list.

Don’t get me wrong.

Product certification isn’t inherently evil. Standards exist for a reason.

It’s just when the same government agency drafting the rules also collects the fees, and the loudest voice asking for those rules happens to be a ₱200 billion corporation with it’s worth asking who this regulation is really designed to protect.

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Those Already Got Their Solar Installed Aren’t Safe..Yet.

The new rules are aimed at products entering the market going forward but that doesn’t mean your existing setup is untouchable.

If your system was installed by an uncertified installer, uses equipment that doesn’t meet international standards, or was put up without the proper permits, you’re sitting on a liability.

Think about it.

No building permit means no legal protection if something goes wrong. The guerrilla install that saved you money upfront could end up costing you far more down the line.

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The Best Time to Do It is NOW.

Once mandatory certification kicks in, expect solar product prices to go up. The cheap, uncertified panels flooding the market today will either disappear or get more expensive once they’re required to meet Philippine standards.

If solar has been on your business plan for a while, now’s the best time to put it on top of your checklist.

Get quotes now.

Talk to certified installers now.

Buy before the market adjusts to the new rules.

The math on solar can only get worse from now.

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WHAT DTI WANTED

Talking point 3: The 30-working-day waiting period

Before you could run any ad or promo, you would need to file an application with the DTI at least 30 working days in advance. That is six weeks of waiting before you could tell the public about your sale, your new product, or your latest offer. For a small business that runs flash sales or reacts to trends online, that kind of delay does not just slow you down — it shuts you out.

The permit fees — ₱975 to ₱9,295 per advertisement

On top of the waiting, you would also have to pay. Each advertisement would come with a permit fee ranging from ₱975 to ₱9,295. Not per campaign. Per ad. If you are a small online seller running multiple promotions a month, those fees add up fast. For a business operating on thin margins, this is not a small inconvenience — it is a real threat to survival.

BAM AQUINO PUSHED BACK!

Senator Bam Aquino was one of the first to push back. He is the author of the Go Negosyo Act, a law built to help small businesses grow by giving them easier access to financing, markets, and training.

He knows this space well. Aquino argued that the proposed DAO did not target bad actors — it punished everyone. His point was simple: consumer protection is a legitimate goal, but this policy was too broad, too slow, and too expensive for the small business owners it would hurt the most.

Here is what made the proposed DAO even harder to defend. The law to stop deceptive ads already exists. The Consumer Act of the Philippines already gives the government the tools to go after businesses that lie or mislead in their advertising. Aquino pointed this out directly. The DTI did not need a new permit system to protect consumers — it just needed to enforce what was already there.

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CARLO OPLE DID NOT HOLD BACK

Carlo Ople, one of the country's most recognized voices in the digital economy, also spoke up. He did not mince words. Ople said the policy would kill small businesses and only protect big players who already had the resources to survive the process.

He also flipped the conversation — instead of asking why the DTI was adding more requirements, he asked why the government was not doing the opposite. Why not create an environment with less red tape and more incentives for Filipinos to start businesses and create jobs?

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DTI BACK PEDAL

The pushback worked. The DTI clarified that the DAO was only an internal draft and would not be finalized or enforced. Secretary Roque confirmed the recall of the draft order. Carlo Ople thanked both the Secretary and Senator Aquino publicly. What started as a quiet internal policy almost became a real burden on every small business owner running ads in the Philippines — until enough people said no.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES?

For now, nothing changes. You can still run your ads, post your promos, and launch your campaigns without asking anyone for permission first. But this story is a reminder that policies like this can appear quietly and move fast. The businesses that caught it early and spoke up made a difference. As a business owner, staying informed is not optional — it is part of running a business in the Philippines today.

There are businesses that require a ton of money to start.

Even worse, there are businesses that need both. Time and money.

These 4 are not one of those businesses.

This is for someone who:

• Has 1 to 2 hours after work to spare,

• Doesn’t have a rich family to ask for capital,

• Can’t risk quitting their full-time work for something that cannot guarantee income yet.

  

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Business 1: AI Automation For Your Neighborhood Business

Chances are, you’ve never heard of this, but it’s already making money for people who spotted it early.

Many small local businesses — think clinics, spas, and salons — know they should be using AI to save time.

The problem is they have no idea how to set it up. That’s where you come in. You act as the bridge.

Using free or low-cost tools like Zapier, Make, and AI, you can build automated workflows for them. These are email auto-responders, customer service chatbots, or inventory dashboards on Notion.

You don’t need to be a computer engineer to start this. There are plenty of resources available on YouTube for this.

Type in your search bar, “How to use _______ for automation, step-by-step guide.”

After watching a few 10-20 minute tutorials, you should be ready.

The best part? You build it once on a weekend, and it runs on its own after that. Your startup cost is near zero. All you need is a laptop and free software trials to get started.

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Business 2: Short-Form Video Editing

The second business costs less than a Starbucks tall coffee to start.

It’s really simple. You look for businesses or influencers that uses long-form videos but have no time to cut it into short clips.

That’s the gap you fill. You take their raw footage and turn it into 30-second Reels, TikToks, or YouTube Shorts.

The FREE Version of CapCut is more than enough for this. CapCut can even generate captions and trim dead air for you.

Your only job is saving the client time.

You can batch all your editing on a Saturday morning and schedule an entire week’s worth of posts in advance.

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Business 3: Niche Digital Resources.

This third business can make money while you sleep.

Here’s the idea: selling mainstream digital products to everyone is a losing game — that market is too crowded. But selling highly specific resources to overworked professionals? That’s where the gold mine is.

Think ready-made lesson slides for teachers or Canva templates built for real estate agents.

You create it once using free tools like Canva or Google Slides. No shipping. No live customer calls. No need to be online.

The key is understanding one specific problem that one specific type of professional deals with every day. Solve that problem, package it nicely, and you have a product that works for you after 24/7.

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Business 4: Contract Bookkeeping.

The fourth business is best for someone who is comfortable with numbers.

Small businesses don’t need a full-time accountant — but they always need someone to fix their books.

That’s where you come in.

Using tools like spreadsheets and Excel, combined with AI, you can do their monthly accounts in a single evening — or maybe 3 evenings.

Because this business requires real accuracy, fewer people compete for it — and that allows you to charge premium rates.

If you have a background in math, finance, or corporate admin, this might be the easiest starting point for you.

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All four of these businesses share the same advantage:

• It won’t eat too much of your time and,

• It won’t use too much of your salary.

You don’t need to choose between your day job and your future. You just need 1-2 hours after work and the decision to start.

The best time to start was yesterday. The second best time is now.

Pick one business from this list.

Just one.

Start is now.

Nine years later, the Supreme Court ruled that what happened to Aragones was a case of illegal dismissal.

Now, Alltech may owe over ₱15 million in backwages, separation pay, attorney’s fees, and interest.

In this letter, we’ll break down the exact mistakes Alltech made—so you don’t make the same job offer mistake that could cost your business millions.

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Here's What Happened

On April 18, 2016, Paolo Aragones signed a job offer letter from Alltech Biotechnology Corporation for the position of Swine Technical Manager – Pacific. Trusting the deal, he resigned from his stable job at Cargill Philippines. His first day was set for July 1, 2016.

He never made it to Day 1.

In May 2016, Alltech’s head office allegedly implemented a global restructuring. His position was abolished. Alltech sent him a letter, offered him ₱140,000, equivalent to one month’s salary, as a “goodwill gesture,” and told him the deal was off.

Aragones rejected the offer and filed a case. The case moved from the Labor Arbiter, to the NLRC, to the Court of Appeals, and finally, to the Supreme Court.

On April 2, 2025, almost nine years after Aragones signed the job offer, the Supreme Court finally ruled: Alltech illegally dismissed him.

What Alltech Now Owes

Because the Supreme Court ruled this as illegal dismissal, Aragones is entitled to:

• Backwages counted from July 1, 2016 — his original start date — all the way until the decision becomes final.

• Separation pay of one month per year of service, also starting July 1, 2016.

• Attorney’s fees equal to 10% of the total monetary award.

• 6% interest per year from the time the decision becomes final until fully paid.

Since the original salary offer was around ₱140,000 per month, multiplying that across nearly nine years means the backwages and separation pay alone could easily exceed ₱15 million.

This is a very costly mistake for Alltech. But thanks to them — and Aragones — an important legal questions was answered for your benefit.

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The Most Important Legal Question For Your Next Job.

The reason this case was so confusing — even for the courts — is that it touched on a very important question: When does someone become your employee?

Most people assume it’s the employment contract start date, signed and notarized. The NLRC and the Court of Appeals both believed that. They said “no start date, no employment, no case”.

The Supreme Court (SC) disagreed.

Here’s the distinction the SC made: When Aragones signed the offer letter and Alltech received it, the contract was already perfected and the relationship already existed. The July 1 start date only determined when Aragones had to show up and when Alltech had to pay.

Think of it this way: If you agree to rent a space starting next month, you still have a contract today. The landlord can’t just cancel it because you haven’t moved in yet.

The SC also called out Alltech’s redundancy claim. Their only proof was a single, vague affidavit that basically said, “we restructured.”

The Court said that’s not enough. To prove redundancy, you need a lot of documentation — too many to mention here, so it needs another article on its own.

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What This Means for You and Your Business

Your main takeaway: The moment a candidate signs your job offer, they are legally your employee.

If you need to cancel a job offer, you can’t just send a letter and offer goodwill money. You now need to follow proper dismissal procedures, like how you would do for an employee who’s already been working for you for years.

If you still don’t have formal HR systems for your company, this should be a wake-up call.

Do you still make hiring decisions over a text message or a handshake?

Do you still send out offer letters without a lawyer reviewing them?

That informal approach just became a lot more expensive.

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Here’s what you should be doing now:

First, do not send a job offer unless the position and the budget are 100% locked in.

Second, if you ever need to rescind an offer, get a lawyer involved before you send any communication.

Third, if you’re restructuring or claiming redundancy, document everything — org charts, board decisions, staffing studies.

Fourth, treat your offer letter the same way you treat an employment contract.

That’s a huge chunk in favor of Meralco and that’s why they don’t want you to know about the other players in town.

PLAYER 1: Retail electricity suppliers (RES)

Under the EPIRA law (Electric Power Industry Reform Act), consumers using at least 100 kW of power per month are considered "contestable".

Contestable means if you’re a big time consumer, you can shop for a different electricity supplier instead of buying from Meralco.

That’s where Retail Electricity Suppliers (RES) enter, and there are several licensed ones: Clyriel, Aboitiz Power Retail, GNPower Retail, Pacific Light, and others.

They buy power from generators in bulk and resell it to large commercial and industrial customers (sometimes at better rates than Meralco).

If you run a factory, a large office building, or a hotel, this matters to you. If you're a household or a small café, it currently doesn't apply.

PLAYER 2: Solar (The DIY alternative that got Meralco’s attention)

Yes, this player is you.

Installing rooftop solar doesn't mean you "leave" Meralco — but it does mean you generate your own electricity during the day and reduce how much you buy from them.

Under the Net Metering Program, you can even sell excess solar power back to the grid and have it credited on your bill.

A typical residential solar setup (5–10 kW) costs ₱200,000–₱400,000 upfront and pays for itself in 5–8 years depending on usage.

Companies like SolarNRG, Solaric, and CleanTech Solar have made installation more accessible.

PLAYER 3: Electric Cooperatives

Usually a non-stock, non-profit utility managed by the government-linked National Electrification Administration (NEA).

There are over 100 electric cooperatives in the country covering provinces from Batangas to Bukidnon.

Some are well-run; others are notoriously slow and unreliable.

The structure is the same as Meralco — they distribute, not generate — but the quality of service and rates vary wildly.

Coopelectric, BLCI (Batangas), and CENECO (Negros) are among the larger ones.

All of these are outside Metro Manila and it’s designed that way. The reason why is for another article in itself.

That means if you’re on a fan of Meralco and you’re in the metro; and moving to the provinces isn’t an option then you’re out of luck.

Can you actually make the switch?

If you’re a household or small business: Not really. You’re in Meralco’s franchise area and below the 100 kW threshold for retail competition. Your practical alternative is rooftop solar — which doesn’t replace Meralco but meaningfully reduces your dependence on it.

If you’re a medium-to-large business: Yes. If your monthly consumption hits 100 kW, you’re “contestable” and can negotiate with a licensed RES. Some businesses have shaved 10–20% off their electricity costs this way.

If you’re a developer or investor: The real opportunity is upstream — generation, storage, and microgrids. That’s where the policy is loosening and the margins are still being discovered.