Atty. Claro V. Parlade
Legal Consultant

He is a Senior Partner in one of the leading law firms in the Philippines and acts as the legal counsel of Francorp. Currently, he is the Chairman of the Legal Affairs Committee of the Philippine Franchise Association as well as a member of the Philippine Dispute Resolution Centre, Inc., the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and the Inter-Pacific Bar Association. He has assisted in negotiations and documentations of franchise agreements, syndicated loans, public securities, and joint ventures. He is engaged in general corporate practice, and gives legal advice particularly on foreign investments, acquisitions, taxation, e-commerce and intellectual property. A Fulbright scholar, he authored a book on foreign direct investment in the Philippines, published by Sweet and Maxwell and distributed globally. He has done franchise agreements and legal consulting for companies in the following industries: restaurants, bars, gas stations, internet service providers (ISP's), photo developing shops, retail stores, and many more.

Grace Leonila B. Baron
Project Planning and Monitoring Manager

Ms. Baron graduated from the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, with a degree in Business Economics and was a Consistent Dean's Medalist. She earned her Masters in Business Administration from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila.

Her stints in the private sector included technical assistance to the consultants of SGV & Co., executive assistance to the Vice President of Plant Operations of the Philippine Carpet Manufacturing Corporation as well as to the Assistant General Manager of Foodsphere, Inc.

At Francorp, she facilitates the coordination and communication between Francorp and its clients, as well as assists the consultants' team and management in the tracking of program progress and project development at every phase to ensure the efficient and timely delivery of services to its clients.

TIFFANY DEL ROSARIO
Franchise Sales Consultant

Her franchising experience began with Subway Sandwiches and Salad Shop as Franchisee and Manager of its franchised stores in high end malls during the late 90's. She subsequently worked at Subway International BV as a Development Agent who developed and supported Subway restaurants in the territory for more than 7 years. Furthermore, the stores she managed were recognized as one of Asia's best in International Connections, Promotions of the Year and Presidential Award Categories. A Certified Franchise Executive (CFE), she was the Vice President for Internal Relations of the Philippine Franchise Association from 2002-2005 and was involved in the planning or organizational activities such as seminar, conferences, trade shows and social events. A Commerce graduate of the Assumption College in Makati, she was trained and certified as a Subway Franchise Operator and Development Agent at the Subway World Franchise Headquarters Training Center in Connecticut, USA in 1997 and 1998.

ROSARIO N. BANZON
Editor/Technical Writer

Ms. Banzon is a product of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, where she earned her degree in Broadcast Communications as well as masteral units in Urban and Regional Planning.

She has extensive experience in corporate communications, publications, audio-visual production and events management for government line agencies, non-government organizations, and the private sector. Her government stints include the Ministry of Human Settlements, Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Technology and Livelihood Resource Center. She also worked as a copywriter for direct selling companies as well as with non-government organizations like the Philippine Children's Television Foundation, the Communication Foundation for Asia and Japan Foundation Manila Office. Currently, she is a regular contributor to a medical magazine and an architectural magazine.

At Francorp, she executes the company's editorial policies and manuals of style pertaining to the operations manuals, structure reports, franchise agreements, marketing plans including brochures, press articles, proposals and correspondences. She also serves as Editor-in-Chief of Franchise Gazette, a regular franchise publication of Francorp.

Mercedes Fidelis F. Pascasio, C.F.E.
Senior Structure Consultant

She has over ten years of work experience in the field of finance and project management, financial and profitability analysis and accounting for top corporations, both private and public. An MBA degree holder from the Ateneo de Manila Graduate School of Business, and a Business Administration and Accounting graduate of the Philippine School of Business Administration, she has worked as project manager for a top financial consulting firm and has experience in running a retail and food business. She currently holds a Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) seal, completing her Mini Masters in Franchise Management in 2008 under the Philippine Franchise Association (PFA) CFE Program held at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM). Over the last several years, Ms. Pascasio has developed and designed numerous local and international franchises in the field of food, retail and service, most of which have become successful locally and globally. She also serves as a resource speaker in seminars, conferences, trainings, and trade expos, here and abroad.

Lirio J. Bantayan
Senior Structure Consultant

A graduate of the Mapua Institute of Technology and a board topnotcher, she started her career as a professional electrical engineer and worked her way to head the Corporate Planning Department of Matsushita Electric Corporation for six years, facilitating the approval of a grant from the World Bank which shifted the company to non-CFC manufacturing, resulting to million pesos in savings for the company. As assistant vice president for product management of LG Collins Electronic Philippines from 1997 to 1999, and for marketing, from 1999 to 2000, Ms. Bantayan introduced LG hit models which boosted the company's turnaround in sales and market share from year 2000 onwards. As Vice President for Sales and Marketing of American Home Appliance Marketing Corporation, she helped catapult the company to as much as 80% sales growth, compared to previous years' performances. Her most recent stint before Francorp was as secretary general of the Philippine Appliance Industry Association.

At Francorp, she develops the strategic plans of various categories of clients, with established or emerging brands. She is also a regular resource person and speaker during Francorp seminars, trainings and conferences. Currently, she is working on her CFE title under PFA's CFE Program.

Jerome T. Alvarez
Structure Consultant

Mr. Alvarez is a product of De La Salle University (DLSU) where he finished A.B. Political Science as well as his Masters in Business Administration. He was also a professor at the Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance, as well as the Institute of Graduate Studies of the Far Eastern University (FEU) until 2007. Among the courses he handled were on Production and Operations Management, Total Quality Management, Business Policy and Ethics, Strategic Planning, Human Resource Management, Labor Relations, Development of an Enterprise, and E-commerce.

Currently, he runs Top Clean Services and Marketing Inc. as its president and managing director and implements the company's ventures based on current market trends. He had a three-year stint as Assistant Operations Manager at Triple Crown Services Inc. where he initiated diversification and expansion moves which led to the creation of an affiliate company.

Aside from his business acumen, he is a fine player of the violoncello, having taken up music as a scholar at the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music where he was a member of the UST Symphony Orchestra.

At Francorp, he is responsible for the strategic planning and structuring of franchise programs for various clients in the food, retail and service industries. He is also a much sought-after speaker and resource person during seminars, trainings, expos, conferences and trade shows. Mr. Alvarez is working on his Certified Franchise Executive title.

Joselito G. Samson
Senior Operations Consultant

His training and experience in the field of fast food operations cover 15 years, starting with McDonald's, and moving up as store and training manager for companies like Carl's Jr. and Jollibee. He also worked for a Japanese restaurant and was the Profit Center Manager for the Burger Machine chain, handling 70 to 100 outlets in various Metro Manila locations. Mr. Samson is a graduate of Business Administration of the University of the East and will soon complete his Mini-Masters in Franchise Management under the Certified Franchise Executive Program of the Institute of Certified Franchise Executive and the Philippine Franchise Association.

Mr. Samson is also spearheading Francorp's prime projects for operations manual development and services, and has guided many of our top clients in the field of quick-service food, retail and service operations. He is a certified Serv Safe Executive, having taken the Serv Safe Program of the University of Asia and the Pacific last May 2006. He also serves as one of Francorp's top speakers on franchising and had represented Francorp as resource person for various local and international conferences and trade shows.

Gerardo C. Santiago
Operations Consultant

Mr. Santiago earned his bachelor's degree in Hotel and Restaurant Administration from the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City. His career in the fast food and service industry spans 14 years, as branch manager in various top fast food restaurant chains as well as a family hotel.

He started as shift manager at Kentucky Fried Chicken, then moved to Jollibee as shift manager where he was promoted to assistant store manager. He joined Texas Chicken thereafter where he was appointed Store Officer in Charge and moved up to become Store Manager in six months. In addition, he worked as Shift Manager for Victoria Court Hotel. His latest stint before joining Francorp was in Greenwich, where he worked as Assistant Managing Director and concurrently, Store Manager of the Harrison Plaza branch.

Rica V. Roca
Operations Consultant

Her experience in the retail and clothing industry started in college where she majored in Clothing Technology at the University of the Philippines. An extensive career in retail management for top-notch retailers ensued, with stints as Merchandising Manager for The Black Shop's I2I and MIX and as Retail Operations Manager of Collezione where she ran the gamut of product selection, procurement, pricing, distribution, promotions and monitoring that beefed up the company's performance. She later moved on to become Buyer and Designer for Cinderella's, supervising the house brands of their Children's and Toy Section. Her most recent stint was at Shopwise, where she managed the Children's Wear and Accessories Department. Creative and prolific, she continues to design apparel and accessories for ladies, men and children in her spare time.

Christine S. Casanova, C.F.E.
Marketing Consultant

For over ten years, she has handled Francorp's marketing strategy and lead generation program as well as evaluates businesses for their franchise potential. She has spearheaded the company's numerous marketing activities including franchise seminars, expos, events and strategic alliances with various sectors and organizations. In addition, Ms. Casanova developed franchise marketing programs and strategies for Francorp clients, including franchise marketing plans, roll-out and launching plans as well as franchise brochures/tools. Part of her Francorp client services work entails providing support services on IPO application assistance, mall relations, strategic linkages; industry and competitor researches. She has conducted trainings and seminars in the field of franchise sales, marketing and customer service.

She joined the International Franchise Expo 2002 in New Orleans, USA and in 2002 she trained in Francorp, Chicago, USA on franchise sales and marketing on the same year. She took the SME Retail Store Management Seminar-Workshop in Indonesia in October, 2001. In 2008, she completed her Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) title under the CFE Program of the PFA held at the Asian Institute of Management.

A Communications Arts graduate of the University of the Philippines, College of Mass Communications, where she was a consistent College Scholar and awarded the Best Thesis for her batch, she is now pursuing her MBA at the De La Salle University. She has 25 years of work experience in the field of project management, information and communication, including 8 years with Philippine Information Agency, as well stints with international organizations and Japanese media. She is the Editorial and Marketing Consultant of Franchise Gazette, a regular franchise publication of Francorp and was an active part of the initial development of Francorp's selling arm called the Global Franchise Marketing Inc., Franchise Link Asia and at present, Franchise Sales and Management Inc.

Phoebe Sara U. Cortez
Marketing Services Manager

Ms. Cortez took up Literature at the University of Sto.Tomas. She began her career in public relations and media, first at the Women's Journal, then as Assistant Editor for Vanity Magazine. Prior to Francorp, she worked as Allied Business Manager handling product and business development for Incuse Business Solutions, an IBM and Microsoft Value Partner providing I.T. solutions and consultancy. Some of the projects she managed were Cash Rewards with Smart Money and Total Solutions, membership and sales for golf clubs and resorts such as Club Punta Fuego, as well as POS consolidation and CRM for some of the leading malls and property developers in Metro Manila, leveraging complementary technologies such as SMS, Web and Helpdesk facilities for enhancing sales and customer service bottomlines of clients. As MIS consultant and Documentation Specialist, she has conducted business process reviews for the Metro Manila Development Authority, PHILSEN, National Corn Board and microfinance institutions.

At Francorp, she undertakes the Franchise Sales and Marketing Programs for clients by organizing sales trainings, developing marketing strategies and plans, franchise marketing materials and tools development as well as handles research, documentation and client support services.