Zenaida R. Tantoco (1947 – 2024)
The late Zenaida R. Tantoco was unique. Dignified and proper, she was a gracious lady of the old school, a lady of few words. She let action speak for itself. She accomplished what an ordinary mortal cannot achieve in several lifetimes. She leaves a legacy and sets an example worthy of emulation by all Filipinos—in business, in culture and the arts, in philanthropy, in creativity, and in hard work.
We had worked together as trustees of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) for close to 20 years, ending only when her father Ambassador Bienvenido Tantoco passed away in 2021 and she had to assume greater responsibilities. Ever the conscientious and serious lady, her interventions were well considered, all straight to the point, applying to cultural management the approach of the focused, objective-oriented business leader that she was.
She was the major private supporter of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO), raising funds and personally contributing to the upgrading of orchestra instruments, contributing to the training of musicians, sponsoring scholarships, assisting in the orchestra’s performances in faraway lands. She did all these quietly, with no fanfare. It was only by accident that I, a frequent seatmate in CCP meetings, learned how massive her support was. Truly Nedy was the unheralded private sector patron of Filipino musical talent.
Nedy was a lover of opera, the most challenging and expensive of musical forms, requiring the most accomplished classical singers who can act, choruses, dancers, an orchestra, set and costume designers and makers. She was unfazed and successfully marshalled the considerable artistic, technical, and ĸnancial resources necessary to present to appreciative audiences, most recently the glorious works of Donizetti and Puccini, Lucia di Lammermoor and Turandot.
We worked together on those productions. I was president of Filipinas Opera Society Foundation, Inc. and she exerted her considerable charm to persuade our board to co-sponsor with her and the CCP the two spectaculars. That inspired us to invite Nedy to join the Filipinas Opera Board, to which she immediately agreed, no questions asked. It is a bittersweet memory that opera was the subject of our ĸnal conversation. I texted her to join a small opera-discussion dinner and she replied she couldn’t attend because she was ill. That was on Feb. 4, four days before she passed away. As if that were not enough, she was presenting to us in the coming week from the great beyond yet another concert with the incomparable Cecile Licad.
In business, she has long been head of the Rustan Group of Companies that is into a wide range of enterprises ranging from the finer things in life to the best in real estate. If I stay awake the morning after a late night, it’s thanks to Starbucks. If I write smoothly (though not legibly), am mostly on time for appointments, look reasonably presentable, and smell fairly well, it’s all thanks to Rustan’s. And if I am thanked profusely by brides and grooms, it’s because of the wonders of Rustan’s offerings and wedding register.
Many of us have enjoyed the hospitality of Nedy. Her dinners were works of art, with the best in china, silver, linen, glassware, Ĺowers, entertainment, ambiance. She was Manila’s answer to Washington’s Perle Mesta, the US Ambassador to Luxembourg, the “hostess with the mostess” of the 1960s.
Nedy was just as total in civic, philanthropic, and spiritual work. As president of Club Bulakenyo, she inspired and helped improve the lives of her province mates. As long-time
Truly Nedy was the unheralded private sector patron of Filipino musical talent.
president of the Philippine-italian Association, she strengthened the relationship between the Philippines and Italy, where more than 100,000 Filipinos live and work. She headed the Tantoco-rustia Foundation and she was a moving spirit behind the National Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Makati’s San Antonio Village, a project she personally saw to completion.
Zenaida R. Tantoco will be missed. She will be remembered.
Note: This piece is the eulogy delivered by your columnist at the memorial service for Ms. Tantoco held at Sta. Elena Golf Course in Laguna on March 18, 2024.