Top Cebu corporate official found dead

A top corporate official of one of the country’s largest conglomerates was found dead Saturday night in the guest room of his parents’ house at Paseo Annabelle in Maria Luisa Estate Park, an enclave of Cebu’s rich and famous.

Alfonso Y. Aboitiz, 48, was at the time of his death the executive vice president for power distribution of Aboitiz Power Corporation.

Aboitiz was found dead on the bed by a female helper, Elisebia Catubay, who opened the door to the room intending to notify him that dinner was ready. Instead, it was his lifeless body that greeted her sight.

Catubay rushed out of the room to notify Aboitiz’s elder brother, Jimmy, who lived nearby, as well as call for emergency medical assistance from the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation.

Aboitiz arrived at his parents’ house earlier that morning. The house is just four blocks from his own home in the same village.

Upon arriving, he asked for a glass of cold water from Catubay and then entered the guest room.

At lunchtime, Catubay called up the room by phone but nobody answered. Thinking Aboitiz must be asleep, the househelp decided not to pursue waking him up for lunch.

Police were also called in to check on the circumstances of Aboitiz’s death but Inspector Mario Monilar refrained from issuing any conclusive statements.

“ We are refraining from making any speculations in absence of certain evidences, ” Monilar said.

Another investigator, SPO1 Joseph Bucayan, said no signs of a struggle or foul play were observed at the scene.

Monilar said all evidences retrieved from the scene will be subjected to further examination.

Carol Ballesteros Go, speaking for the Aboitiz family, said family members are grieving over the untimely death of Alfonso.

“ It is a tragic development. The family is grieving right now. We are requesting the public to respect their privacy, ” Go said.

Go described Aboitiz as a “ very private person ” who preferred to be called simple as “ Al. ”

Before his appointment as EVP at Aboitiz Power, he was the main guy at Davao Light and Power and later was chief operating officer of VECO when the Aboitiz Group took over the electric company.

Cebu City councilor Sylvan Jakosalem, chairman of the committee on energy, said Aboitiz was a big loss to the energy community.

“ In his tenure at Veco, he institutionalized many changes that contributed to the growth and improvement of the company, ” Jakosalem said. — /JST