Category: Conglomerates

[2009] Lopez family: Sale of Meralco stake ‘a business decision’

This was among the few times the Lopez family members admitted publicly the pain and rift behind-the-scenes in the deals involving Meralco, the business power company in the country they once controlled. This was published in 2009 on the news sites of ABS-CBN and Newsbreak, both of which are now dead links. Reposting the story’s…
[2008] The inside story: How San Miguel worked its way into Meralco’s board

NOTE: This was a story I wrote piecing together the inner workings of a business deal announced to a shocked Manila business community in 2008. From various interviews, I learned how Ramon Ang’s weekend visit to Cebu to charm Winston Garcia of state pension fund GSIS resulted in last minute changes on who the Lopez…
John Gokongwei: A multimedia biography project | Documentary premiere

The documentary answered the question: What did the late tycoon John Gokongwei Jr, the subject of my biography project, leave behind?
How Villar gained what the Lopezes lost in ABS-CBN

While we were sleeping, Filipino dollar-billionaire Manny Villar earned the right to (temporarily) use the channels that once belonged to the Lopez family’s ABS-CBN. This is how it happened.
‘Be humble, be patient.’ Take it from Carlos Chan, MAP Management Man of the Year 2021

Having experienced world wars and political upheavals, Filipino-Chinese tycoon Carlos Chan has this short and sweet advice to businessmen going thru difficult pandemic times.
Multimedia research assistant: Is this you?

JOB OPENING! I’m doing a biography project about an Asian tycoon. I need a research assistant who can handle and organize multimedia content.
JAZA on mentor Xavier Loinaz: An extraordinary influence to Ayala group

Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala pays tribute to a key non-family member who mentored him way back when he was still learning the ropes of the family conglomerate
Cuisia: Henry Sy Sr’s legacy lives on in his children

The kids of late Henry Sy Sr, once the Philippines’ richest man, are “decisive leaders, promote value-driven management, and espouse pragmatic, stick-to-the-knitting, stay-with-the-business-you-know philosophy.”
Let’s break down the Manila Water deal between Ayala and Razon groups

Is there politics in the Manila Water ownership changes? Or is this just business?