MANILA -- An accomplished businessman, diplomat, and family man, Manuel “Manolo” M. Lopez has died at 80.

He was chairman emeritus of Lopez Holdings Corporation, after having served as chairman and chief executive officer from June 2010 until October 1, 2020.

"He was best loved for his malasakit, a leadership brand we were inspired to take on. His vision will live on in the hearts of people whose lives he touched," according to a statement from Rockwell Land, where he also served as chairman since 1995 and chairman of the Nominations and Elections Committee/Corporate Governance Committee since 2012.

Lopez was the Philippine Ambassador to Japan from December 2, 2010 until June 30, 2016, for which he was conferred by President Benigno Aquino III the Order of Sikatuna with the rank of Grand Cross, an order of diplomatic merit “conferred upon individuals who have rendered exceptional and meritorious services to the Republic of the Philippines.”

He was recognized for “exemplary efforts which contributed significantly to the historic elevation of Philippines-Japan relations," his son Mike said in an interview with the Philippine Star in 2016.

"A true trailblazer, we will cherish his incredible legacy and impact to our bilateral relations," Japanese ambassador to the Philippines Kazuhiko Koshikawa said of Lopez as he offered his condolences.

Affectionately called by his initials MML, Lopez was chairman of Rockwell Land Corporation, vice chairman of First Philippine Holdings Corporation, and director of ABS-CBN Corporation and ABS-CBN Holdings Corporation.

He was also chairman of Bayan Telecommunications Holdings Corporation and Sky Vision Corporation, director of First Philippine Realty Corporation and PGA Sompo Insurance Corp., member of the Executive Advisory Council of Mitsubishi Motors Corp., president of Eugenio Lopez Foundation, Inc., and a trustee of Lopez Group Foundation, Inc.

He served as president of Manila Electric Company (Meralco) from 1986 to June 2001, as chairman and CEO from July 2001 to June 2010.

Born on May 20, 1942, Lopez was the third son of Don Eugenio “Eñing” Hofileña Lopez and Doña Pacita Moreno Lopez. He was the brother of Eugenio “Geny” Jr., Oscar, Presentacion “Presy” Lopez-Psinakis, and Roberto.

In the 60s, Manolo accepted his father’s invitation to join Meralco, starting his career as management trainee and working with meter readers and bill collectors, according to the book “Manolo: A Portrait” issued in 2022 to mark Manolo’s 80th birthday.

The book related how Manolo found it easy to find fellowship with the men who worked in his father’s company, eating with them during lunch time and chatting them during down time, trading jokes.

His experience gave him the perspective of ordinary employees, turning him “into a man in full, capable of seeing the needs and dreams of the everyday Filipino, and taking this formed understanding to shape the culture and the approach of every organization he led.”

It was Manolo who looked after Meralco in 1986 when the government of then President Corazon Aquino returned to the Lopez family its assets that were seized during the Marcos dictatorship.

“By that time, Manolo had already mastered the art of knowing the people he served and he served with by being with them and breaking bread with them. In return, it was an easy and simple thing for them to love him back,” according to the book.

“Manolo felt this love in the aftermath of the EDSA Revolution on the day Manolo returned to his office at Meralco after the end of the Marcos dictatorship, when the reins of the company his father had nurtured and grown were returned."

"He was met at the Meralco entrance by the linemen and the bill collectors, the clerks and the security guards, the rank-and-file and the management. They tearfully cheered his arrival and carried him on their shoulders like a hero that had finally come home," the book noted.

In 1986, Manolo launched the campaign “Malasakit sa Kumpanya” with the intention of instilling in Meralco employees a love for the company and desire to serve the public.

He also launched “Service with Integrity” as a corporate policy to remind employees of their mission “to give their best service to the public.”

Manolo was married to Maritess Lopez for 58 years and was father to Maita Lopez-Lichauco, Manuel “Beaver” Jr., Mike, and Mark Lope,z who is currently chairman of ABS-CBN Corporation. He had eight grandchildren.

Humilty, integrity, and compassion were some of the values that the Lopez children learned from their father.

The ABS-CBN chairman said his late father instilled "malasakit" and integrity among all employees of Meralco.

"He always made it a point to talk about these two values. Beyond words, I think the employees saw that he genuinely demonstrated these values in his daily life," Mark said.

“I recall during the time the family considered selling Meralco shares, one of his biggest worries was the welfare of the people. He wanted to make sure that regardless of what happened, everyone would continue to have a job and no one would be displaced," he noted.

For his part, Mike Lopez recalled, "(After Marcos), he took back a company that was—how would I say?—in a bad financial state. He had to talk to the banks and creditors to find ways to restructure the loans. And so it wasn't exactly ‘back to the good old days.’"

"It took a while, but I guess when you do the right things you will bear the fruits of your labor," he said.

For Beaver Lopez, his father demonstrated "management by example."

"You have to set an example to your employees. If your employees come to work late, you have to come earlier than everyone, so that they come to work early. That's the kind of person he is. And you have to realize, as you get older, that's service."

Maita Lopez-Lichauco, meanwhile, remembered her father as a dedicated family man.

“First and foremost, he’s devoted to my mom, and then to us kids. For him, family always comes first. So now that we’re parents ourselves, we’d like to be able to do the same. Be a good spouse, and then a good parent.”

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