Desperate to get a college education, he stowed away on a Manila-bound boat with nothing but his school records and P50 to his name. Finding himself in a foreign land with no job, no friends, and no roof over his head, he resorted to living in Quirino Grandstand and selling cigarettes to feed himself and save up for college tuition. Little did he know that being a takatak boy would uncover his latent talent for sales and teach him customer targeting, territory planning, value-added services, the tingi system, and product sourcing — things that would prove essential in his career. After scrounging up enough money, he attended and eventually graduated from Manuel L. Quezon University (MLQU) with honors. After a brief stint selling dinnerware, he entered the pharmaceutical sector by joining Astra (now AstraZeneca), where he rapidly rose through the ranks and collected award after award. With 21 years of service under his belt, he departed AstraZeneca to hold key positions in pharmaceuticals like OEP, Altermed Corporation, Multicare Pharmaceutical Philippines, and New Marketlink Pharmaceutical. In all these companies, he created a culture that focused on shared vision and values, as well as the continuous development of people. This company culture became pivotal in smashing sales records, at one point generating over P1 billion in sales. Now 65 years old, Cesar has opted out of retirement and instead decided to pay it forward by establishing his own pharmaceutical company. Borrowing a quote from the visionary Steve Jobs, he says: "You cannot connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future." Cesar’s unconventional background and unwavering determination drive CSGC forward and fuel its passion to pay it forward to the communities we want to touch.