Immortalizing the ‘Big John’

MANILA, Philippines — How does one immortalize a game-changing tycoon who made a huge impact on Philippine society—one who built a diversified conglomerate that democratized access to key products and services for Filipino consumers?

John Gokongwei Jr., fondly called “Big John,” had become a disruptor long before the term became a tech buzzword. He was hailed as the “industrialist challenger” who paved the way for Filipinos to access cheaper consumer goods, airfares and telecommunications, among other innovations.

READ: BIZ BUZZ: A boulevard to honor John Gokongwei Jr.

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Born on Aug. 11, 1926, John was only 13 years old when his father died, leaving him as the family’s primary breadwinner. His first crack at entrepreneurship involved selling garlic peanuts. When World War II erupted, he peddled essential goods—including candles, soaps and thread—setting up a stall in the public market. Beyond market days, he mounted his bicycle and roamed around Cebu to sell his merchandise.

As the war came to an end, he spotted an opportunity to import and trade textile remnants, newspapers, magazines and used clothing from the United States.

In 1957, using a loan from China Bank, John set up Universal Corn Products, the precursor to today’s Universal Robina Corp. This became the foundation for a multinational consumer conglomerate.

By the time he passed away on Nov. 9, 2019, at the age of 93, Big John had built a thriving business empire with interests in food manufacturing, retailing, banking, aviation, real estate, petrochemicals, power generation, media publishing and telecommunications.

He had also donated half of his wealth to charity.

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A boulevard in his name

For his 100th birthday, even if Big John is no longer around, an entire boulevard at Bridgetowne—Robinsons Land Corp.’s premier mixed-use estate spanning the cities of Pasig and Quezon City—was named in his honor. For the conglomerate, now led by his son Lance Gokongwei, Bridgetowne is a physical manifestation of the late patriarch’s boldness to dream.

“Fundamentally, we hope to have the same values that Mr. John and his brothers had—the integrity, the hard work, the prudence and the entrepreneurial spirit,” says Lance, adding that the group will continue to add value to the nation.

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Lance notes that the group’s venture into digital banking via GoTyme, for instance, is making financial services far more accessible to Filipinos. In just its first three years of operation, GoTyme had signed up more than 10 million customers.

“This democratization is very similar to what Mr. John and his siblings did,” he explains. “For instance, with the introduction of Cebu Pacific, he introduced low fares. When he introduced Sun Cellular, he introduced unlimited texting 20 to 30 years ago, before the time of Viber and WhatsApp. And he introduced snacks and RTD (ready-to-drink) tea to the Philippines. These are the kinds of innovations we want to continue as well.”

Another new format that has worked well is the group’s hard discount store, O!, which Lance notes has already breached the 1,000-store mark.

The Gokongwei business empire, founded by John and his siblings, is now run by the second generation, led by Lance. There are 23 cousins in this cohort, though not all joined the business.

Across generations

In the third generation, there are 50 cousins, only four of whom are currently involved in the company—including Justin Pe, son of Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc. chair Robina Gokongwei-Pe. Other third-generation cousins work across various sectors, including the feeds business, Nustar Mall leasing and food research and development.

Based on the Gokongwei family constitution, younger family members must gain outside work experience before joining the conglomerate. Still, Lance acknowledges the need for the group to compete for talent, even within the family.

“The kids of the next generation have so many choices and their own aspirations. Many want to prove themselves in their own independent capacity, and it’s our job in the second generation to make it attractive for them to join the business in the future,” Lance says. He also reckons that not all family members may be qualified or interested to join: “If not, they should just remain shareholders.”

Still upbeat

Despite a challenging economic environment—with global conflicts driving fuel price spikes and domestic growth hitting its slowest pace since the pandemic—the Gokongwei Group intends to stay the course.

“As entrepreneurs, our job is to really face all that. Life is not a straight road,” Lance adds, emphasizing that grit is essential to guiding the group’s businesses and employees through uncertain times.

“As a whole, we’re fortunate to be a diversified business with a strong balance sheet, so we continue to see avenues of growth,” he says. “We’re quite optimistic that a lot of the issues we’re facing are temporary. The Philippines is a very resilient country, and we do believe that things will move forward.” INQ