Monday, 18 August 2025
3 days ago
LIVES WELL LIVED | From boardroom to band: Remembering Johnny Velasquez
By: Ramon C. Nocon
In June 2024, Malacañang announced a new slate of appointees, among them Juan Gabriel L. Velasquez—”Johnny” to family and close friends— who was named acting member of the board of directors of Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).
4 Aug 2025
12:06PM
LIVES WELL LIVED | Ambassador ‘Frank’ Benedicto's lasting legacy
By: Ramon C. Nocon
Although Francisco “Frank” Benedicto — diplomat, business and civic leader — was born in Cadiz City, Negros Occidental, on Feb. 12, 1939, it was in Cebu that the Benedicto clan would make a name for themselves in the fields of commerce and philanthropy.
28 May 2025
7:41AM
LIVES WELL LIVED | Edgardo B. Espiritu’s storied life in law, banking & finance, diplomacy
By: Ramon C. Nocon
Analytical, creative, and principled — as many described him— Edgardo Bautista Espiritu carved a career that spanned law, banking and finance, and diplomacy. A University of the Philippines law graduate (LL.B. 1958), Espiritu channeled his education into transformative leadership roles that left lasting marks on institutions both public and private.
22 May 2025
8:07AM
LIVES WELL LIVED | A Taste of Japan in Makati: Honoring the culinary legacy of Tsukiji’s Chef Oka
By: Ramon C. Nocon
Chef Oka, as he is fondly called, was born in Tokyo, Japan. He displayed an early interest in — and later, a passion for — all things seafood, which eventually led him to work at the Tsukiji Fish Market at the age of 19.
10 Apr 2025
8:49PM
LIVES WELL LIVED | Quiet force behind Mercury Drug: Remembering Vivian Que-Azcona
By: Ramon C. Nocon
Vivian Que-Azcona assumed the presidency of Mercury Drug in 1998. But her rise to the top did not happen overnight — she had to work her way up and earn the trust of the Que patriarch.
8 Apr 2025
11:36AM
Estelito ‘Titong’ Mendoza: A life in law, government, and academe
By: Ramon C. Nocon
Estelito Patdu Mendoza — Titong to family and friends and EPM to staff and associates — was born in Bacolor, Pampanga, on Jan. 5, 1930, to Guillermo Dizon Mendoza and Barbra Luege Patdu, both public school teachers.
2 Mar 2025
6:14AM
LIVES WELL LIVED: ‘Bert’ Lina—Entrepreneur, public servant, and sports patron
By: Ramon C. Nocon
Lina’s passing at 76, announced on Feb. 25, 2025, marked the end of an era for the industries he helped shape and the communities he uplifted.
26 Feb 2025
8:11AM
LIVES WELL LIVED: Eduardo Soriano’s legacy—From boardroom to dairy fields
By: Ramon C. Nocon
Eduardo Soriano, scion of a storied Castilaloy business family with a deep passion for agribusiness, died on Feb. 17, 2025. He was 69.
24 Feb 2025
10:49AM
In everything, including helping friends, Margarita Fores was always ‘all out’
This was the part of the Margarita I got to know: adventurous, curious, with a childlike joy and sense of wonder, who lit up a room, or a farm with her charisma, with an eye for beauty even in what seemed ordinary, unwavering in her love for all things Filipino. She elevated local cuisine and ingredients with her culinary artistry and the joyful force of her personality. Even the lowly alugbati.
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