Guess who came to break ground for Rizal shrine -2

Filipino tycoons honor national hero

The visit of President Estrada's delegation was

made even more significant with the presence of

56 Rizal clan members who flew in to Fujian

province straight from Manila.

As a result of the May 1 article published in

Business Monday of the INQUIRER and many

subsequent e-mail messages to this writer, the

original list of eight confirmed members of Rizal's

kin going to Fujian grew to 56.

PAL boss Lucio C. Tan graciously agreed to foot

their airfare. It was a rare family reunion even for

the numerous Rizal descendants.

Some of Rizal's relatives who went to Siong-Que

Village included Circa Co. Inc. president Antonio

"Nonie" Lopez-Rizal Bantug, former Cocobank

president Enrique "Toti" Herbosa Sr. and Jose

Cojuangco & Sons Inc./Hacienda Luisita Inc. vice

president for finance Nereo and Natividad

Mendoza.

Also present were PLDT executives Bombit and

Ditas Consunji, AIG Credit Card Co. assistant vice

president Maurice Hilario, Mia S. de Faustmann of

Sterling Selections Corp., Emerito and Ramoncita

Reyes of Emram Holdings Corp. and Raul Jose Rizal

Tan.

Rizal's relatives who were unable to attend the

ceremony include Tourism Secretary Gemma

Cruz-Araneta and Panjee Lopez (the talented wife

of ABS-CBN Network boss Eugenio "Gabby" Lopez

III, who e-mailed this writer that she would have

wanted to go if not for other commitments).

Prior to the visit of President Estrada and the

Filipino tycoons, the local government bought land

from the farmers in Siong-Que Village and bulldozed

them for the proposed Rizal Park.

Many Philippine flags and welcome banners

festooned the area. Tan said the local government

rushed the completion of a two-level Dr. Jose Rizal

Museum in the site just one month before the visit.

Among the many business and political leaders who

supported the May 19 groundbreaking rites of the

Rizal Shrine include senior presidential adviser and

banker Manuel "Manny" Zamora, Finance Secretary

Jose Pardo, Foreign Secretary Domingo Lim Siazon

(whose ancestors also came from Fujian and who

could read Chinese words), Press Secretary

Ricardo "Dong" Puno, Bangko Sentral Governor

Rafael Buenaventura and Trade Secretary Manuel

"Mar" Roxas II.

Also present were Agriculture Secretary Edgardo

Angara, Interior Secretary Alfredo Lim, Sen. Nikki

M. L. Coseteng (whose late grandfather pre-war

lumber tycoon Don Eduardo Coseteng once

returned to Fujian and served as activist mayor of

Xiamen City for a short-lived revolutionary

government), Rep. Luwalhati R. Antonino (of the

well-known logging clan from Mindanao), Knights of

Rizal Supreme Commander Rogelio M. Quiambao,

"tobacco king" Lucio Tan, JG Summit Group founder

John Gokongwei Jr. (whose great-grandfather Don

Pedro Lee Gotiaoco was from the nearby Khi-Tang

Village), publisher Max Soliven, Mantrasco boss

Antonio A. Lopa (who told this writer he hopes to

also someday visit the Lo clan's ancestral village

near Siong-Que), Benjamin Chua Jr. of Cathay

Pacific Steel Corp., Alberto P. Fenix Jr. of

Lapanday Holdings Corp., Ilocos Norte Gov.

Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos II, Atty. Leonardo

Siguion-Reyna and Melanio C. Fernando of Melfor

Commercial of Bicol.

Completing the list of attendees were ex-Rep.

Roquito Ablan, Manuel O. Chua and Dorian Chua of

Tulay Foundation Inc., Emiliano P. Jurado of

Eastern Telecommunications Phils. Inc., "plastics

king" William Tiu Gatchalian (whose maternal

forebears were also from the Cua clan of

Siong-Que), Tagaytay Highlands boss Willy N. Go

Ocier (who told this writer that his family's

ancestral village is right beside that of Rizal's

Siong-Que Village), Peter Favila of Allied Bank,

Carlos Cruz of Quality Container Corp., and others.