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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider College dropout to represent PH in global stage after winning student entrepreneur award

College dropout to represent PH in global stage after winning student entrepreneur award

Published Jan 3, 2021 10:37 am

While education is quite challenging amid the pandemic, a former college dropout from a broken family proved that one can find his way back to normal life as long as he keeps on going.

Charles de Belen realized this after emerging as champion of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) Philippines Finals. 

A Master of Science in Innovation and Business student at the Asian Institute of Management and a licensed lawyer, he won the Philippine leg of the global competition as founder of “Bestway Consultancy” – a company that helps other entrepreneurs start businesses.

“What I love about the GSEA experience is that when you start a business, somewhere along the way, you forget why you started the business in the first place,” De Belen said. “Through the GSEA, I was able to find that ‘why’ back,” he added.

De Belen’s emergence as the EO GSEA Philippines champion is a true “against-all-odds story” as his parents separated and left him to his grandmother at an early age. When he was in college, he was forced to drop out of De La Salle University (DLSU) due to financial reasons.

Despite this, De Belen found a way to continue his studies at the Far Eastern University (FEU). He reached a turning point when one of his professors, Joeven Castro, currently Vice President of Academic Services at FEU, saw his potential and invited him to join the debate team. He noted that it was his experience there that made him realize he had the capacity to achieve.

Another pivotal moment for De Belen came when a computer gaming friend was killed in a gambling dispute. That was when he realized that he wanted to make a “mark in the world and not be quickly forgotten” when he is gone.

Aside from Bestway Consultancy, De Belen has founded several other entities, including Letsan Belly, a vendor of lechon belly; EndCOV, a contact tracing app for COVID-19; Karapatan, a non-profit organization providing free legal assistance; GoodGovPH, a youth-led non-profit organization that advocates good governance; and Dibi, an online marketplace for rental items.

Held annually, GSEA is the premiere global competition for student entrepreneurs who own and operate a business. The competition also provides a platform where student entrepreneurs can connect with key industry players locally and internationally, allowing them to gain valuable insights and learn best practices.

As EO GSEA Philippines champion, De Belen will receive a cash prize of P150,000 and the privilege to represent the country in the EO GSEA Global Finals to be held this year.

The EO GSEA Global Finals is held annually to coincide with the EO Global Leadership Conference (GLC), but was conducted virtually this year due to COVID-19 concerns. EO is a global support network of over 14,000 like-minded business owners across 200 chapters in 61 countries.

The EO Philippines chapter was established in 1996 and currently has 195 members, who own businesses in various industries, such as manufacturing, retail, information technology, distribution, real estate, and services.

Meanwhile, EO Philippines GSEA Chair JP Tuason encouraged all student entrepreneurs to “follow their dreams and passions.” He noted that the EO is also looking forward to “developing more amazing young student entrepreneurs in 2021 and beyond.”

Aside from De Belen, Sofia Coronel, a student from the University of Asia and the Pacific and founder of Convo Design, placed second, while third place went to Ryan Ibay, a student from the University of the Philippines and founder of Mindoceo.

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