Bobby Ongpin

I didn’t expect Bobby Ongpin to leave this world this soon and this quietly.

His nephew Apa Ongpin wrote that Bobby was even playing with his grandchildren just before he went to bed that evening.

What a blessed way to go. But if Bobby knew, he would have bargained for a few more years to complete unfinished business. There is still that island next to Balesin, Patnanungan, which he planned to formally open this year for general tourism. In the end, it is the Lord’s business that matters and Bobby must have completed that.

I first met Bobby at PNOC where he was one of the most active directors. I was pleasantly surprised that years later, he remembered me and walked over to talk to me as we were preparing to board our flight back to Manila from Hong Kong.

He would send bottles of olive oil from his own vineyard in Italy every Christmas. He had been inviting me to visit Balesin for years until I finally found a weekend to do that,  and we talked for hours.

He has written me emails reacting to my columns. Some were on general issues, but others were related to him. I always have this naughty urge to raise his hackles and I never fail to get a quick reaction from him.

On Feb. 25, 2011, I received this email from Bobby: “Boo,

You seem to have a particular knack for making me work while I am vacationing in Europe, as I am today.  I recall that when you wrote a column raising the issue on why I was not on the list of top taxpayers and I was left with no alternative but to explain my tax situation to you, and which you were kind enough to publish, I was also in Europe.

“And then there was the time not long ago when you wrote that Governor Say Tetangco had been doing a good job and it was not necessarily a wise move to replace him with a banker.  And I sent you an email from Europe in which I said I agree 100 percent with your column and that the Philippines would be well served if President Aquino would decide to retain Governor Tetangco for another term.

“The President subsequently reappointed Governor Tetangco and I believe that your excellent and analytical column may have had something to do with the President’s decision.

“It is a nice winter’s day here in Italy but when I woke up this morning and read your column, I felt that I must once again do some work and write to you…

“Finally, and in conclusion, I would greatly appreciate it if in the future you will permit me to enjoy my European holidays!”

Bobby is one immensely interesting person. I am sure he has his autobiography already written… but only for release after he dies. That should be a page turner.

I remember reading a revealing interview in Rogue magazine that he gave to our then STAR assistant business editor, Marianne V. Go. He seemed to have enjoyed the interview which also covered his private life.

Anecdotes I constantly hear about him never fail to reinforce my impression of a man who no doubt knows what he is worth, could be ruthless in obtaining his objectives, but knows when he has to pour out his legendary charms.

But there is the other human side of Bobby. Juan Ponce Enrile, in his memoirs, recalled the one time the fearless Mr. Ongpin was justifiably scared that he might be facing his life’s end during the early hours of the EDSA revolution.

The first inkling Enrile had that something was amiss was when Bobby called him to ask why his military security men were arrested. He kept calling Enrile over the next few hours until Enrile was able to verify that they were indeed arrested and being held incommunicado by orders of President Marcos. That information apparently made Bobby even more jittery, according to Enrile.

“Bobby had a good reason to be scared,” Enrile wrote.

“His overbearing attitude and his covert operations for President Marcos earned for him powerful enemies in and out of government. That was why he needed his security men badly.

“As early as two years before, I had to assign to him some security men from the Ministry of National Defense. This was shortly after President Marcos asked him to organize the so-called Binondo Central Bank…

“There was another reason why Bobby was scared. Before the Saturday when the 1986 EDSA revolution erupted, President Marcos had a secret deal with the Americans. This was kept away from the public.

“Bobby Ongpin negotiated with Philip Habib, the personal emissary of United States President Ronald Reagan and Stephen Bosworth, the United States ambassador to the Philippines…

“The deal was deliberately kept from Imelda Marcos and Fabian Ver for good reason. They were the subjects of the negotiations and agreements. The Reagan administration wanted, in a manner of speaking, to cut the heads of Imelda Marcos and Fabian Ver.

“Bobby Ongpin concluded five agreements with Habib and Bosworth. First was to remove Fabian Ver as Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

“Second was to abolish the Ministry of Human Settlements that Imelda headed.

“Third was to remove Imelda from the Cabinet and to disqualify her totally from holding any public office. Fourth was to reorganize the Cabinet of President Marcos.

“And the last was to adopt a power sharing agreement between the group of President Marcos and the group of Corazon C. Aquino.

“I was also told that at the behest of the Reagan administration, President Marcos reduced the agreements into presidential decrees. The agreements and the presidential decrees were reportedly given to the Americans and were never published nor disclosed in the Philippines.”

Some people may disagree, but I think Bobby is an authentic modern Filipino hero. He did what he had to do at a difficult time in our history. Then he showed local businesses how to be risk taking entrepreneurs who do projects well.

No one, not even the Ayalas, have approximated Bobby’s personal attention to details seen in Tagaytay Highlands and Balesin. Except possibly for Manny Gonzalez who did Plantation Bay.

Manny, who is also very hands-on in minding the details, worked for him and proudly says was fired by him. Their personalities make it impossible for both to share the same space.

Sad that Bobby and the tycoons of his age are exiting the scene. They still have so much to do.

Boo Chanco’s email address is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @boochanco.