Jose "Joecon" Concepcion Jr., the founder of the election watchdog National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) passed away on Wednesday, March 6, his family announced.

While the cause of his death was not disclosed, Joecon's family announced that public viewing would be from March 7 to March 10, from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Heritage Memorial Park in Taguig City.

A Requiem Mass will be offered on March 11 at 1:15 p.m. at the Santuario de San Antonio Parish Church, Forbes Park, Makati City.

Joecon is survived by his wife Maria Victoria Araneta, his eight children, his 31 grandchildren, and his twin brother, Raul.

"Joecon lived his life in adherence to his principles: that the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing," the family said.

Joecon, the former secretary of Trade and Industry and former Chairman of the Board of RFM Corp., is described as the epitome of the patriot-industrialist who believed in the Philippines' ability to achieve economic development that was inclusive and pro-Filipino.

Under his guidance, RFM embarked on a path of diversification, venturing into animal feed milling, poultry, and livestock and obtaining a license from American company Swift to produce processed meats in the Philippines. These propelled RFM to establish itself as one of the leading food and beverage conglomerates in the Philippines.

"Staying true to its vision of putting food on every Filipino table, RFM offered products that were mass-based, high-quality, and low-cost," the family said.

Joecon is also characterized as a master at inspiring ordinary citizens to action, appropriating aphorisms, and leading by example.

As a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1971, he championed constitutional principles that would democratize the nation's capital base to allow Filipino manufacturers to thrive.

During the 1986 snap Presidential elections, he moved thousands of ordinary Filipinos to join NAMFREL, saying, "It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness."

As secretary of Trade and Industry, he rallied Filipinos to support local industries by saying, "Yes, the Filipino can."

As a detainee during Martial Law, he organized his fellow detainees to take turns with chores and keep order inside their cell block.

Even in retirement, Joecon was said to have worked as the barangay captain of Forbes Park, famously alighting from his vehicle one night to direct traffic himself and unravel a gridlock.

As a civic leader, he helped reform Pasay City through the formation of the Pasay Citizens League for Good Government. He was one of the founders of Capitol Jaycees, the Bishop-Businessmen Conference for Human Development, and the ASEAN Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

Joecon was a scholarly enthusiast. In addition to his Associate's Degree in Commercial Science from De La Salle University, he also obtained a Bachelor's Degree from Araneta University, majoring in soils and agricultural sciences.

He was the first to use radio-isotopes in the Philippines, applying them to find out how much phosphorus was needed in fertilizers to encourage growth. He later published a paper on "Radio-isotope Phosphorus in Plants."