MANILA, Philippines, 30 Oct 2026 — It started with a rented apartment and a borrowed truck. Today, Mr. Freeze runs a nationwide network of strategically located manufacturing plants and has become a staple in homes and businesses across the country. For more than two decades, the company has delivered more than ice. Under Founder and CEO Mr. Gerald “Gerry” Santos, known to many as the “Ice King,” it has also delivered resilience, dedication, and a lasting impact on the communities it serves.
That journey is now in the spotlight. Mr. Santos and the next generation of the company’s leaders appear on the cover of Top News Asia’s October 2026 issue. To mark the feature, the magazine held a signing event this afternoon at the National Book Store SM North EDSA branch, where crowds, fans, and business enthusiasts gathered to meet the family behind the brand.
Built on People, Not Just Ice
Ice is the product, but the company’s foundation is something warmer: perseverance, relationships, and long-standing partnerships. After years of running day-to-day operations himself, Mr. Santos is gradually handing responsibility to his children, so that the family business continues smoothly.
Janina Santos-Ortico, Gerry Santos, Grace Bondad Nicolas, Albert Martinez, and Philip Santos
In his closing remarks at the event, he thanked his partners, friends, family, and employees, saying:
“Mr. Freeze grew with the business partners and we are still growing with them.”
Honoring What Was Built
For Philip ‘Iggy’ Santos, President of Mr. Freeze, taking on leadership means more than inheriting a successful company. It means respecting what he watched his father build from nothing. Speaking about how the business has changed, he said:
“Today, we’ve grown into a much larger organization, with more plants, more employees, and a more structured and professional approach. We are continuously improving how we operate, embracing new technologies, and developing our people to support the growth.”
Success Measured in Families
Janina Santos-Ortico, Chief Financial Officer and Head of Administration, agreed with her father and brother that the company’s real achievements go beyond sales figures, market reach, or the number of plants. For her, success is counted in people. She said:
“This year, we have just reached our 21st year in the business. For me, every year is considered a milestone because every year we employ more people, allowing us to support more families.”
The Next Chapter
The signing was both a celebration of the Santos family’s cover feature and a reminder of what Filipino entrepreneurship can achieve. As Mr. Freeze enters its third decade, the handover from founder to the next generation shows that a business built on hard work, family values, and care for people can last.
The October 2026 issue of Top News Asia is the magazine’s first three-cover edition: three covers, three generations, three stories, and one vision. One of them belongs to the Ice King, a legacy built on ice.
