Tan daughter calls for unity amid brother’s untimely death
Vivienne Tan, the daughter of taipan Lucio Tan with wife Carmen, called for unity – following the unexpected and sudden death of her brother Lucio “Bong” Tan Jr. – in what she described as their “peculiar family situation.”
Bong died of brain aneurysm on Monday, Nov. 11 at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center where he was rushed on Saturday, Nov. 9 after he collapsed in a basketball game in Mandaluyong.
During Bong’s wake at the Heritage Park on Wednesday night, Vivienne said in her eulogy that it was Bong’s wish to unite their father’s families.
Vivienne shared that Bong, who had a kind heart and was not a vindictive person, wished nothing more but to fix things among the families.
She shared that since his college days, Bong wanted to make things better for all of them, the whole Tan family.
“Since college, Bong wanted that everything be ‘maayos’ despite our peculiar family situation. Very few of you know that my brother goes to Baclaran every week to pray. I know having peace and harmony for our families were in his prayers,” Vivienne said.
She said that at the time of Bong’s passing he was at his peak working on uniting the families.
“He passed away at his peak, working on making things ‘maayos’ within our families. His ways might not always have been perfect, but his intentions were always pure,” she said.
Vivienne said she hopes Bong’s death would not be in vain and that the families would indeed be united.
“I now pray and ask that may his death not be in vain. His most fervent wish was for peace and harmony for all of us family members. As rumors go around these days about how things will be divided, my appeal to all sides who believe in our father’s legacy is for us to see and do things differently. This is not a time to start planning on whose side you will be, but on helping our families unite once and for all,” Vivienne said.
“Bong dreamed of stitching all of us families together in one united, peaceful whole,” she added.