LOPEZ Holdings Corporation chairman Manuel M. Lopez (MML) paid tribute to Lopez Group leaders and employees who came before him, and honored as heroes all those who exemplified the Group’s corporate values through the various stages of the business under his late father, Eugenio H. Lopez Sr.; his late brother Eugenio Lopez Jr.; and his brother, chairman emeritus Oscar M. Lopez (OML).

OML stepped down as chairman and chief executive officer of the Lopez Group’s major holding companies on June 12, the 82nd founding anniversary of the Lopez Group. MML, formerly vice chairman, assumed the chairmanship and CEO positions in Lopez Holdings, formerly Benpres Holdings Corporation.


“That our various businesses have survived this long…is a testimony of the competence, dedication and leadership exemplified by all employees, past and present…We are most appreciative of what they have accomplished and made possible for us today. It is most appropriate that we continue the legacy they have left us and create an organization they can all be proud of,” MML said at the June 25 group anniversary celebration at the PhilSports Arena.

In the same gathering, OML led over 3,000 Lopez Group officers and staff members in reciting the Credo and pledging to practice the following distinct Lopez values: a pioneering entrepreneurial spirit, business excellence, unity, nationalism, social justice, integrity, and concern for employee welfare and wellness (see related story on page 4).

“We know from generations of experience that it is by living according these values that a company can be built to last,” employees repeated after OML.

The Credo reminds Lopez Group members to be responsible stewards of all resources and to be conscious of their obligations “to present and future generations.” As chairman emeritus, OML said he will actively and personally reach out to all Lopez Group employees to disseminate the Group Credo, and champion his other passions: corporate social responsibility and business excellence.

“I believe that in doing so, we will be better able to meet the challenges of the future because we have a strong philosophy that is the basis of everything we do,” OML said. MML added that values can be translated into action. “They are not merely nice-to-read platitudes on documents but principles that truly guide everyday decisions and actions.” According to OML, “In sum, the values in the Lopez Credo are nothing more than what we are already doing now in the areas of business excellence and corporate social responsibility.” He said key executives are expected to meet in the next few weeks to thresh out how the Lopez values apply to their respective companies. Cascading workshops will follow at the corporate level for managers and employees to express their ideas on how best to practice such values in their daily work.

MML noted that if employees take these values to heart, nothing is impossible. “They transform even the most ordinary people to extraordinary heroes and the most common everyday situations into special occasions.”