However, his companies later dominated other sectors, such as travel, petrochemicals, energy, and banking, too. His presence is very much felt., Where John usually is, instead, is at home with the woman he married 58 years ago, as he was plying the import trade in his native Cebu, pre-JG Summit. The PLDT group later bought the company for $1.7 billion. A A. Cebu Pacific is currently headed by Presidentand CEO Lance Gokongwei, presumptive heir of John Gokongwei, the chairmanemeritus of JG Summit.With a company slogan, "It's time . This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Everybody called him Big John, but we his family, siblings and wife Elizabeth called him Iya, which means Lovable Baby. My father John Gokongwei, Sr. died when he was only 34, my mother was a very pretty, 30-year-old widow. From there Cebu Pacific was born. All the Gokongwei children work actively for their family business group. If not, just play around, play around! while all the nurses AND physicians were there surrounding him. Gokongwei was the founder and chairman of JG Summit Holdings, which owns . It introduced Blend 45, its own brand of instant coffee. John then pursued her for marriage for 4 years. Initially, he dealt in second-hand goods imported from the U.S., but after his family joined in, he started dealing in beverages and cigarettes, too. His remains will be at Heritage Park, Taguig City, until Thursday. His nephew Patrick Henry Go, president and CEO of JG Summit Petrochemicals Group, shared a memory of witnessing an animated late afternoon meeting between his late dad Henry Go and Gokongwei on whether to further expand their diverse businesses. Another lesson in business: Always be humble, Mr. John admonished. In 2013, his company bought the stake of San Miguel Corporation in Meralco, the largest power distributor in the country, for close to $1.8 billion. A decade later Lisa would launch Summit Media, this time acquiring no newspapers, just nonpolitical magazines and websites. ), As they prepare for the leadership shift, Robinas eldest son, a senior studying chemistry at New York University, will likely be the first member of the third generation to join. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Gokongwei is survived by his wife of 61 years, Elizabeth, and his children Robina, Lance, Lisa, Faith, Hope and Marcia; siblings Eddie, James Go and Lily; in-laws and grandchildren. "We need blood and sweat and hard work to make the Philippine economy compete globally, for our family businesses to be world class in this era of globalization. I couldnt have said it any better. The following year, JG Summit launched the green tea brand C2, thus revolutionizing the beverages market of the country, which was controlled by cola companies back then. She was 85. We must compete not just with rhetoric and words. She used to be in the corporate world for a decade but followed her heart and became a writer. Well look at the financial statements for you, Lance on dad John Gokongwei: Why he always had food in his pocket and loved to fly cheap, /ancx/food-drink/recommended-bars/03/02/23/a-jazz-bar-just-opened-inside-makati-cinema-square, /ancx/culture/art/03/01/23/kids-of-top-artists-showcase-works-alongside-their-dads, /ancx/culture/spotlight/02/28/23/a-first-look-at-lazadas-new-cafeteria-style-office-in-bgc, /ancx/culture/spotlight/02/28/23/cebu-pacs-smile-mag-is-back-with-new-younger-design, /ancx/style/necessary-style/02/27/23/the-union-x-jordan-1-low-ajko-collab-is-a-crowd-pleaser. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. That was one week before he passed. Every Sunday afternoon John Gokongwei Jr.s six adult children and sometimes all 12 grandchildren gather at the patriarchs home in Pasig, a city in Metro Manila, for lunch and a session of tsismis (gossip). The airline is a subsidiary of JG Summit Holdings, controlled by the Gokongwei family - one of the richest Filipino- Chinesefamilies based in the Philippines. On his mothers side, his grandfather was the immigrant tycoon and Iloilo Chinese community leader Pedro Marquez Lim. I said, If they can make a lot of money, so can I. He hired operators, the beginnings of Universal Robina. Lance is the president and CEO of JG Summit. It offered a detailed account of Johns life and struggles. Justin recalled: Angkong told me that he was only 13 years old when he had to start working for the sake of the family., Justin also shared that in April or May this year, Gokongwei told him: I want to see you in the family business before I die. Love your country. Elizabeth's father owned a hardware store back then. CEBUANO tycoon John Gokongwei Jr. died on Saturday night, Nov. 9, 2019. Big Johns life story is no ordinary rags-to-riches because he actually once came from a wealthy clan. He then asked me: You have girlfriend? Tycoon John Gokongwei Jr., who is turning 90 by August next year, has made his mark in corporate Philippines as the founder of JG Summit Holdings, a conglomerate seen to have benefited and yet to . He was a pioneer and staunch advocate of Philippine industrialization. John Gokongwei Jr. We have to look for opportunities if we're going to survive the next 50 years. But hed always remind me that one should not worry about defeat. JG Summits Digital Telecommunications Philippines (Digitel) had been the first there to launch unlimited mobile texting. In 1961, he established Consolidated Food Corporation (later known as CFC Corporation, which later merged with Universal Robina Corporation), which launched its instant coffee brand Blend 45. Gokongwei was born in China to John Gokongwei Sr. and Juanita Mrquez Lim. Until October John Gokongwei would participate in these executive committee meetings, but after a brief illness he stopped coming to the office. All Rights Reserved. Hes not there, but hes there, says Robina. With a loan of 500 thousand pesos from Albino Sycip, then chairman of China Bank, and Dee K. Chiong, he started a corn milling plant producing glucose and corn starch. Yet after seven years of operating at a loss, Digitel was sold in a share swap in 2011 to Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT), one of the countrys two telecom giants (JG Summit now owns an 8% stake). The Bachelor of Science in Management major in Communications Technology Management Program is a 4 year degree (including 3 summer semesters) program of the John Gokongwei School of Management. You give birth to it, you nurture it, you raise it through problems, crisis, good times, bad times. Johns eldest daughter, Robina, has been serving as the operations head and COO of Robinsons Retail Holdings, Inc. (which owns the Robinsons Malls) since 2002. But fambiz can succeed despite the odds, according to fambiz expert Dr. Queena N. Lee-Chua. Back then, when I was a little boy, Angkong always beat me in swimming. Below is a letter Lance wrote for his two children, Hannah and Jacob, sharing the greatest lessons he learned from his father. John Gokongwei Jr. built JG Summit into one of the, biggest conglomerates in the Philippines. Elizabeth had actively supported her husband in all his endeavors. John Gokongwei Jr., owner of Cebu Pacific, died on Nov. 9 at the age of 93, according to a statement from the airline. At the end were good soldiers., As the only son Lance was groomed to take over the business. President and CEO of JG Summit Holdings Inc. Chairman of the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation, Inc. He never gave up in what he believed in, always took risks, and continuously learned new things. Yesterday morning, Friday, at Heritage Park in Taguig City, Justin Pe paid his last respects to his departed grandfather, the industrialist John Gokongwei Jr. with a heartfelt eulogy both touching and funny. The Chippy pillow was a product that we sold at Toys R Us last year, along with the Chiz Curls pillow. We have to look for opportunities if were going to survive the next 50 years. However, following his fathers death, John and his family lost all their wealth. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. He was 93 years old at the time of his death. It was at this moment that I realized that we had lost more than an uncle and a boss; sometimes we are just too close to the situation that we dont see the forest for the trees. John always went for the best; he liked to take on challenges. On Gokongweis pioneering heavy industry project of petrochemicals for the Philippines, Go said: One of our guests last night found out that I was handling petrochemicals and told me this was Mr. Johns baby and he was very proud of it. [4], Gokongwei was born in Manila, as the second of six children. Gokongwei married Elizabeth Yu in 1958 and had six children (one son and five daughters) Lisa, Robina, Lance, Faith, Hope and Marcia. Years of hard work, discipline and brilliant strategic thinking made the entrepreneur into the countrys undisputed Snack Foods King with his Jack n Jill brands, a visionary industrialist and founder of many other progressive enterprises under JG Summit Holdings, Inc. Gokongwei pioneered the budget airline concept, which made Philippine airline travel affordable, with Cebu Pacific Air. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. July 20, 2020. Mr. John Gokongwei, Jr. November 14, 2019. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Copyright 2023. You may have passed away, but your legacy will live on. He also owned Robinsons Retail Holdings, Inc. and Robinsons Land Corporation. Johns children have held senior responsibilities for some time: Lance runs Summits airline, Cebu Air, and the groups food-and-beverage outfit, Universal Robina, where youngest sister, Marcia, is a manager. His father died when Gokongwei was only age 13. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Often, as a journalist, I am asked how can I be so calm and composed even when the worst things in life happen right in front Pinas, kinondena ballistic missile test ng North Korea. Within six months, he says, he managed to drive the price of cornstarch down by 50%. This was very tiring, but he endured it all to send his siblings to school in China. A decade later, he attended a 14-week advanced management program at Harvard University.[5]. So, he saved up and was able to reach nearby towns to sell it. He recalls bowing to the imperial soldiers. I admired and liked him very much. [13], "Our world seemed to turn upside-down," Gokongwei said, as he faced the greatest challenge of his career. It does not store any personal data. He returned to the Philippines to workliterally at his brothers elbow, in their tight office space. Khanser's book also enumerated the Nine Rules of business success[8] that Gokongwei followed since he was still a young businessman. He would also say: Keep working hard and just stay humble. He advised me to study hard. In 1977, Gokongwei earned his Master of Business Administration from De La Salle University. . Whenever he gave opinions, he was never condescending but always humble., Years ago, when Justin was 11 years old, he was made to work in the familys Toys R Us store during summer. Gokongwei is married to Jay Leong. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. I was nine then, and hed make beating me look so damn easy. His great-grandfather, Chinese immigration Pedro Gotiaco, rose from being an oil peddler to become proprietor of Gotiaco Hermanos, then the largest enterprise in trading and insurance in Cebu. Using a small boat, he would trade goods from Cebu to Manila and vice versa. The family would shuttle back and forth between China and the Philippines, but the fortune was lost when Gotiaoco's grandson, John Gokongwei Sr. passed away prematurely. John's great-grandfather, Pedro Gotiaoco, was among the original rags-to-riches stories in the Philippines. He was asking me about the sales of Great Taste Coffee and I said, Were up based on recent data. He had a very big smile. His response took me aback. Johns father belonged to an affluent family from Cebu (in the Philippines), and his ancestors lived in China's Southern Fujian province. In 2003, John launched his telecom company, Digital Telecommunications Philippines, which invested almost $800 million to establish its mobile carrier, Sun Cellular, the third-largest mobile operator in the country back then. I have been part of this company for almost a decade now (2yrs to go), and I am proud to still be here to celebrate one of its biggest milestones, its 20th He then finished his last two years in Singapore. Business tycoon John Gokongwei Jr., the founder and chairman emeritus of one of the country's top conglomerates JG Summit Holdings Inc. has passed away. Andrew Gotianun Sr. was a distant relative of John. UIC controls Singapore Land, one of the biggest property landlords in Singapore. Never stop learning And always look back and be grateful to where you came from. It is now the biggest player in the ready-to-drink tea and cup noodles business and the second-largest in the coffee sector in the Philippines. To our beloved Angkong, the one true genius, extraordinary family man, and philanthropist, thank you for everything. [12], Then tragedy struck, when in February 1998, two years after the company's inception, Cebu Pacific Flight 387 slammed into a mountainside, killing all 104 people aboard. He built a massive empire consisting of businesses in sectors such as food, beverage, clothing, aviation, telecommunications, banking, energy, petrochemicals, and livestock farming. While part of Gokongweis office at the Robinsons Equitable Tower in the Ortigas district of Pasig showcases photographs of him with the likes of former president Benigno Aquino III and Imelda Marcos, Gokongwei says hes stayed away from political entanglements. Fortunately, he found the light at the end of the tunnel when China Banks Dr. Albino Sycip gave him a P500,000 loan. [6] This included humility, never acting like hes entitled, andbecause hes singleto play around. By 1957, John realized that trading would not earn him much profits. His other. Gokongwei (pictured) was survived by his wife of 61 years, Elizabeth, and his children Robina, Lance (president and chief executive of JG Summit), Lisa, Faith, Hope and Marcia. Johns family is now in charge of more than $20 billion of the total market capitalization for all the companies owned by them. At the age of 17, Big John rediscovered his familys love for trading and expanded his business. In speeches hes recalled being driven by a chauffeur and living in a big house. Life changed suddenly and drastically when Gokongwei was 13 and his father died of typhoid fever. Together the brothers expanded into new business ventures as the elder, intuitive Gokongwei saw opportunities and James kept a detailed eye on the balance sheet, R&D and quality control. Philstar Global Corp. All Rights Reserved. Robina Gokongwei-Pe, the eldest daughter, runs Robinsons Retail Holdings, the second-largest retailer in the Philippines. Top row: John, Elizabeth, and daughter Robina. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. About Gokongwei's youngest brother, JG chairman, James Go received 174,942 shares. Doing business was easier [than chasing her down].. When I saw my wife for the first time, she was 17 and I was 23 or 24, says Gokongwei. He soon realized he could do more if he had a bicycle. He had to close down. (Tan went on to start his own diverse conglomerate, LT Groupwith a market cap of $4 billion and no interests in cornstarch.). He and his family thus focused on manufacturing. John Gokongwei was married to Elizabeth Yu from 1958 until his death in 2019. It was sufficiently successful that another production line was required to meet demand. The eldest grandson of John L. Gokongwei, Jr. and son of Robinsons Retail Holdings president Robina Gokongwei-Pe, the New York University-educated, 24-year-old Justin G. Pe shared his. James got accepted to Massachusetts Institute of Technology and earned a degree in chemical engineering. He was 93. On dating, Angkong actually asked me: Do you have a girlfriend? I replied: No. He then advised me: Alright, play around, play around., What were Gokongweis pieces of advice to his grandson? - A A +. Lance Y. Gokongwei is the President and Chief Operating Officer of JGSHI. [13] Gokongwei's great-grandfather was a half brother of Gotianun's grandfather. John initially served the basic-needs market, with his branded snacks, sugar, noodles, beverages, poultry, hotels, condos, and clothing. Front row: Daughters Faith and Marcia Photo by FROM T&C PH. [11], In 1996, Lance Gokongwei was tasked by his father, John, Jr., to take on the challenge of building a new affordable airline, Cebu Pacific Air. He took a loan of 500 thousand pesos from Albino Sycip, who was the chairman of China Bank back then, and Dee K. Chiong. My Angkongs journey was a journey of pure grit. He has holdings in telecommunications, financial services, petrochemicals, power generation, aviation and live stock . One day he noticed that my grades were slipping. From 2003, his telecom company Digital Telecommunications Philippines spent nearly $800 million for its mobile carrier, Sun Cellular, which was the third-largest mobile operator in the Philippines at that time before selling to the PLDT group for $1.7 billion. 1! Angkong also always gave me stock advice. The Gokongwei Family in Cebu, 1938. . The Philippines late Snack Food King, petrochemicals and budget airline pioneer John L. Gokongwei, Jr. was one of Southeast Asias most respected self-made business leaders and philanthropists when he died at age 93 on Nov. 9. Lance followed his fathers pattern: He recruited operating talent. Success Story of John Gokongwei Success Story of John Gokongwei "We need blood and sweat and hard work to make the Philippine economy compete globally, for our family businesses to be world class in this era of globalization. Do you have a girlfriend wealthy clan a half brother of Gotianun 's grandfather tight office space tea and noodles. Later Lisa would launch Summit Media, this time acquiring no newspapers, just magazines... October John Gokongwei would participate in these executive committee meetings, but after a brief he... The ready-to-drink tea and cup noodles business and the second-largest in the ``! Generation, aviation and live stock cebuano tycoon John Gokongwei would participate in executive. Telecommunications Philippines ( Digitel ) had been the first there to launch unlimited mobile texting 50... Continuously learned new things that Gokongwei followed since he was still a young businessman from to! 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