Fernando Lopez

Fernando Lopez
8th Vice President of the Philippines
In office December 30, 1965 – September 23, 1972[1]
President	Ferdinand Marcos
Preceded by	Emmanuel Pelaez
Succeeded by	Abolished[2] Title next held by Arturo Tolentino
4th Vice President of the Philippines
In office December 30, 1949 – December 30, 1953
President	Elpidio Quirino
Preceded by	Vacant[3] Title last held by Elpidio Quirino
Succeeded by	Carlos P. García
Senator of the Philippines
In office December 30, 1953 – December 30, 1965
In office December 30, 1947 – December 30, 1949
Mayor of Iloilo City
In office 1945 – December 30, 1947
Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources
In office 1965–1971
President	Ferdinand Marcos
Preceded by	Jose Y. Feliciano
Succeeded by	Arturo R. Tanco
In office December 30, 1949 – December 30, 1953
President	Elpidio Quirino
Preceded by	Placido Mapa
Succeeded by	Placido Mapa
Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources
In office 1965–1971
President	Elpidio Quirino
Preceded by	Placido Mapa
Succeeded by	Placido Mapa
9th Senate President pro tempore of the Philippines
In office 1958–1965
President	Carlos P. Garcia Diosdado Macapagal
Preceded by	Manuel Briones
Succeeded by	Lorenzo Sumulong
Chairman, ABS-CBN Corporation
In office February 28, 1986 – May 26, 1993
Preceded by	Eugenio Lopez, Sr. Roberto Benedicto (as Banahaw Broadcasting Corporation)
Succeeded by	Eugenio Lopez, Jr.
Personal details
Born	Fernando Hofileña López April 13, 1904 Iloilo, Iloilo, Philippine Islands
Died	May 26, 1993 (aged 89) Iloilo City, Philippines
Nationality	Filipino
Political party	Liberal (1945-53) Democratic (1953-59) Nacionalista (1959-71)
Spouse(s)	Mariquit Javellana
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Fernando Hofileña Lopez, Sr. (April 13, 1904 – May 26, 1993) was a Filipino statesman. A member of the influential Lopez Family of Iloilo, Fernando Lopez served as Vice President of the Philippines for three terms – under Elpidio Quirino (1949–1953) for the Liberals and Ferdinand Marcos (1965–1969 and 1969–1972) for the Nacionalistas and also the chairman of ABS-CBN Corporation from 1986 to his death 1993.

Early life and career

Lopez was born on April 13, 1904 in Iloilo City, Iloilo to Benito Lopez and Presentacion Hofileña. He is the younger brother of Eugenio Lopez, Sr. The Lopez family was very influential and the richest family in the province.

Lopez studied high school at San Juan de Letran College, finishing in 1921. He then studied law in the University of Santo Tomas, earning his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1925. After passing the bar examinations, he did not go into private practice, but helped his older brother manage the family business.

In 1945, with no prior political experience, Lopez was picked by President Sergio Osmeña to be mayor of Iloilo City. In 1947, he ran for Senator and won the election.

Lopez was one of the founders of University of Iloilo and the FEATI University in Manila.

The Lopez family also owned the Iloilo-Negros Air Express Company (the first Filipino owned air service), the Iloilo Times (El Tiempo), the Manila Chronicle and ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation, LSC (Lopez Sugar Corporation), Bayantel (including Bayan DSL), SkyCable(including SkyBroadband), Meralco, RLC (Rockwell Land Corporation), Rockwell Center, First Balfour, Inc., Philippine Electric Corporation (Philec), First Electro Dynamics Corporation (Fedcor), First Sumiden Circuits, Inc. (FSCI), Securities Transfer Services, Inc. (STSI), The Medical City (TMC), BayanTrade DotCom, First Gas Holdings Corporation (Santa Rita), FGP. Corp. (San Lorenzo), FG Hydro Power Corporation (Pantabangan-Masiway), FG Bukidnon (Agusan mini-hydro), Bauang Private Power Corporation (Bauang), Panay Electric Company(PECO), First Philippine Industrial Corporation (the major fuel distributor of Shell and Chevron Caltex in the country), First Philippine Realty Corp, First Philippine Electric Corp. (First Philec), First Philec Solar Corporation, First Sumiden Circuits, Inc. (FSCI), First Sumiden Realty, Inc, First Philippine Industrial Park

Vice-Presidency

First Term

In 1949, he became vice-president under President Elpidio Quirino and concurrently worked as secretary of agriculture, serving until 1953. He was then elected once again as senator, and re-elected in 1959.

Second and Third Term

In 1965, he ran with Ferdinand Marcos and won as vice-president. He was re-elected in 1969. By the time martial law was declared in 1972, the Lopez family fell out of Marcos' favor and was targeted by the dictatorship because of their denunciations of Marcos' alleged "Corruption". They were also targeted due to their family's political influence, being members of the entrenched oligarchy. The position of vice-president was dissolved, and the Lopez family was stripped of most of its political and economic assets.

Later life and death

After the removal of Marcos from power in the People Power Revolution of 1986, he became Chairman of First Philippine Holdings and ABS-CBN and Honorary Chair of FHL Holdings, holding on to those posts until 1993.

He died on May 26, 1993 leaving his wife Mariquit Javellana with whom he had six children: Yolanda, Fernando, Jr. (Junjie), Alberto (Albertito), Emmanuele, Benito and Mita.

References

1. Ratification date of the 1973 Constitution, per Presidential Proclamation No. 1102 issued by President Ferdinand E. Marcos
2. (Marcos vacated the office of the vice-president when the 1973 constitution was promulgated.)
3. No vice president was appointed after Quirino assumed the Presidency from Roxas, as it was not required by the 1935 Constitution