MANILA – Consumer habits have drastically changed over the years.
In the Philippines, households opt for smaller items that are easiest to use, like by pressing buttons, or can do more than one task, like a cooker than can also be a steamer or can bake.
The household final consumption expenditure data of the Philippine Statistics Authority for the second quarter of 2026 showed that after food and non-alcoholic beverages at 36.3 percent, housing, water, electricity gas and other fuels followed at 15 percent; and miscellaneous goods and services at 13.8 percent.
Such data are useful to companies, like Filipino-owned appliance maker Hanabishi, which turned 40 years this year.
The Ong family entered the market in 1986, the same year when People Power erupted.
These days, the political scene is tense once again but Hanabishi executives, children of founders Jose and Conchita Ong, refuse to be affected.
“We’re apolitical. We are not friends with anyone in the government,” Hanabishi president and chief executive officer Jasper Ong said in a recent round table discussion with the media in Taguig City.
What the company is focused on is the evolving needs of Filipino consumers and how the company can adapt.
Ong admitted online sellers and the vast China market initially affected their sales. But they were right: Consumers eventually made their way back to them.
“Our products’ performance and after-sales service will never be matched by online sellers,” Ong said.
One of the biggest changes that Hanabishi executives have observed over the past four decades is how consumers make purchasing decisions.
“Consumers now are very intelligent. They research online, compare prices, see different brands, hear stories from friends, and look up reviews,” Candice Ong-Ang, Hanabishi vice president for operations, said.
“This shift has also affected how we develop products. We pay closer attention to consumer research and emerging lifestyle trends.”
The expanding product line is one of the ways why the homegrown brand has remained relevant for four decades — from a single flat iron in 1986 to hundreds of product models and more than 2,500 outlets nationwide.
“One product, one dream and the belief that every Filipino home deserves reliable, quality essentials, no matter how small they started. From helping families for work or school, we then brought in fans to handle the summer heat, added kitchen staples, and eventually expanded to big items like TVs, chest freezers and air-cons,” Ong said.
Hanabishi is repaying the trust of consumers through long-term social responsibility and community development programs.
One of the brand’s long-time partners in community service is the GMA Kapuso Foundation (GMAKF) of the mass communication giant.
“Our achievement goes beyond the product. We have also made it a point to help those in need. We are not just here as a company, but as an establishment that gives back to the community,” Cherish Ong-Chua, Hanabishi vice president for marketing and finance, said.
Rikki Catibog, executive vice president and chief operating officer of GMAKF, said they have been working with Hanabishi for the past 14 years.
“Beginning in 2012, Hanabishi donated appliances to those who were devastated by the consecutive super typhoons in Iligan. GMA Kapuso Foundation has also built close to 500 schools all over the Philippines and most of these classrooms are blessed with Hanabishi appliances,” Catibog said in a statement.
Jevon Ong, Hanabishi vice president for purchasing and merchandising, said the company will count on its employees and loyal customers to continue their story for the next 40 years.
“We hope Hanabishi continues to be blessed, so that we can continue to be a blessing to even more people. That simple wish captures the heart of our mission,” he said.
“One shared value (from our parents): Integrity. They always taught us, ‘work hard, be honest, and never ruin the family name.’ We try to live by those words of wisdom every single day.” (PNA)
