In praise of John Gokongwei, Bong Tan

Writing for BoxingScene, the famous boxing authority Tris Dixon said: “The respect wasn’t merely between the fighters, it was felt throughout the sport.”

Yes, this was in praise of the classic world bantamweight championship between Nonito Donaire of the Philippines and Japan’s Naoya Inoue in Saitama, Japan, last Thursday.

“Inoue had won the WBSS bantamweight crown but Donaire shared the spoils around the world with the credit he’d earned in defeat,” Dixon noted.

At the rate the super fight has been earning plaudits, it’s hard to imagine how it could miss properly receiving the world Fight of the Year honors.

You can’t expect such an unforgettable event every year.

Here at home, the departure, one after the other, of taipan John Gokongwei Jr., 93, and Lucio “Bong” Tan Jr., 53, heir to master magnate Lucio Tan, has left an awful void in the business world. But, more significantly, these two great men have given a golden legacy achieved only by true heroes.

The venerable Mr. Gokongwei and the quiet achiever Bong Tan were both noted for their quiet humanity, built around pure compassion and boundless benevolence.

Bong Tan was a born athlete, whose passion and support for basketball is legendary.

John Gokongwei, who practically started from scratch, also dabbled in sports, mainly from behind the scene. He personally planted the roots of the fabled Great Taste dynasty in the PBA in the late ’70s. This reporter was present when Mr. John convinced the late Narciso Bernardo, a three-time Olympian, to form a team for Great Taste (was it N-Rich?) which was next ably managed by Ignacio Gotao.

In Bong Tan’s case, the list of sports personalities and endeavors he had helped and supported is quite long. But it’s his concern for the poor sector that’s truly heartwarming. He made it a point that our brother Aeta athletes from around Capas, Tarlac, got a fair chance to compete and try out for this year’s national obstacle team to the SEA Games.

Bong Tan, was also a no-nonsense environmentalist. He was greatly bothered by wanton destruction of nature. He had singled out the mangroves in Boracay. He decried how trees were being savaged and cut down for land development.

He said: “Yes, we want to grow but we don’t look at the repercussions of development.”

He said this crime was being perpetrated in countless places in the Philippines. He lamented how nature was being sacrificed for profit.

In Mr. Gokongwei’s case, there’s also no way to trace the long list of scholarships he has awarded, schools built, mainly for those deserving and in need.

Mr. John said: “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.”

The Lord God bless you both with heavenly peace.