Biz community mourns passing of ‘Joecon’

The country’s most prominent business organizations mourned the demise of Jose Concepcion Jr., known as “Joecon,” a former Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry, the founder of election watchdog National Citizens Movement for Free Elections or Namfrel, and former chairman of the board of RFM Corporation.

GoNegosyo chairman Joey Concepcion announced the passing of his father on Wednesday but did not divulge the cause of his death. He was 92.

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry hailed Concepcion’s service to the country, calling him a remarkable man and a visionary known for his fiery brand of leadership and passion — a giant among his fellows who inspired others.

“Joecon was chairman of the PCCI’s ASEAN Committee and Philippine chairman of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council and East Asia Business Council when these were founded in 2002. Under his leadership, he shaped several advocacies — a stronger engagement by the business sector in international trade negotiations, businesses that were inclusive and responsive to the needs of the community and stakeholders, and a community that is vigilant for democratic processes,” the PCCI statement read.

“Joecon was such a strong presence that his passing is an incalculable loss. The PCCI is fortunate to have had him as an officer and will continue to honor his legacy of leadership,” the chamber said.

The Makati Business Club lauded Concepcion in a message.

“As a leader of Namfrel, he helped establish transparency in the historic 1986 election. He was also an MBC trustee at the same time (1984-1986). He helped re-establish democracy and free enterprise as Trade and Industry secretary from 1986 to 1991. We express our condolences to his wife, Maria Victoria A. Concepcion, and his family, including Presidential Adviser Jose Ma. Concepcion III,” the MBC statement read.

According to his son Joey, Joecon was the epitome of the patriot-industrialist. He believed in the Philippines’ ability to achieve inclusive and pro-Filipino economic development.

“Under his guidance, RFM embarked on a path of diversification, venturing into animal feed milling, poultry and livestock, and obtaining the license from American company Swift to produce processed meats in the Philippines. These propelled RFM to establish itself as one of the Philippines’ leading food and beverage conglomerates. Staying true to its vision of putting food on every Filipino table, RFM offered products that were mass-based, high quality, and low cost,” he said.

As a delegate to the 1971 Constitutional Convention, Concepcion championed constitutional principles that would democratize the nation’s capital base to allow Filipino manufacturers to thrive.

The younger Concepcion said his father was a master at inspiring ordinary citizens to action, appropriating aphorisms, and leading by example.

During the 1986 snap presidential elections, he moved thousands of ordinary Filipinos to join Namfrel, stressing, “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.”

As DTI secretary, he rallied Filipinos to support local industries, saying, “Yes, the Filipino can.”

According to Joey, as a detainee during martial law, his father organized fellow detainees to take turns with chores and kept order inside their cell block.

At his retirement, Joecon served as barangay captain of Forbes Park, famously alighting from his vehicle one night to direct traffic himself and unravel a gridlock.

Being a civic leader, among his early crusades was, to help reform Pasay City through the formation of the Pasay Citizens League for Good Government.

Also, Joecon was one of the founders of the Capitol Jaycees, the Bishop-Businessmen Conference for Human Development, and the ASEAN Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

He was an enthusiastic scholar.

In addition to his associate degree in Commercial Science from De La Salle University, he obtained a bachelor’s degree from Araneta University, majoring in soils and agricultural sciences. He was the first to use radioisotopes in the Philippines, applying them to find out how much phosphorus was needed in fertilizers to encourage growth. He later published a paper on “Radio-isotope Phosphorus in Plants.”

“Joecon lived his life in adherence to his principles — that the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,” Joey Concepcion said.

Joecon is survived by his wife, the former Maria Victoria Araneta, his eight children, his 31 grandchildren, and his twin brother, Raul.