Christopher Moore LopezThis is the fifth in a series of new Lopez Values vanguards, the next-generation Lopezes, great-grandchildren of Eugenio Lopez Sr. (EL Sr.)

In this series, we see how the future generation is doing in preserving the legacies of their elders—particularly in terms of values—for a business conglomerate that is built to last. For the month of June we have Christopher James “Chris” Moore Lopez, 31, eldest son of ABSCBN Global chief operating officer Raffy Lopez and the fifth great-grandchild of EL Sr.

On his upbringing and the values taught to him:

My childhood and upbringing were very middle-class America, and I am very thankful for that. I grew up in the Northern California suburb of San Mateo and my experience is very reflective of that. My father instilled in me the importance of humility, hard work, frugality, patience, gratitude and not being greedy or expectant of anything. My mother raised us to be kind, caring, compassionate, empathetic and accepting, and taught us the value of delayed gratification; when she would take me with her shopping as a child, I was allowed to play with a toy while we were in the store but would have to give it back at the checkout.

Regarding his educational background:

I completed my bachelor’s degree in music in classical guitar performance at the University of Southern California under maestro Scott Tennant of the LAGQ [Los Angeles Guitar Quartet]. Prior to that, while attending high school at Crystal Springs Uplands Prep, I also studied under Scott Cmiel at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music for classical guitar. Music was an integral part of my academic career.

Jobs he worked at and how he ended up at ABS-CBN:

I worked various jobs while in school—groundskeeper at my old elementary school, guitar teacher (private and class-based), summer internship at TFC. When I graduated, I got a gig as a bartender and inventory manager in Venice, CA to pay the bills while gigging and recording with my band.

From there I spent a year working as a beat maker under multi-platinum producer Mark Feist while also freelancing as a music producer for projects such as TV commercials and student films; it was after that year of production that I received the offer to move to the Philippines and start working for the family at ABS-CBN.

How is it working at ABSCBN?

I enjoy working at ABS. The corporate culture is quite unlike anything I’ve experienced before—people are friendly and there’s an air of mutual assistance as opposed to competition, yet the work still gets done. Values like meritocracy are practiced, but never at the expense of others. It’s an uplifting environment; I suspect the fact that everyone…is very happy to be here has something to do with it.

His advice to his younger cousins and relatives:

Advice for my younger brethren: Get out there and do your own thing. Don’t even think about coming to work for the family for at least five years out of school. Work at a Jamba Juice. Live on your own and manage your own expenses. Pay rent and utilities. Move out of your parents’ house, move out of your home country. Find your passion and follow it relentlessly. Step out of your comfort zone.

These experiences will teach you how to be a fiscally responsible and independent adult, how to manage and live within a budget, how to scrape by when need be. These skills are absolutely necessary— without them you won’t be useful to the family business at all, let alone be a self-sufficient person.

Lessons he learned from his elders, from his dad:

I try to pay attention when my elders have advice to impart as they are trying to save me the trouble of having to make the same mistakes to learn that lesson. Sometimes, of course, you need to make your own mistakes to learn. But when it comes to really big mistakes, you can avoid them by heeding the advice of your elders.

As I become a man and assume all of the responsibilities and problems that come with the territory, the advice my dad has given me has been invaluable (nothing you can get from a textbook).

His relationship with his grandparents:

I wish I could spend more time with my grandparents. I have memories of Lolo Geny— when he passed I wasn’t even a teenager yet, but I recall him having a kind and magnanimous energy, always asking how I was whenever I saw him and gathering the family on weekends when he would visit San Francisco. I have been very fortunate to be able to spend time with Lola Chita throughout my life, from childhood until the present. She is a kind, adventurous and progressive soul who never ceases to amaze me, to this day.

My mother’s parents live in England and as such, I have only been able to see them a handful of times in my life. I am most regretful about this as my grandpa has a deteriorating case of Alzheimer’s and Grandma is following in his footsteps. I was very lucky to be able to visit them last year.(Story/Photos by:Dulce Festin-Baybay)