Patriot-industrialist Jose ‘Joecon’ Concepcion Jr., 92

Jose Concepcion, Jr., founder of the election watchdog NAMFREL, former Secretary of Trade and Industry, and former Chairman of the Board of RFM Corporation, passed away today, March 6, 2024.

Joecon was the epitome of the patriot-industrialist. He believed in the Philippines’s ability to achieve economic development that was inclusive and pro-Filipino. Under his guidance, RFM embarked on a path of diversification, venturing into animal feed milling, poultry, and livestock, and obtaining the license from American company Swift to produce processed meats in the Philippines. These propelled RFM to establish itself as one of the leading food and beverage conglomerates in the Philippines. Staying true to its vision of putting food on every Filipino table, RFM offered products that were mass-based, high-quality and low cost.

As a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1971, he championed constitutional principles that would democratize the nation’s capital base to allow Filipino manufacturers to thrive.

Joecon was a master at inspiring ordinary citizens to action, appropriating aphorisms and leading by example. During the 1986 snap Presidential elections, he moved thousands of ordinary Filipinos to join NAMFREL (National Citizens Movement for Free Elections), invoking that, “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” As Secretary of Trade and Industry, he rallied Filipinos to support local industries by saying, “Yes, the Filipino can.” As a detainee during Martial Law, he organized his fellow detainees to take turns with chores and keep order inside their cell block.

Even in retirement, he worked as the Barangay Captain of Forbes Park, famously alighting from his vehicle one night to direct traffic himself and unravel a gridlock. As a civic leader, among his early crusades was to help reform Pasay City through the formation of the Pasay Citizens League for Good Government. He was one of the founders of Capitol Jaycees, the BishopBusinessmen Conference for Human Development, the ASEAN Chambers of Commerce and Industry, as well as the annual search for the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines.

Joecon was a scholarly enthusiast. In addition to his Associate’s Degree in Commercial Science from De La Salle University, he also obtained a Bachelor’s Degree from the Araneta University, majoring in soils and agricultural sciences. He was the first to use radio-isotopes in the Philippines, applying it as a mechanism to find out how much phosphorus was needed in fertilizers to encourage growth. He later published a paper on “Radio-isotope Phosphorus in Plants”.

Joecon lived his life in adherence to his principles: that the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

Joecon is survived by his wife, the former Maria Victoria Araneta, his eight children and his 31 grandchildren, and his twin brother, Raul.

Public viewing will start on March 7 (4 p.m. to 10 p.m.) and from March 8 to 10 (1 p.m. to 10 p.m.) at the Chapel 4&5 of Heritage Memorial Park in Taguig City. A Requiem Mass will be offered on March 11 (Monday) at 1:30 p.m. at the Santuario de San Antonio Parish Church, Forbes Park, Makati City.