Iloilo City: Where it all began for Injap Sia II
Edgar “Injap” Sia II was just 26 years old when he opened the first Mang Inasal store at the carpark building of Robinsons Place Iloilo, inspired by the grill masters who prepare Iloilo’s iconic chicken inasal.
That combination of chicken inasal and unlimited rice quickly drew customers and put Sia, who was born in Iloilo City in 1977, on the path to rapid growth.
From that one branch that he started from scratch, Mang Inasal quickly expanded to 338 branches nationwide in just seven years, eventually winning the attention of Jollibee Foods Corp.
The fastfood giant eventually acquired the Mang Inasal network, catapulting Sia to the list of the country’s billionaires.
Sia could have just lived on the interest from the estimated P5 billion that he received for his brainchild, but he decided that it was time to start something new.
Thus, in partnership with Tony Tan Caktiong of Jollibee, he established DoubleDragon Corp. to cash in on the growth of the country’s property development sector.
But his ambitions did not stop there.
Against the odds, Sia spearheaded the expansion into the hospitality sector through the Hotel101 brand, which is carving its own niche in the global market.
Hotel101 is the first Philippine company to list on the tech-heavy Nasdaq exchange in New York and also the first hotel to operate overseas with its 680-room Hotel101 in Madrid, Spain, which will be soon followed by Hotel101 in other countries including the United States and Japan.
Hotel101 Global in Nasdaq this year has reached over $2 billion in market capitalization and DoubleDragon Corp.’s total assets now stand at P217 billion.
Sia, however, has not forgotten his roots.
Indeed, seeing the original Mang Inasal branch still thriving after all these years gives him a sense of fulfillment.
“I feel grateful to the people of Panay Island that have first embraced it and I am also very glad that Mang Inasal became a part of their lives for many years and became a melting pot of diners and families who get to fill up their stomach with delicious grilled inasal meal at affordable prices,” Sia told the Inquirer.
He added that Iloilo as well as Roxas City in Capiz will always be special to him because these are the two cities that shaped his character.
He spent his elementary years in Roxas City then went to Hua Siong Iloilo for high school then San Agustin Iloilo for college.
“I lived my years of childhood to adulthood there, and these are also the two cites that became the start-up launchpad of my entrepreneurial journey,” Sia said.
Sia thus continues to give back to Iloilo City through investments.
In 2011, Injap Land Corp., now DoubleDragon, constructed People’s Condominium, recognized as the first condominium project in Iloilo City. This was followed by Injap Tower to cater to the growing demand for residential condominiums in the city.
He also shares his blessings through projects such as the donation of the four-story building that houses the Iloilo City Community College.
Sia has indeed become a source of pride and inspiration for his fellow Ilonggos and Capiznons as well as entrepreneurs from the provinces who also want to make it big.
If he can do it through grit, determination and more than a little support from friends and family, others can, too.
