Dingdong Dantes, a 40-year-old model and actor known for dozens of popular films and TV series, is opening new doors for entertainment industry workers who lost their jobs amid the pandemic.
Dingdong whose real name is Jose Sixto Raphael Gonzalez Dantes III, together with several investors and partners, put up a local technology company that aims to compete in the delivery service and e-commerce sectors dominated by other Southeast Asian players.
“When the pandemic hit, it dramatically changed our way of life, requiring us to depend more and more on technology. This proved to be the right time and opportunity for Dingdong to help and build back lives of families and communities,” says Dantes, the co-founder and chief executive of Doorbell Technologies Inc., the company behind Dingdong Delivery and Dingdong E-commerce.
It is not the first time Dantes, who is married to fellow actor Marian River, headed a business or organization. In fact, he is the founding chairman of YesPinoy Foundation and manages his own film studio called AgostoDos Pictures.
He says the formation of Dingdong by Doorbell Technologies amid the pandemic aims to provide opportunities to those who lost their sources of income.
“Our initial rider partners are displaced workers from the entertainment industry, and we wanted not only to provide them employment, but also professionalize the delivery service segment by providing comprehensive training in various disciplines,” he says.
He says he wants to provide the same opportunities he received from people who helped him finish college and create a name in the entertainment industry.
“I was born and raised without the silver spoon, but I was raised by hardworking parents. I am the eldest of five children, and there were times that my parents would fall short of budget for school. But we are extremely blessed to have relatives and friends who would tell my parents to carry on, who would volunteer to pay the tuition of their children,” he says.
“I became a scholar of so many people, and that is how I finished school. And they did this without thinking twice. They were not expecting anything in return. If there was anything they wanted, it is for us to become successful in life and use the opportunity given us to help and become a better person,” says Dantes, who studied in San Beda University, West Negros University and Ateneo de Manila University. He has Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, Major in Marketing.
“I have also seen this generosity from the people who trusted me in the entertainment industry. They have seen my potential and entrusted me with projects that not only paved the way for me to be where I am now, but also transformed our lives in many ways. From being a dancer and entertainer, I have learned a lot of things from being an actor, director and story teller,” he says.
Dantes committed to help his siblings finish college and provide opportunities to others. Eleven years ago, he established YesPinoy Foundation to do just that.
“People opened their doors for me. And I have personally experienced how these opportunities, when used properly, can help improve lives. With God’s grace, all of my siblings graduated from college. One of them is with YesPinoy Foundation and another is with Doorbell Technologies,” he says.
“The anchor of everything is stemming from YesPinoy foundation. The group has been one of my avenues to help in opening doors for Filipinos, especially the youth. Through education and capacity development in disaster preparedness, climate action and responsible citizenship, we have empowered more than 3.6 million leaders in communities nationwide,” he says.
Dantes says that when the pandemic happened, “we realized that time is already ripe to open new doors to other members of society, and that is by providing sustainable livelihood opportunities,” he says.
It started with a delicate flower arrangement that needed to be delivered on time and undamaged. In 2019, his wife Marian needed help in delivering flowers for her shop Flora Vida. As the product was meant for a family friend, Dantes decided to step up and do the delivery himself. He recalled how he handled the package with utmost care and mindfulness that it sparked the idea for Dingdong.
A year later, Dantes, together with friends who would eventually become his business partners, decided to pursue the idea and provide last-mile delivery service and technology solutions to individuals, businesses and communities.
They teamed up with software enterprise solutions company Multisys Technologies Corp. led by David Almirol Jr. to launch Dingdong.
“As Dingdong evolved, we realized we could do more than professionalizing riders and empowering merchants,” says Dantes. “By offering a web of solutions that is user-friendly and efficient, we enable more businesses and create more jobs, transforming lives through technology and excellent service on a much larger scale.”
“Taking inspiration from my delivery experience in the flower shop of my wife, we started by working with riders from the entertainment industry because they need to be a part of this to help us urgently. The entertainment industry was among the most affected by the pandemic. I personally witnessed how my industry suffered from the crisis. I have lots of colleagues and friends who lost their jobs,” he says.
“But I also saw opportunities from the delivery service industry which provided the backbone to the economy. Delivery service riders stepped in and stepped up by becoming our economic frontliners. Until now, they are the ones who travel in the street to deliver our essential and even non-essential needs. I am certain that our delivery service men and women will continue to be a very important work force of the economy,” he says.
Dingdong’s pilot service now has about 100 delivery riders. “We envision to have around 5,000 trained and active riders all throughout the Philippines in the next three to five years. Our goal is to have around 4,000 active merchants who have a significant progress in terms of their bottomline in the next three to five years,” he says.
Dantes says the delivery service generated double-digit growth on a monthly basis since it entered the pilot stage last year. “We have already generated tens of thousands of deliveries for our merchants. On a month-on-month basis, we have 40-percent growth per month through our deliveries,” he says.
“Our goal is to have an ROI [return on investment] in less than three years so that we can grow our business according to our mission,” Dantes says.
Dantes says Dingdong aims to launch more products, services and solutions in the coming months. “As Dingdong evolved, we realized we could do more than professionalizing riders and empowering merchants,” he says.