For Rica Penalosa, failure was never a reason to stop—it was fuel to push forward.
“Pag may failure, tayo lang, gawa ulit,” she says. “Lahat pag may chance, grab mo yung chance na yun.”
Penalosa, the founder of Ate Rica’s Bacsilog, built her business from the ground up despite setbacks, doubts, and criticism. Instead of letting failures discourage her, she used them as inspiration to move forward.
“Kasi yung mga failures ko before, yan yung ginawa kong inspirasyon para mapunta ako yung pupuntahan ko,” she explains.
She also refused to let negative opinions define her success. Throughout her journey, people questioned her choices and underestimated her potential. But instead of listening to them, she ignored the noise.
“Yung mga sinasabi ng tao kasi malakas maka-demoralize, di ba? Hindi ko pinapansin yun. Wala akong pakialam sa kanila,” she says. Even her mother noticed her resilience, calling her someone who just doesn’t care what others think.
But for Penalosa, it wasn’t about being indifferent—it was about focusing on what truly mattered.
“Iniisip ko at nasa puso ko rin iyon, kasi kung hindi ko iniisip yun, hindi ko maipa-practice yun eh, di ba? Hindi ko maitatama iyon.”
Her strong-willed personality and background as a student leader shaped her approach to life and business.
“Hindi ako ganun eh. Kung baga sa strong ng personality ko, nasanay ako nung student leader ako, laban lang ako ng laban hanggang sa makuha ko yung gusto ko,” she shares.
Even though she didn’t finish college, she never saw it as an obstacle.
“Ang di ko lang nakuha yung hindi ako naka graduate ng college. Pero okay lang ako. Hindi yun naging hindrance para di ako kumilos.”
Running a business on her own wasn’t easy, but she embraced the challenge.
“Imagine niyo ako lang nagta-trabaho, tapos nakayanan ko po lahat ng iyon,” she says.
For Penalosa, women are natural multitaskers—capable of doing many things at once.
“Ganun ata talaga ang babae, parang may kakambal na octopus, kung baga ang daming kamay na pwedeng gamitin.”
Her story proves that resilience, persistence, and an unstoppable mindset can turn failures into stepping stones toward success.
This article includes quotes from an interview originally published by Esquire Philippines, authored by Henry Ong.
