about us

         After the demise of his father, young Fred assumed the role of the head of the family trying daily to make both ends meet by doing odd jobs while his mother Soledad Macam Yao supported him and his five younger siblings by selling goods on the sidewalk.

Being the eldest in the brood of six, Fred had no choice but to live with his father’s best friend, whom he used to call as “uncle”. It was during his high school days that Fred experienced hardship to sleep because his uncle was hosting mahjong sessions in his house late at night and he could only go to bed when everybody was gone. But the good thing was, he would received balato (tips) everytime players would send him on errands.

     After finishing his high school, Fred decided to take a chemical engineering degree at the Mapua Institute of Technology. But with poverty still on his back, he was eventually forced to dropped out from college when he was on his sophomore.

     He then accepted menial jobs and even worked in a bodega. Confronted by this situation, his mother decided to apply for a loan at the country’s premiere development bank. Fred used the loan proceeds to purchase a printing machine for cellophane wrappers for candies and biscuits. He was only 17 years old that time and had to grew a mustache in order to look old enough to run a business.

     From there, the rest was history. As if spreading magic in all his business endeavors, all firms that composed the Zest-O group of companies are reportedly doing well. For the record, Fred owns, among others, a chain of printing and packaging businesses, juice and softdrink manufacturing, airline, food products, personal care products, middle class housing and banking. Setting aside his passion for the corporate world, Fred realized then the need to helping bright and financially strapped students particularly at the Northern Rizal Yorklin School (where he finished his secondary education). The philanthropist in him eventually extended to those who personally approached him for financial assistance particularly those in the pursuit of acquiring a college degree.