The Acebedo legacy

Before the Holy Week break, while in dire need of a personal project, I stumbled upon a scanned newspaper clipping on my late maternal great grandfather whose title simply read “Don Felix Acebedo – Optical Magnate.” It was among old photos of my family and some properties in both my Lopez and Acebedo sides, lovingly chronicled by yours truly in a Facebook album rather unimaginatively titled ‘The Lopez y Acebedo Family Album.’

It was a tribute to our Lolo Felix, described by the article as an optometrist, educator, businessman, industrialist, and grand old man of the Philippine optical industry, having led a very successful and generous life as founder, president and chairman of the board of the Acebedo Optical Company, Acebedo Optical Manufacturing Co., Inc., and the Intercontinental Mining Co.

He’s left us a good name, strengthened further by his eldest son, my grandfather, Dr. Herodotus P. Acebedo, who founded another chain of optical clinics, the H.P. Acebedo Optical Clinic. (Complementing Lolo Felix’s pre-war optical business founded in the 1920s, HP Acebedo has, like the older Acebedo optical chain, endured the test of time, serving Filipinos for more than 50 years now). It’s a legacy that endures to this day, after close to a century since Lolo Felix worked hard to build a name for himself and realize a vision he’s had as a young man in his native Tandag, Surigao.

Always a trailblazer, Lolo Felix was a brilliant man with out-of-the box ideas. He changed the original spelling of the family name from Acevedo with a “v” to Acebedo with a “b” purportedly, according to the accounts of some relatives, to make it sound more Filipino, the family’s Portuguese roots (and Spanish-sounding name) having no appeal to the Filipino masses which formed bulk of his target market.

His humble beginnings contribute to the inspiration his story has become to countless Filipinos. He had a vision—to build a nationwide chain of clinics to give sight to even the poorest of Filipinos in the most far-flung of barrios. But he had one big problem that kept him from achieving his dream—something many Filipinos today, those wanting to open a business, can most certainly relate to—he had no resources for capital.

But that didn’t stop him. Supported all throughout by his loving wife, Felipa Pangan- Acebedo of Lubao, Pampanga, and aunt to former Philippine President, Diosdado Pangan Macapagal, he enrolled in a short course to be a mortician, which was considerably more affordable than studying to be an eye doctor. When he became one, the money he earned from being an embalmer he used to send him to optometry school. He saved up and when he finally became a licensed optometrist, put up his first optical along Rizal Avenue in Manila.

And, as they say, the rest is history. By the time of his death, the Acebedo Optical Company was the largest optical chain in the country, with hundreds of shops scattered throughout the archipelago and to as far as Guam, in the U.S.

 Propelled by his business and marketing savvy (the [in]famous Acebedo optical radio ad, though embarrassing when we were growing up, is often cited in advertising and marketing conventions and seminars), he was cognizant of the fact that his thriving business and popular name wasn’t enough as a barometer for success, that there is always a need to give back.

When CSR or corporate social responsibility was not yet in vogue, he set up a vocational school for the poor, knowing how important it is for them to have a break, a stepping stone, so to speak—a formula he tried out for himself with great rewards. Through this, and his innate generosity, he has helped countless people see beyond the Snellen chart (that chart with a big “E” you’re asked to read in the optical)—he’s helped them see brighter futures and better tomorrows for themselves and their families.

No wonder he is regarded by many as the Father of Optometry in the Philippines: that despite not being the first optometrist in the country, the Acebedo name and brand of leadership, created and established by him, has undoubtedly served more Filipinos than any optometrist or optical chain has throughout the generations. Add to that the fact that his children (my grandfather and his siblings), and his children’s children (my mom, Vivian, her siblings, and some cousins), and his children’s children’s children (my sister, Bianca, and some cousins), all four generations and counting, have all continued the commitment to give clearer sight to our fellow Filipinos. That despite whatever fierce competition may exist between present-day practitioners, many optical clinics and optical chains cannot deny tracing their roots to Acebedo, either as employees trained by it or beneficiaries of our Lolo Felix’s generosity.

And so, while looking for a personal project, I stumbled upon a bigger, more challenging one I have not yet fully grasped how I would undertake: continue and strengthen the legacy of a name synonymous to the optical industry and quality, affordable eyewear.

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