Meet Pinoy ex-mechanic who makes bags for luxury brands

MANILA – A Filipino engineer who now designs bags for foreign luxury brands owes his success to innovation and creativity, skills he both learned when he was working as a mechanic in Cebu.

“Innovation ang ginagamit natin and creativity. So, from sa talyer ‘yung creative mind ang gumagana…Pwedeng related kasi ‘yan eh, with innovation you can do a lot of things,” said Engr. Ramir Bonghanoy, the founder of Bon-Ace Fashion Tools Inc., on ABS-CBN’s “My Puhunan.”

Using natural resources found locally, Bonghanoy started his business by manufacturing buttons and beads from shells.

The business grew to necklaces using shells and wood, then to other fashion accessories.

He put up P15,000 to open Bon Ace in 1993, and hired 8 employees. Twenty years later, Bon Ace has more than 300 factory workers in a 6,500-sqm. factory.

Bonghanoy has been tapped by international luxury brands to design purses and clutch bags, some of which are worth over $3,000 when sold in their stores in New York, Paris, and Italy.

He is also known for the “Radica” inlay design used in furniture and accents. His design is protected by the Intellectual Property Office for 20 years.

“Mayroon kami sa Shangri-La, one of the restaurants diyan, sa Sofitel mayroon din. Mayroon kami sa mga malalaking restaurants all over Europe, Italy, Germany, at mga international hotels,” he said.

“You can see one of my tables in the flagship store of Hermes,” he added.

A graduate of Don Bosco Technical Center in Cebu, Bonghanoy said his life growing up had no semblance of his current lifestyle.

“Ang pamilya namin sa umpisa mahirap-hirap talaga ang buhay namin before. Ang father ko is a bus driver at hindi nila ako pwedeng pag-aralin sa college,” he said.

Now that all his hard work has paid off, Bonghanoy stressed the value of helping others who also wish to start their own business.

As part of My Puhunan’s advocacy to promote entrepreneurship, Bonghanoy flew to Manila to help out 20-year-old Christopher Ubaldo, a student from Quezon City.

Like Bonghanoy, Ubaldo is also involved in manufacturing fashion accessories.

“Noong una hindi ko alam na kumikita na pala ako eh. Pero habang tumatagal na marami na talagang nagpapagawa, na-realize ko na kahit ganito pala ‘yung edad ko, ‘yung P300 ko nadadagdagan ng nadadagdagan siya, at dumoble pa,” shared Ubaldo.

Using a small bench grinder, Bonghanoy trained Ubaldo how to make a bracelet and a necklace.

A bracelet worth P120 of raw materials can be sold for P350 to P400, said Bonghanoy.

“Pagka-isang tao ay mahihilig sa isang bagay, dapat you follow you heart. Dahil kami naming medyo nauna ng kaunti, we are always willing to help,” Bonghanoy told Ubaldo. He also invited the student to his factory in Cebu to learn more techniques.

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