VOICE FROM THE SOUTH
By FR. EMETERIO BARCELON
Fr. Emeterio Barcelon, SJ
If you have eaten in a Chow King fast food that was the handiwork of Robert Kuan who just passed away this month. Condolence to his wife, Yvonne, relatives and friends. He was a good friend and a member of class ’75 of Asian Institute of Management. I recently saw him to make connection with China Bank for Punla Foundation in their project to make records for the breeding of native pigs and foreign breeds. It was only last month that he paid for a lunch for the directors of Punla foundation in a restaurant in St. Luke’s hospital s Global Bonifacio, also his handiwork.
From what I know he was migrant from Hong Kong. He recounted to us that he and his dorm companions kept their door shut and studied while his classmates were having fun dunking people in the swimming pool. While in first year he told his father that he wanted to be engaged to a girl friend and after doing all the formalities his father got sick and just before the engagement his father put out his hand for Yvonne to shake and then expired. Robert worked hard and he tells of the story that where he worked he would regularly go to SM stores to see what was available. One day he met Mr. Henry Sy who asked him if he was spying on what they did. Mr. Sy then invited him to walk with him as he inspected SM stores. That was the begging of a lifelong friendship. One day he told Mr. Sy that he was about to be fired from Ling Nam, where he was the manger, because the son of the principal owner wanted to take over. Mr. Sy told him to resign rather than be fired. He then took a piece of paper and wrote out his resignation. At that point Mr. Tan Caktiong wrote him a check for P150,000 and told him to start his own fast food chain. He established Chow King and I remember how he and his wife came to Cagayan de Oro to visit Fr. Montero and myself with gifts of packs of noodles. That was the start of multiplying his Chow King into hundreds of units. When Jollibee was about to make its listing (IPO) in the Philippine Stock Exchange, Mr. Tan Cactiong invited him to exchange stocks and he did. After divesting of Chow King he spent most of his time helping others and working with China Bank as counsellor in the board.
In our reunions of class ’75 of AIM he liked to talk and entertain us. In the last reunion he was absent and we all prayed for him in a Mass we celebrated. He had been diagnosed with cancer of the liver but he did not go to St. Luke’s for treatment but for Chinese medicine in Binondo. He reminded me that there were more Catholic Masses in St. Luke’s Global than there were Anglican Masses. He will be remembered for St.Luke’s Hospital Global and for Chow King and the many kindnesses he extended to others. He was a good and simple man and an honor for his family and friends. He knew how to serve others so that when needed others come to his help. We will miss him May the Lord accept him into his bosom. ( We will also miss Rev. Robert McAmis Lutheran pastor of Marawi who passed away in Florida last Sept 21,) <[email protected]>