John Gokongwei Jr. left his mark on nearly every corner of contemporary Filipino life. His companies changed how we ate, shopped, traveled, and lived, leading a conglomerate that expanded across food, aviation, retail, and real estate. As the country marked his 100th birth anniversary, Robinsons Land and the Gokongwei Group gave his legacy a permanent marker by renaming Bridgetowne’s main thoroughfare the John Gokongwei Jr. Boulevard. Born on August 11, 1926, Gokongwei was 13 when his father died and the family lost much of its fortune. He began selling garlic-roasted peanuts with his mother, and by 15 was cycling to the market before dawn to sell thread, soap, and candles. Some of what he earned went toward feeding the family, as the rest went back into the business. From those humble beginnings came one of the Philippines’ most consequential business careers. Gokongwei built interests spanning food manufacturing, aviation, property, petrochemicals,..
