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A TINY bottle blonde with a big personality rules over a relatively unknown jewelry empire. In the city of Manila alone, she has three branches: one in Ongpin and two in Recto. In Quezon City, she has two branches: in Eastwood and Robinsons Magnolia. She has a branch in Taguig, where we met her at her Venice Grand Canal Mall branch. She spreads her jeweled hands wide (as much as her 15-carat diamond ring allows her; we saw it in the flesh, and it was as large as an eyeball) she told us she also has branches in Laguna, Antipolo, Batangas, and Pampanga, and even has an online selling arm.

Her name is Mayet dela Rosa, and during a press conference at the Venice Grand Mall branch announcing her Chinese New Year special gold bars, she was flanked by radio DJs and two Cavite beauty queens. She said, “Sa Mayet dela Rosa, walang imposible (nothing is impossible).”

At first, she meant this to say that she can customize anything. She told a story about how at breakfast, a customer went to her store and asked if she could put diamonds anywhere. She said yes, and the man spat out his dentures and told her to put five stones on them. “Ngipin ’yon eh. Natatamaan iyong bato. Siguro mga 10 times siyang pabalik-balik (Those were teeth [so] the stones were always hit. I think he came back about 10 times for repairs).

“Kung gusto niyong ipagaya iyong mukha niyo, kayang-kaya po (if you want me to make your face into jewelry, we can do it),” she said during the press conference on Feb. 18.

Yet for all that, when she said nothing was impossible, perhaps she was talking about her own life as well.

FROM CHEMISTRY TO JEWELRY
About 30 years in the industry, she spent 10 of those years starting out as a saleslady. Her sibling put her through school, where she studied to be a chemist. Seeing the low pay, her sibling, who owned a jewelry store, told her to come to work at the store instead. “Ang pagtitinda, gift ’yan (the ability to sell is a gift). Meron pala akong talento (it turns out I had the talent).”

Asked how she came to love jewelry, she told BusinessWorld, “’Pag may alahas ka, parang ang ganda-ganda mo. ’Pag meron kang kulang, mag-alahas ka. Gusto ko rin ’yung ganon (When you’re wearing jewelry, it’s like you’re so beautiful. When you lack something, just wear jewels. I wanted that too).

“Gusto ko kasi ’yung ginagawa ko (I like what I’m doing),” she said in a speech. “Isa lang talaga ang magmo-motivate sa akin. Gusto ko talagang yumaman (Just one thing motivates me. I really want to get rich).”

Since then, she has opened several branches literally with her own name — Mayet Dela Rosa Fine Jewelry — and even serves as a jewelry wholesaler.

Surely she’s collected celebrity clients through the years, but she declined to name them. “’Di pwede. Ako ’yung supplier nila, and ’di ko sila pwedeng i-reveal, kasi kawawa naman sila. Pinoprotektahan ko rin sila (I can’t. I’m their supplier, and I can’t reveal who they are, because I have pity on them. I protect them too).”

She said that she opened her mall branches outside her busy (and frankly, dusty) Manila locations for her clients’ safety, and to offer a more premium experience. “Ayaw nila ng traffic, may security, ganon. (They don’t like the traffic, they have security, things like that.)

“Ang nagpupunta sa Manila ay mga wholesalers. ’Yung mga nagtitinda din, o nagre-retail ng gold (the ones who go to the Manila branch are wholesalers. Those who also sell, or those who sell retail). Sa Manila po kasi, para po siyang Divisoria ng alahas,” she said, comparing it to the Manila drop-off point for reasonably priced goods. “Naghahampasan sila ng alahas. Meron pong mga tao na ayaw nila ng ganon (they’re hitting each other with jewelry. Some people don’t like that).”

This year marks 20 years of Mayet Dela Rosa Fine Jewelry and 25 years of the Dela Rosa Jewelry Corp., but Ms. Dela Rosa is not resting on her laurels.

Soon she will launch Maison Mayet Diamonds at Parkway Corporate Center in Filinvest, Alabang. The 24-hour facility will function as a dedicated hub for authorized online sellers. “With its goal of solidifying the brand’s digital ecosystem, it will also offer inventory access, professional live-selling spaces, and shipping support,” says a press release.

She will also be opening the brand to franchising. According to the press release, Mayet Dela Rosa Fine Jewelry will be part of the International Franchise Asia Expo 2026, happening on April 24-26, 2026, at the SMX Convention Center Manila.

THE 2026 COLLECTION
The event at the Venice Grand Mall served as the launch of the 2026 Jewelry Collection, anchored by a natural diamond line. The collection reinterprets the traditional engagement ring through what was described as “a full-circle diamond concept,” their version of the eternity ring.

“Craftsmanship is very important to us,” Ms. Dela Rosa was quoted as saying in the release. “We focus not only on sparkle but also on structure. Our settings are designed to be durable and secure, so the diamonds can be worn every day with confidence, while still maximizing brilliance. For us, a beautiful piece should not be delicate in use. It should last, shine consistently, and stay part of someone’s life for many years.”

Also launched was the Original Monaco Collection, focusing on gold chains which are robust but lightweight, with precision locking systems, and everyday wearability.

Then there are the Legacy Gold Bars.

“I think the appeal of our Legacy Gold Bars comes from peace of mind,” Ms. Dela Rosa said in a press statement. “During uncertain times, whether it’s inflation, currency changes, or even global conflicts, people naturally turn to gold because it feels stable and tangible.”

“Gold is universally recognized, so it can be sold almost anywhere in the world. Some people appreciate that they’re not just buying something beautiful, but something they can rely on if they ever need it.”

THE SECURITY OF PRAYERS
Considering her business, one would think security would be top of mind, but she says she doesn’t go out with security, or even a bulletproof vest. “Wala akong bodyguard. Prayers lang (I don’t have a bodyguard. Just prayers).” The prayers she says have the same theme: “’Yung mga taong nagpaplano ng masama, makapag-isip ng tama (those who have evil plans, may they think straight).”

Prompted to remember her favorite piece of jewelry, she says a diamond ring. Not the big eyeball-sized one on her finger, but a tiny one she keeps that she bought for herself when she started working. As for the most memorable piece she’s sold, she said it came from a single transaction. “Nakabenta ako ng cash ng bongga (somebody paid for it with a fabulous amount of cash).”

The customer was a guy in shorts who asked around for this and that for three days. Her staff told her he might be a lookout for a robber, but she insisted on serving him anyway. He came back after three days, still in shorts, but in a great car, and paid millions, in cash.

Still she says, and how she lasted so long in the industry: “Huwag kang basta-basta magtiwala. Alahas ito (Don’t just trust anyone. This is jewelry). Halmbawa, tiwalang-tiwala na ako sa iyo — magduda ka pa rin (for example, even if I trust you already, you would still have doubts).”

“Dapat pagdating sa alahas, laging may second thoughts (when it comes to jewelry, always have second thoughts),” she said. “Hindi ka pwedeng tumigil. Lagi pa ring magaaral tungkol sa alahas, para mas mag-grow ka (You can never stop. Always study about jewelry, so you’ll grow).” — Joseph L. Garcia

A woman who just wanted to get rid of her period rash is now embarking on an advocacy to help prevent period poverty.

We met up with Adeline Bondoc, the founder of EcoPad Gaia during the Department of Trade and Industry Fair this past weekend at the Megatrade Hall in SM Megamall. Ms. Bondoc makes washable sanitary pads (made of deadstock fabrics with prints that she liked) that attach to underwear with snaps.

She gave us advice on how to use them: one, change your pads three to four times a day, and, two, attach them to undies that fit snug, in order to help the absorption (through an absorbent fabric layer in between the pads). “Not ’yung old underwear, na bacon na siya (that has wrinkled).” Three, after washing (without using a fabric conditioner, because it leaves a slick film that hinders the absorbency), make sure to dry them thoroughly to avoid mildew and possible hygiene issues.

Her pads are washable, reusable, and biodegradable. According to her research, sanitary pads can take hundreds of years to break down into microplastics, while cloth pads take just about 20 years. Her pads are designed to last two to three years with 75 washes each, but with enough pieces on rotation, they can last maybe five, up to 10 years.

She partners with schools, nongovernment organizations, and corporations to supply these pads, noting that they’re also distributed in health kits during disaster relief operations. About the contents of care packages given to disaster-stricken evacuees, pointed out that they’ve included more than just food in recent years. “Kahit naman na-disaster ’yung babae na ’yan, magme-mens pa rin ’yan (even in a disaster, a woman will still get her period).”

The pads start at P115 for a tiny liner, though the prices get higher as the pads get bigger (her biggest is for overnight use). She sells them at a lower price for her partnerships, from P58 to P60. She compares these with standard sanitary pads which may cost up to P9 for single-use, calculating that a woman spends almost P6,000 every three years on sanitary pads. Moreover, they contribute to waste. According to her research, a woman can use up to 11,000 pads on average, from when they start their periods up to when they reach menopause. “Saan napupunta ’yon (where does that go)? Hindi naman tatawid ng Saturn (it’s not like we can dump them on Saturn),” she said.

Before sanitary products became mainstream in the mid-20^th century, women had to make do with scrap cloth. “Hindi appealing,” she said. Now, “Meron ka nang print na gusto, naka-snap button, may leakproof pa. Dati ’di ba walang leakproof? Hindi ka makalabas ng bahay. (You have prints you like, they have snap buttons, and there are leakproof options. Back in the day, there were no leakproof options. You could not leave the house.)”

What started out as a way to have more comfortable periods has become a full-blown crusade for her.

She was a casino worker before the pandemic, and noted that she would get rashes during her periods — it turned out the commercial sanitary pads were irritating her. She bought cloth pads and no longer got rashes, and found out her daughter had the same problem. So she started making the pads in earnest (studying how through YouTube tutorials) when she lost her job during the pandemic.

“Doon ko na-realize na hindi lang pala ako ’yung babaeng nagkaka-rashes (That’s when I realized I wasn’t the only woman who got rashes from commercial pads),” she said. She noted: “May stigma surrounding the period. Pwede namin siraan ang mga boyfriend at asawa namin, but we don’t talk abour our periods (we can talk trash about our husbands and boyfriends, but we don’t talk about our periods). Ganon ang mga girls (that’s how girls are).”

She talked about how she watched videos and read papers about period poverty. From what she read from the UN, she found out about girls and women who could not buy sanitary products for their periods. That leads to missed classes, then ending schooling, then teen pregnancy, and entering the cycle of poverty.

“Hindi lang pala rashes ’yung naso-solve (It wasn’t just rashes that these products could solve),” she said.

Since then, she’s begun to teach classes at group homes and schools, so girls can make their own cloth pads — and may also begin to have their own livelihood. “Kaya niyo talagang gumawa (you can really do something),” she tells the girls she teaches.

She also talks about some special cases that her products have helped: a cancer patient started using her products to help with her continuous bleeding that lasted for months, and due to her use of commercial napkins, developed a rash. “Imbis na cancer pa niya yung iniintindi niya, iniintindi niya pa ’yung rashes niya. Months! Eh kami nga one week lang nagrereklamo na kami (Instead of focusing on the cancer, she had to think about the rashes. For months! We would complain about dealing with this for one week,)” she said. “Ang laki pala ng tulong (It was such a big help).”

Since her business allows her to reach many kinds of women with varying problems, she’s learned more about being a woman during her journey. “Ang woman pala talaga, siya ’yung may nurturing heart. Siya talaga ang may attention to detail. Some men, hindi nila nare-recognize ’yung mga maliliit na bagay. (It turns out that a woman, really, is the one with a nurturing heart. She is the one with attention to detail. Some men, they do not recognize the small stuff.)

“Kapag in-empower ko pala ’yung babae, manganganak siya ng empowered children,” she said. “May hope.” (It turns out that when you empower a woman, she has empowered children. There is hope.)

Visit Adeline Bondoc’s page at Instagram @ecopadgaia or call her at 0921-211-6969. She also has an online store in Shopee. — Joseph L. Garcia