THE GOLD STANDARD

Did you know that the owner of the fastest-growing and leading pawnshop and remittance companies in the country isn't even into jewelry?

- LAI S. REYES

Angelita Castro, co-founder and chairman of the board of Palawan Group of Companies, has always lived a simple life. "I grew up in a military family," shares Angelita, who was a "Iskolur ng Bug/unl' "I have nine siblings. And so, the family lived from paycheck to paycheck." It was only when she and her husband Bobby Castro, founder and chairman of Palawan Group of Companies, entered the pawnshop business in 1985 that she literally "set her eyes on gold." Little did she know that it would change not just her life - but also that of others - for the better. MAKING INVESTING IN GOLD ACCESSIBLE TO ALL I met Angelita during the launch of Palawan Group of Companies' new product - the Palawan Gold -in Makati City. The Palawan Gold is a collection of affordable gold coins and bars designed to make investing in gold accessible to more Filipinos. Gold is universally valued as a stable, long-term investment, offering security and growth potential as it increases in value over time. Known for its resilience against inflation, gold is a reliable asset that helps preserve and potentially increase wealth. The Palawan Gold collection offers a stunning selection of investment-grade pieces, each inspired by Palawan's endemic birds and designed with future value growth in mind. The collection consists of the accessible one-gram Palawan Blue-Flycatcher; the two-gram Palawan Sunbird ; the three-gram Blue Paradise Flycatcher, and the five-gram Blue-headed Racquet-Tail. For those interested in a set, the six-gram Trio Set, which combines one-gram, two-g