Eugenio López Sr.
Eugenio H. López Sr. | |
---|---|
Chairman, Chronicle Broadcasting Network (nowABS-CBN Corporation) | |
In office September 24, 1956 – September 22, 1972 | |
Preceded by | Antonio Quirino(1952–1957; as Chairman of Alto Broadcasting System, later merged with Chronicle Broadcasting Network) James Lindenberg(Bolinao Electronics Corporation) |
Succeeded by | Fernando López(reopened ABS-CBN) |
Personal details | |
Born | Eugenio Hofileña López July 20, 1901 Jaro, Iloilo City,Philippine Islands |
Died | July 5, 1975 San Francisco, California,U.S. | (aged 73)
Nationality | Filipino |
Spouse | Pacita de Santos Moreno |
Children | Eugenio López Jr. Oscar M. López Presentación M. López-Psinakis Manuel M. López Roberto M. López |
Occupation | Journalist, broadcaster |
Known for | Father of Philippine TV |
Eugenio "Eñing" Hofileña López Sr.(Tagalog:[juˈhɛnjoˈlɔpɛs];July 20, 1901 – July 5, 1975) was a leading business figure in the Philippines. He was the founder ofLópez Group of Companies.He belonged to the prominentLópez family of Iloilo,one of the leadingpolitical families in the Philippines.
Personal life
[edit]López was born on July 20, 1901, inJaro, Iloilo City.His parents wereBenito Villanueva López,a former governor ofIloilo,and Presentación Javelona Hofileña. He was the older brother and only sibling of former Philippine Vice PresidentFernando López.He received his education at theAteneo de Manilawhere he graduated in 1919, and later the original campus of theUniversity of the Philippinesin Manila, where he took up law and graduated in 1923.[1]He earned hismaster of lawsdegree fromHarvard University.[2]
He was the first president, or "charter president", of the Rotary Club of Iloilo, the third oldestRotary Clubin the Philippines.[3]His family residence inIloilo Cityknown as theLopez Boat House,built in 1935, was declared a National Heritage House by theNational Historical Commissionin 2002.[4]
Career
[edit]López began as a provincial bus operator, and eventually became chairman ofABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation,the Philippine's largest media conglomerate, and president of theManila Electric Company(Meralco).[citation needed]In 1972 he accepted a Distinguished Service Award from theHarvard Business School,but several months later was compelled by PresidentFerdinand Marcosto sign over his shares in Meralco, was stripped of his holdings and forced into exile.[5]
Death
[edit]His eldest child and heir apparent,Eugenio López Jr.,or Geny, was jailed on charges of conspiring to assassinate Ferdinand Marcos. This was carried out by Marcos in order for Don Eñing, who was at that time was in exile in United States to sell his businesses to him, his family and relatives and to his cronies.[citation needed]At one time, Marcos would send the then-Philippine Ambassador to the US,Benjamin Romualdez,a brother of then-First LadyImelda Marcos,toSan Francisco,California, where the elder López was living along with his daughter, Precy and her Greek husband Steve Psinakis, to convince him to relinquish ownership of his businesses in his home country in order for it to sell to his entourage with a promise that his eldest child, Geny, would be released from jail.[citation needed]Don Eñing agreed, but his firstborn would remain in detention. As a result, he was double-crossed by the Marcos regime and his businesses were then completely in their hands. He was later diagnosed with cancer and died on July 5, 1975.
In popular culture
[edit]López was portrayed byArmando Goyenain the 1995 filmEskapo.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Lopez Museum: Nostalgia".Lopez Link. March 10, 2009.RetrievedAugust 2,2012.
- ^"Eugenio H. Lopez Sr., pioneer and nationalist".Lopez Link. July 3, 2012.RetrievedAugust 2,2012.
- ^"TDG consultant inducted 66th RC Iloilo president".The Daily Guardian. July 15, 2013. Archived fromthe originalon October 6, 2014.RetrievedOctober 4,2014.
- ^"The past is alive!".Art+ Magazine.RetrievedAugust 1,2024.
- ^McCoy, Alfred W.An Anarchy of Families: State and Family in the Philippines,429
Further reading
[edit]- McCoy, Alfred W. (2009). "Rent-seeking Families and the Philippine State: A History of the Lopez Family". In McCoy, Alfred W. (ed.).An Anarchy of Families: State and Family in the Philippines.University of Wisconsin Press.ISBN978-0-299-22984-9.
- 1901 births
- 1975 deaths
- ABS-CBN executives
- Ateneo de Manila University alumni
- Filipino chairpersons of corporations
- Harvard University alumni
- López family of Iloilo
- People from Iloilo City
- Filipino television company founders
- University of the Philippines Manila alumni
- Visayan people
- Deaths from cancer in California