Fernando Hofileña Lopez

Fernando Hofileña Lopez was a pioneering Filipino industrialist in the fields of sugar, publishing, broadcasting, transportation and power utilities. He was a Filipino statesman who served as the Vice-President of the Philippines. More here: http://bit.ly/hkuyFV.

Fernando Hofileña Lopez, Sr. (April 13, 1904 – May 26, 1993) was a Filipino statesman. A member of the influential Lopez Family of Iloilo, Fernando Lopez served as Vice President of the Philippines for three terms – under Elpidio Quirino (1949–1953) for the Liberals and Ferdinand Marcos (1965–1969 and 1969–1972) for the Nacionalistas and also the chairman of ABS-CBN Corporation from 1986 to his death 1993. Lopez was born on April 13, 1904 in Iloilo City, Iloilo to Benito Lopez and Presentacion Hofileña. He is the younger brother of Eugenio Lopez, Sr. The Lopez family was very influential and the richest family in the province. Lopez studied high school at San Juan de Letran College, finishing in 1921. He then studied law in the University of Santo Tomas, earning his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1925. After passing the bar examinations, he did not go into private practice, but helped his older brother manage the family business. In 1945, with no prior political experience, Lopez was picked by President Sergio Osmeña to be mayor of Iloilo City. In 1947, he ran for Senator and won the election. Lopez was one of the founders of University of Iloilo and the FEATI University in Manila. The Lopez family also owned the Iloilo-Negros Air Express Company (the first Filipino owned air service), the Iloilo Times (El Tiempo), the Manila Chronicle and ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation, LSC (Lopez Sugar Corporation), Bayantel (including Bayan DSL), SkyCable(including SkyBroadband), Meralco, RLC (Rockwell Land Corporation), Rockwell Center, First Balfour, Inc., Philippine Electric Corporation (Philec), First Electro Dynamics Corporation (Fedcor), First Sumiden Circuits, Inc. (FSCI), Securities Transfer Services, Inc. (STSI), The Medical City (TMC), BayanTrade DotCom, First Gas Holdings Corporation (Santa Rita), FGP. Corp. (San Lorenzo), FG Hydro Power Corporation (Pantabangan-Masiway), FG Bukidnon (Agusan mini-hydro), Bauang Private Power Corporation (Bauang), Panay Electric Company(PECO), First Philippine Industrial Corporation (the major fuel distributor of Shell and Chevron Caltex in the country), First Philippine Realty Corp, First Philippine Electric Corp. (First Philec), First Philec Solar Corporation, First Sumiden Circuits, Inc. (FSCI), First Sumiden Realty, Inc, First Philippine Industrial Park First Term In 1949, he became vice-president under President Elpidio Quirino and concurrently worked as secretary of agriculture, serving until 1953. He was then elected once again as senator, and re-elected in 1959. Second and Third Term In 1965, he ran with Ferdinand Marcos and won as vice-president. He was re-elected in 1969. Later life and death After the removal of Marcos from power in the People Power Revolution of 1986, he became Chairman of First Philippine Holdings and ABS-CBN and Honorary Chair of FHL Holdings, holding on to those posts until 1993. He died on May 26, 1993 leaving his wife Mariquit Javellana with whom he had six children: Yolanda, Fernando, Jr. (Junjie), Alberto (Albertito), Emmanuele, Benito and Mita.

• Reference: Biographical Summaries of Notable People - SmartCopy: Aug 8 2021, 6:46:52 UTC