Eugenio Lopez Sr.

Eugenio H. López Sr.
Chairman, Chronicle Broadcasting Network (now ABS-CBN Corporation)
In office September 24, 1956 – September 22, 1972
Preceded by	Antonio Quirino (1952 - 1957; As Chairman of Alto Broadcasting System, later merged to Chronicle Broadcasting Network) James Lindenberg (Bolinao Electronics Corporation)
Succeeded by	Roberto Benedicto (as Banahaw Broadcasting Corporation) Fernando López (reopened ABS-CBN)
Personal details
Born	Eugenio Hofileña López July 20, 1901 Iloilo City, Philippine Islands
Died	July 5, 1975 (aged 73) San Francisco, California, United States
Nationality	Filipino
Spouse(s)	Pacita de Santos Moreno
Children	Eugenio M. López Jr. ✝ Oscar M. López Presentacion M. López-Psinakis Manuel M. López Roberto M. López ✝
Occupation	journalist, broadcaster
Known for	father of Philippine TV
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Eugenio Hofileña López Sr. (July 20, 1901 – July 5, 1975), also known as Eñing López and Don Eugenio, was leading figure in the Philippines. Dubbed as the Father of Philippine Television, he was founder of the Lopez Group of Companies. He belonged to the prominent López family of Iloilo, one of the leading political families in the Philippines.

Personal life

He was born as Eugenio Hofileña López on July 20, 1901 in Jaro, Iloilo City. His parents were Benito López, a former governor of Iloilo, and Presentación Hofileña. He is the elder brother of former Philippine Vice President Fernando Lopez. He received his education at the Ateneo de Manila University where he graduated in 1919, and later the University of the Philippines where he took up law and graduated in 1923.^[1] He earned his master of laws degree from Harvard University.^[2]

He was the first president, or "charter president", of the Rotary Club of Iloilo, the third oldest Rotary Club in the Philippines.^[3]

Career

López began as a provincial bus operator, and eventually became chairman of the Philippine's largest media conglomerate and president of the Manila Electric Company. In 1972 he accepted a Distinguished Service Award from the Harvard Business School, but several months later was compelled by President Ferdinand Marcos to sign over his shares in the electric company, was stripped of his holdings and forced into exile.^[4] In September 1972, President Marcos declared martial law in the Philippines, which began a period of dictatorship that lasted in the 1986 People Power Revolution and that was characterized by crony capitalism.

Death

His eldest child and heir apparent, Eugenio Lopez Jr. or Geny was jailed on charges of conspiring to assassinate Ferdinand Marcos. This was carried out by Marcos in order for Don Ening, who was at that time was in exile in United States to sell his businesses to him, his family and relatives and to his cronies. At one time, Marcos would send an then Philippine Ambassador to the US, Benjamin Romualdez, a brother of then First Lady Imelda Marcos to San Francisco, California where the elder Lopez was living along with his daughter, Precy and her Greek husband, Steve Psinakis to convince him to relinquish ownership of his businesses in his home country in order for it to sell to his entourage with a promise that his eldest child, Geny, would be released from jail. Don Ening agreed, but his firstborn would remain in detention. As a result, he was double-crossed by the Marcos regime and his businesses were then completely in their hands. He was later diagnosed with cancer and died on July 5, 1975.

See also

• Eugenio Lopez Jr.
• Eugenio Lopez III
• Fernando Lopez

References

1. "Lopez Museum: Nostalgia". Lopez Link. 10 March 2009. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
2. "Eugenio H. Lopez Sr., pioneer and nationalist". Lopez Link. 3 July 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
3. "TDG consultant inducted 66th RC Iloilo president". The Daily Guardian. July 15, 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
4. McCoy, Alfred W. An Anarchy of Families: State and Family in the Philippines, 429

Further reading

• McCoy, Alfred W. (2009). "Rent-seeking Families and the Philippine State: A History of the Lopez Family". In McCoy, Alfred W. An Anarchy of Families: State and Family in the Philippines. University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 978-0-299-22984-9.