Sa Aking Mga Kababata ni Jos Rizal

Kapagka ang baya'y sadyang umiibig Sa kanyang salitang kaloob ng langit, Sanglang kalayaan nasa ring masapit Katulad ng ibong nasa himpapawid. Pagka't ang salita'y isang kahatulan Sa bayan, sa nayo't mga kaharian, At ang isang tao'y katulad, kabagay Ng alin mang likha noong kalayaan. Ang Hindi magmahal sa kanyang salita Mahigit sa hayop at malansang isda, Kaya ang marapat pagyamaning kusa Na tulad sa inang tunay na nagpala. Ang wikang Tagalog tulad din sa Latin Sa Ingles, Kastila at salitang anghel, Sapagka't ang Poong maalam tumingin Ang siyang naggawad, nagbigay sa atin. Ang salita nati'y huwad din sa iba Na may alfabeto at sariling letra, Na kaya nawala'y dinatnan ng sigwa Ang lunday sa lawa noong dakong una.

Rusty Lopez
Over the years, thousands of savvy Filipino shoppers found their way towards Rusty Lopez boutiques nationwide. Even balikbayansmake it a point to include Rusty Lopez in their itinerary. No wonder because one discovers there is no need to navigate farther to find the desired footwear, clothing or accessory. The wide spectrum of shoppers is answered with Rusty Lopezs wide range of footwear, clothing and accessories assured to fit your budget, answer your needs, satisfy your taste and last for a long time. Rusty Lopez brand enjoys the trust and loyalty of the market having been an established name since 1977. Even with the growing population at an annual rate of over two percent, the Philippines is a compelling market for manufacturers of footwear and Rusty Lopez is blessed to be a pioneer and continues to be one. Rusty Lopez is a proud member of the Philippine Footwear Federation Incorporated or PFFI. ACHIEVEMENTS Rusty Lopez footwear harks to the traditions established by earlier Italian consultants. The local government of Marikina City recognized the exemplary performance of Maritalia Manufacturing Inc., manufacturer of Rusty Lopez footwear, by awarding Maritalia Manufacturing Inc. with the Most Outstanding Small and Medium Entrepreneur (SME) Awards in 2002. A year after, Manila FAME, the only Philippine trade show held locally and conforms with accepted international standards, Rusty Lopez brand was accorded the opportunity to interpret the designs of foreign consultant Rene Coster and it did so with great success. These are just but some of the milestones of the company. Product quality, customer service, and a wide network of manufacturers and distribution channels with a hand on the skillful control of fixed and variable costs are considered keys to the companys consistent success. HISTORY In 1977, Lolito Lopez opened a shoe store by the name of Centropell, in the Cubao Shoe Expo. Almost three decades later, the tandem of Lolito and wife Lily has blossomed and now sit at the helm of a shoe business empire that is renowned for its commitment to the development, manufacturing and marketing of quality, authentic and affordable footwear under the following brands: CENTROPELLE, RUSS and RUSTY LOPEZ. Building on the success of Centropell, the Lopezes positioned Rusty Lopez as the brand name that rivaled the best of what the local shoe industry has to offer. The popularity of the Rusty Lopez brand eventually exceeded the expectations of the holding companies and as a result, holds one of the biggest market shares within the entire local shoe industry. Maritalia Manufacturing Incorporated, which was established on December 17, 1996 and became the official manufacturing arm of the company. It is through the joint efforts of Filipino and Italian shoemakers that Maritelia was born. To give pride and honor to this collaboration, the name Maritalia was created by combining Marikina and Italy, MARI (Marikina) and ITALIA (Italy) thus, forming the word Maritalia. Today, MARITALIA sits on a one-hectare property on E. Rodriguez Avenue in Sto. Nio, Marikina City. It houses state-of-the-art imported equipment from Italy specifically designed for mass shoe production. Operating at full capacity with 300 workers, Maritalia can produce as many as 24,000 pairs of shoes in a month. In late December 2003, the Rusty Lopez logo underwent a subtle makeover to achieve a more youthful look. It was just one of the many touches intended to enhance the popular brand. Indeed, Rusty Lopez enjoys an unblemished reputation for quality and affordability with a wide range of footwear and accessories products for its broad market. Its image is untarnished by shoddy workmanship, and is further bolstered by the influence of its Italian and other foreign consultants and the companys corresponding

investments in Italian technology, machine and state-of-the-art equipment. THE PRODUCT There is a Rusty Lopez for each and every member of the family. The wide range of merchandise will definitely not leave any member of the family empty handed. The mens footwear line consists of casual, formal and athletic while the womens line consists of formal and casual. Complete your outfit and worry no more with Rusty Lopez apparel and accessories. From casual to formal, from outdoor to corporate, youll surely find what you need. Oh and dont forget the children because theres Rusty Lopez kids too! Rusty Lopez kids have a variety of footwear for the young ones including the basics such as school and casual as well as sporty and formal footwear. Each brand under the Rusty Lopez group of companies caters to a particular market to assure that the needs of the market are met. Rusty Lopez remains to be the classic. Varied, all-around, and for everyone, thats what Rusty Lopez is. Mens, Ladies, Kids, Footwear, Apparel and Accessories, theres always a good find in Rusty Lopez. The Centro Group houses (1) Centropelle, the high-end brand showcasing high-fashion ladies footwear, (2) Maritalia, the genuine leather mens shoes by Rusty Lopezs very own Maritalia and (3) Bags Unlimited, the newest addition to the group and the company carrying all types of fashionable and high-quality bags ranging from casual, evening, school, travel and even laptop bags. Russ is the brand primarily for the youth. Street wear for teens (both boys and girls) is its character. Russ also carries school shoes that are made from synthetic leather. Compared to Centropelle and Rusty Lopez, Russ has a lower price point to be able to reach out to its primary marketthe youth. Walk-over is a consignor-based brand which is limited to boys and girls school shoes made of synthetic leather. Its affordable price makes it competitive given its consignor-based set-up. Azaleia on the other hand is the companys franchise from Brazil. Having the working class as its primary market, Azaleia offers ladies shoes that vary from casual, formal and evening. Conqueror International is managed by a team of qualified and experienced employees and infused with new blood to keep the company young, alive and innovative. Its various marketing strategies include direct selling to specialty retailers, overseas importers and wholesalers. With its own manufacturing arm, Rusty Lopez is capable of producing the high demand but not sacrificing the quality and competitive, reasonable SRP. RUSTY LOPEZ QUICK FACTS: Rusty Lopez is a brand name and not the name of the company owners. Rusty Lopez first celebrity model was famed celebrity Aga Muhlach. Rusty Lopez has significantly contributed to the Marikina City Local Governments production of The Worlds Largest Shoes. Rusty Lopez, in its early years, was actually a boutique for GARMENTS and not a SHOE store. Rusty Lopez boutique in Alimall, Cubao was the first Rusty Lopez boutique.

GIBI SHOES
When Laureano Guevarra, or more popularly known as Kapitan Moy, made the first pair of shoes in Marikina 115 years ago, little did he know that he had given birth to the Philippine footwear industry and established Marikina as the acknowledged Shoe Capital of the Philippines. The tradition of quality and craftsmanship has since been passed on from generationto generation primarily because Filipinos are, by nature, gifted artisans. The birth, growth, evolution, and development of STEFANO FOOTWEAR CORPORATION (SFC), in a way, shadows history. When Mr. William Y. Castro started a small five-man backyard operations behind his house in Marikina in 1974, little did he know that his company would grow to be one of the leading pillars of the Philippine Footwear Industry today. Equipped with knowledge he picked up earlier in 1973 whilst working for his father as a sales clerk manning a shoe supply store, Mr. Castro learned the basics of the footwear industry with hands-on experience on shoe raw materials, components and accessories. His thirst for knowledge would not be satisfied, Mr. Castro seek out the best pattern maker then and engaged him on a one-on-one pattern-making course. His father, realizing that he could not contain the enthusiastic spirit of the young Castro, allowed him to skip work and make sales calls twice a week. Mr. Castro was happy to receive even the smallest order, which he would manufacture and personally deliver. Through sheer diligence, hard work, and an inherent knack for fashion trends, his client base grew in numbers.

Otto Shoes
While waiting for the Novena mass to start at the Our Lady of the Abandoned in Marikina City, I spotted a big sale sign in the windows of a shoe store in front. Always eager for a bargain, I crossed the street to the building which I saw now housed Otto Shoes. I was surprised because the last time I entered this building this was the showcase of most of Marikinas shoemakers. This time, Otto Shoes was its sole occupant, and they had filled the entire floor with their merchandise. Marikina City has been known as the shoe capital of the Philippines, its streets littered with shoe stores and more supply stores for shoemakers. Otto Shoes has been around since I could remember, and its heyday was in the 80s. I remembered that way back in high school, those wearing Otto Shoes were the ones considered as fashion forward. I have to say that they really made durable school shoes. However, the shoe industry suffered some setbacks, Otto Shoes being one of the more prominent of them, and their presence was visibly lessened. Until a few years back, I began to notice their strong return to the market. Their occupation of the building was a testament to their comeback. I browsed around their shop and I noticed that they had really good designs. Otto Shoes use to dominate the school shoes market, but now, they had a lot of casual and office shoes. Their leather use to be thick and of good quality way back then, but now it seems that technology has caught up with them and they had a lot of good designs. I bought several pairs of driving shoes which were slashed at a whopping fifty percent (50%) and came to about US$7, and some casual sandals for about US$4. I was impressed with the quality of the driving shoes. The leather was soft and well-polished, and very comfortable to wear. The leather of the sandals was a different matter though. The front gave out in the first hour of my use! And to think I only walked with it for a kilometer or so. I pointed this out to the saleslady when I went back to buy other pairs of shoes, and though was hesitant at first, offered to have it repaired by their resident shoemaker. As for the service, I have to commend their salespeople for the promptness of the service. They had enough people to attend to the customers and they were all polite and accommodating. They were also quick to show the customers other shoes which they thought the customer was looking for, and most of the time, they were pretty good in guessing at their customers preferences. Since you have to go out of your way to get to this store, you would appreciate the ample parking space that they have in front of the building. It is also a few steps away from some historical places in Marikina City such as the Shoe Museum, Kapitan Moy and the Our Lady of the Abandoned Church, and so a trip to Otto Shoes will not be wasted.