SOCORRO RAMOS:

The Woman behind National Bookstore

Socorro Ramos entered the publishing and retail

industry by working as a salesgirl at a bookstore. At the age of 19, she opened National Book Store in
Escolta with her husband with a capital of P200, selling books and school supplies to students. At that
time, Manila was under the control of the Japanese, who imposed censorship on books and periodicals.
To augment their earnings, she and her husband resorted to selling other items like candles and soaps.

After the post-war boom proved profitable for the company, ushering in bigger revenues, the Ramoses
opened a nine-story building along Avenida. At 95, she still believes in the time-honored tradition of
“hands-on approach” in business. She even designed the company’s logo herself.

Source: https://business.inquirer.net/273445/eight-successful-filipino-entrepreneurs-who-started-
small#ixzz6aT9ntnE0
 The Co-founders The second branch at Avenida-Soler
The first National Bookstore was devastated by a fire. In
1948, three years later, a typhoon wreaked havoc upon
Mr. & Mrs. Jose Ramos & Soccoro Cancio the store and its stocks were damaged but the couple
rebuilt the store, only the next time it was at a two-story
shop in Avenida.

At one point, Nanay Coring produced her own

Tatay Jose and Nanay Coring with their Children postcards and greeting cards

Author Mitch Albom signs a book for Nanay Coring.

 STORY OF SOCORRO RAMOS & NATIONAL BOOKSTORE
The story of National Bookstore (NBS), currently the biggest book chain and one of the most successful
retail outlets in the Philippines, won’t be complete without telling the story of a soft-spoken
lady. Socorro Cancio Ramos, fondly called Nanay, is the founding matriarch of NBS, literally and
figuratively hand-in-hand with her husband, the late Jose Ramos. Her story would truly serve as an
inspiration to budding Pinoy Entrepreneurs.

Born without a silver spoon and education

Socorro, born on 23 September 1923, grew up in Sta. Cruz (Laguna) with her five siblings. The family
were of humble means. At five years old, Socorro helped her mother, Emilia, sell various merchandise —
bananas, vinegar and wooden shoes  — at the local wet market. Her father, Jose, died when they were
still young, so her mother was left to support them. Socorro finished high school. And that’s
because public education until high school was was free. She never started college and she didn’t
receive any degree. When business at the wet market turned sour because they sold on credit and
collection was difficult, they moved to Manila.

Hard work and starting at the bottom

Owning the biggest bookstore chain in the country did not start easy. To help her family, Socorro went
through various jobs starting at a tender age of 12 — in a candy factory, a cigarette factory, a factory
making shorts, and a restaurant as a waitress.

When Socorro was approaching 18 years old in 1940, she began working as a salesgirl in a bookstore
opened by her brother (Manuel Cancio) and his wife (Doña Juana Cancio), the Goodwill Bookstore in
Escolta. The Goodwill Bookstore was located in the same building that housed the Panciteria Nacional.
While others attributed this as the origin of the name “National Bookstore,” Socorro herself mentioned
that the name is based on the brand of their cash register.

A strong life and business partner

As fate would have it, while Socorro was still working at Goodwill Bookstore, the brother of Juana (wife
of Socorro’s brother, Manuel), Jose Ramos, was also working there. To make the long story short, they
fell in love and, after going through rough patches, they eventually married in 1942.

Socorro was later appointed as the manager of Goodwill Bookstore. With the management skills of
Socorro, Manuel and Juana decided to sell the bookstore to Socorro and Jose. They renamed it the
National Bookstore. Together, they built the National Bookstore to what it is today.

Selling whatever opportunity provides

The couple started selling textbooks and school supplies. However, strict book censorship under the
Japanese during World War II forced the spouses to shift their products to soap, candies, and slippers.
They acted like distributors, buying merchandise from wholesalers and selling to smaller retailers. They
also dabbled in selling whiskey, just as the Americans were about to liberate the country.
Starting from zero and rebuilding

Entrepreneurs flourish not because there’s an absence of setbacks, but despite the presence of
setbacks. Socorro and Jose had to rebuild their business after it was razed down during the heaving
bombing of Manila by the returning Filipino-American forces against the Japanese army.

They had to start from scratch, literally to rise from the ashes of the Second World War. With an undying
determination to succeed, they reopened their bookstore in 1945, selling school supplies like textbooks,
notebooks, pad paper and pencils. The bookstore flourished with little competition. Then in 1968,
typhoon Gene wrecked their store and soaked all their merchandise. Yet again, they had to start from
scratch, working even harder, sleeping only three hours a day.

Learning from Experience

We all learn from our experience. The entrepreneurial attitude of Socorro could readily be attributed to
her experience when she was young, as early as 5 years old,  through various jobs she handled, and
ultimately her work at the bookstore. Socorro is credit-averse, most likely learned when her family’s wet
market business failed due to the inability to collect from customers who bought on credit. Learning
from the total loss caused by Typhoon Gene, they worked hard to raise enough funds to build a
concrete, two-storey office building. The money used to buy the lot and construct the building came
from savings, not from any loan.

Staying ahead of the curve

Socorro started producing greetings cards in the 1950s. These greeting cards, featuring Filipino scenes
and artwork, was an entirely new concept in the Philippines. National Bookstore solidified their hold of
the greeting cards market when they secured the Philippine franchise of Hallmark cards. Also around the
1950s, National Bookstore was granted license by international publishers like McGraw Hill and Prentice
Hall. National Bookstore, and Socorro Cancio Ramos, thereafter plowed on to more success.

Socorro does not believe in luck. She was quoted as saying: “Whenever I want something I really work
hard to get it. There’s no such thing as suwerte.” On another occasion, she said: “If you want something
hard and you really work hard for it, you will get it.” That success may not come overnight. This year,
2012, Socorro celebrates her 90th birthday, while National Bookstore celebrates its 70th anniversary.
One of the inspiring and successful Filipino entrepreneurs that should encourage new Pinoy
Entrepreneurs to work hard for success.

Sources: National Bookstore website; Philippine Daily Inquirer, “Socorro Ramos, young at 90”; Ernst &

Young, “Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2004 Winners”; Entrepreneur Philippines, “How Socorro
Ramos reached the top shelf“; Philippine Star, “The life & times of NBS Nanay Coring in kiddie
book”; The Outstanding Filipino Award, TOFIL Awardee for Business 2006.