John Gokongwei Jr.: A Life of Achievement

CEBU, Philippines —  On October 18, 2018, on the occasion of the first Grand Reunion for Alumni Champions of the University of San Carlos, USC presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Mr. John Gocongwei Jr. It was the second time that the university recognized Mr. Gocongwei. The first time was 14 years earlier, when USC bestowed on him an honorary doctorate in Business and Enterprise Development.

The recent honor was given Mr. Gocongwei “for a lifetime, fully lived, of invaluable contributions that addressed the needs of local, national, regional, and global communities, and for having deeply touched, empowered, and transformed the lives of others through a legacy of entrepreneurship and education.” A commissioned portrait of Mr. Gocongwei was unveiled.

In his brief yet inspiring acceptance speech, the now 92-year-old awardee expressed his deep appreciation for his hometown and his alma mater: “I flew this morning on the airline I named after the city I love, Cebu Pacific. I went to school here at the University of San Carlos for my primary and high school. I was valedictorian in grade school and I was number one in high school and because of that, I received free tuition in school. I thank the school for that.”

Mr. Gocongwei’s life story is heart-warming. He was born to privilege. However, circumstances pushed his family to lose everything, forcing him to rely on his wits, intelligence, hard work, and perseverance to pull himself and his family out of despair, molding himself into the man that he is today.

He was only 13 years old when their father died, leaving him to take care of his mother, his four brothers, and his sister. At the time, his youngest brother was only nine months old. He took care of them all. The family has always been his priority.

It was here in Cebu that he earned his first few pesos. He used to wake up way before dawn to ride his bicycle to the public market many kilometers away.

The young John Gocongwei Jr. would set up a little table at the market to sell spools of thread, bars of soap, and candles.  He earned about twenty pesos a day by working longer and harder than everybody else. But it didn’t matter since he really loved his work. He loved being an entrepreneur.

All through the years, he stayed as an entrepreneur, loving what he did and working hard. And he was always learning from the school of life.

Years later, when he was married to his dear wife Bia, and had six children of his own, he finally had the means to go back to school. He went to De La Salle University to get his MBA. It took him four years – what would normally take much shorter time – since he was a working student. He was proudest when he finally got his diploma. Then he went to Harvard in 1972 for 14 weeks to take the advance management program.

At 92, John Gocongwei Jr. still wakes up early and he still loves to do what he is doing. He still knows everything about what is going on in his company. He still loves to learn and is always reading books, and now, online stories in this new digital age.

The man’s memory is still remarkably sharp. He remembers Fr. Gries, his English Literature teacher at USC, and Mr. Quibilan, their principal. And he especially remembers Fr. Smith, the disciplinarian who let him stand in the corner for one hour one day, because he caught the boy running in front of his office. Now, there’s a hint of the young John Jr.’s mischievous side.

He always tells his children, his grandchildren, and his colleagues: “Love your work. Work hard for it. Love your family. Love your country. Never stop learning… And always look back and be grateful to where you came from.”