Angel Thoughts
Edgard and Edward Cabangon
Last week’s column on twins was widely received and so I have decided to spotlight more sets! This time, we focus on a popular “twinnie,” 56-year-olds Dominic Edgard and Dominic Edward Cabangon.
A fraternal twin in a family of nine, Edgard and Edward, the former just a few inches taller than the latter, are the sons of the late revered Ambassador Antonio Cabangon Chua and Bienvenida Angeles. They have three brothers and one sister.
The Cabangon Chua family is in several of diverse business ventures under the ALC Group of companies, which include print, television, and broadcast media, particularly RPN-9 Media, CNN Philippines, Aliw Broadcasting Corp, Business Mirror, Philippine Graphic, and so on. The twins also share running the Eternal Gardens Memorial Parks, Isuzu GenCars, Citystate Savings Bank, and Citystate Properties and Management Corp.
Edgard, who is single—but ahem, spoken for, ladies—is chairman and president of the umbrella group, the ALC Group of Companies. He is also currently the head of the Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA), having been designated by Cardinal Tagle five years ago. He loves to swim regularly and is interested in photography, boxing. He also played basketball in his younger years. Edward, meanwhile, is president of the ALC hotels and restaurant, market division. The two went to Don Bosco for their elementary education and De La Salle for college. Edgard took up law at UST too. They were also sent to study in America, where they stayed on the West Coast, learning how to run a gas station. “I was a gasoline boy for four years,” Edgard told me proudly.
In business and life, the twins were under the strict but loving tutelage of their father. The discipline and dedication Ambassador Tony instilled in them and his other children are evident in the way they run the companies in their respective care.
Edward handles the ALC’s real estate properties, hotels, and the Hongkong Noodle and Dimsum House chain. While Edgard is the ever-smiling twin, Edward is the serious type, a contented family man who would rather stay at home with his collection of music, from the ’60s to the ’90s, and be with his household.
Edward’s wife is Jocelyn Rose Lao. They have three kids, namely 17-year-old Sofia Dominique, and 13-year-olds March Edward and Marc Edgard. Yes, they have twins!
Edgard recalls that they were never asked to dress alike by their mom and they were allowed to develop their own styles. They remain very close to the matriarch, whom they visit in her home regularly.
Their employees have nothing but respect and affection for the two bosses.
From Benjamin V. Ramos, president of ALC’s RPN Radio Philippines Network Inc, Nine Media Corporation (CNN Philippines), and Citystate Savings Bank, here are a few words:
In my 31 years with the ALC group of companies, more than 25 years with the late Ambassador Tony, I can safely say that I saw these twins become the respectable businessmen, family men, friends, and bosses they are today.
Although they have different management styles, you can always feel the influence and the working habits of their late father in them, not only because they are loving and caring bosses but because they are a kapatid, kapuso, and kapamilya to all their employees and subordinates.
We are fortunate that even after the death of Amba Tony, the twins worked very hard to make the family and the ALC Group intact and strong as ever. Their leadership and influence over their siblings and top executives of the group is definitely a major factor in the continuing success of the ALC Group, especially during these trying times of COVID-19.