Praise pours in from business, workers as family bares burial plans for ‘Mr. John’
PRAISE continued to pour in on Tuesday for industrialist John Gokongwei Jr., described as the founder of the first Philippine multinational conglomerate, who died on Saturday evening (November 9) at the age of 93.
In a statement, the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) said it “will always remember Mr. John Gokongwei for his business acumen and management qualities which steered the Gokongwei Group into remarkable growth through his foresight and exceptional ability to launch new ventures and transform existing ones to better adapt to challenging times and an unpredictable future.”
The MAP cited the late entrepreneur’s “contributions to national development, job creation and income generation through the Gokongwei Group’s huge investments in food manufacturing, real estate, air transportation, banking, petrochemicals, shopping malls, livestock farming, publications, power generation, power distribution and telecommunications.”
MAP called him “an entrepreneur par excellence and an exemplar of Filipino talent in management excellence for nation-building.”
Gokongwei, MAP said, inspired others for his “outstanding achievements attained from humble beginnings through hard work, perseverance, frugality and discipline.”
The 75,000 employees in the JG Summit Holdings and Robinsons Retail Holdings, now both helmed by his children, said they joined the nation “in paying tribute to the founder of the first Philippine multinational conglomerate, a philanthropist with a passion for education.”
The workers hailed the way Gokongwei inspired entrepreneurs and businessmen “with his pioneering ideas, his strong work ethic, his passion and perseverance.”
Under his leadership and unstinting hard work and passion, the Gokongwei Group today “is one of the country’s largest and most diversified conglomerates with interests in air transportation, telecommunications, banking, food, power, property, hospitality, retail and petrochemicals,” they added.
Gokongwei’s body lies in state at the Heritage Park in Taguig until Thursday (November 14) evening. He will be buried at 8 a.m. on Friday, also at Heritage Park. Daily masses have been set at 7 p.m.
The 93-year-old Cebuano died at the Manila Doctors’ Hospital on Saturday evening, leaving behind his wife of 61 years, Elizabeth, and children Robina, Lance, Lisa, Faith, Hope and Marcia; brothers Eddie and James Go; and sister Lily.