Jose Concepcion Jr., founder of the election watchdog NAMFREL, former Secretary of Trade and Industry, and former Chairman of the Board of RFM Corporation, passed away today, 6 March 2024, his son, GoNegosyo chairperson Joey Concepcion confirmed on Wednesday.

No further details given by the Concepcion family regarding the cause of his demise. He was 92.

Joecon is considered the epitome of the patriot-industrialist.

He believed in the Philippines’s ability to achieve economic development that was inclusive and pro-Filipino. 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 leading food and beverage conglomerates in the Philippines. Staying true to its vision of putting food on every Filipino table, RFM offered products that were mass-based, high-quality and low cost.

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

Joecon 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 (National Citizens Movement for Free Elections), invoking that, “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” As Secretary of Trade and Industry, he rallied Filipinos to support local industries by saying, “Yes, the Filipino can.” As a detainee during Martial Law, he organized his fellow detainees to take turns with chores and keep order inside their cell block.