By James Loyola
Business tycoon John Gokongwei Jr. passed away Saturday evening, he was 93. Here's a brief of a life of one of the Philippines’ original taipans who built a giant conglomerate from scratch.
John L. Gokongwei, Jr. (MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
August 11, 1926- John Gokongwei Jr. was born in Fujian Province, China
-moved to Cebu with his family at an early age
1942- dropped out of school, sold dry goods in market stall
1943- became a trader travelling between Cebu and Manila
1945 – started Amasia Trading, importer of US products
1957- set up Universal Corn Products
1963- formed Consolidated Foods Corporation to produce branded consumer foods
1961-enrolled in De La Salle University for his MBA
1963- established the Universal Robina Corporation which produced salty snacks under Jack n’ Jill brand
1987 – organized the Digital Telecommunications Inc.
1990 – organized the JG Summit Holdings Inc.
1993- JG Summit went public, listed at Philippine Stock Exchange
1996 – entered the aviation industry with Cebu Pacific Air
2003 – Digitel launched Sun Cellular
2006 – Put up Gokongwei Brothers Foundation
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