CEO Profiles: Cecilio Pedro
Frequently Asked Questions
Cecilio Pedro is the founder and chairman of Lamoiyan Corporation, the company behind Happee toothpaste — the first 100% Filipino-owned toothpaste brand to compete against multinationals Colgate-Palmolive and Unilever in the Philippine market. He previously operated Aluminum Containers, Inc., a toothpaste tube supplier to those same global brands.
Cecilio Pedro leveraged his manufacturing experience as a toothpaste tube supplier to Colgate-Palmolive and Unilever, then pivoted after his original business closed to establish Lamoiyan Corporation and launch Happee — using existing industry knowledge to compete in the consumer toothpaste market with a fully Filipino-owned brand.
Cecilio Pedro chairs the Deaf Evangelistic Alliance Foundation, Inc., and has been recognized for his employment practices benefiting persons with disabilities — including the Apolinario Mabini Award for Employer of the Year from the Philippine Foundation for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled, awarded in 1993.
Cecilio Pedro's recognition includes the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in the Social Responsibility Category (2008), two Agora Awards from the Philippine Marketing Association (1992), and the ASEAN Business Award for SME Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility from the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (2017).
Cecilio Pedro describes entrepreneurship as a lifelong learning process — one defined by continuous adaptation rather than arrival at a fixed point of mastery. He also emphasizes financial discipline, citing the importance of cash collection over credit extension as a foundational business lesson he learned early in his career.
