Remembering my grandpa Don Jose Avila

Last Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Txabi Aboitiz, Chief Human Resources and Quality Officer and Ms. Susan V. Valdez, Chief Reputation Officer (CRO), held a short presscon with the Cebu media. It was quite unexpected that the Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV) and Aboitiz Power (AP)—two publicly-listed Aboitiz Companies—would be moving its corporate headquarters from Cebu to Manila. Now that’s a bit of a shocker to us.

 In a written statement from AEV President and CEO Erramon “Montxu” Aboitiz, he pointed out: “With the acquisition the past few years, over 70% of our profits come from businesses in Luzon. We have transformed ourselves from a Regional Company to a National Enterprise, having to transact more with stakeholders based in the capital. Our main market and customers for electricity are in Luzon.”

 One of the reasons for this move is the reality that we still live under this outdated centralized form of government, where national agencies based in the National Capital Region cannot delegate power to their regional directors, who are nothing but glorified postmen with no real authority.

 Montxu admitted that while the transfer was a challenging and difficult decision to make, the relocation process is expected to be completed by June 2013. We were told that the corporate office would continue to operate as the Aboitiz and Company; their holding company will still be in Cebu. As Montxu said, “Cebu will always be our heritage and our original home. But as professionals, we sometimes have to make tough calls and do what is best for the business. It is our responsibility to our shareholders as well as to ourselves to do what is necessary for what is best for the Aboitiz Group.”

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 Allow me to honor my grandfather Don Jose Avila on the occasion of his 127th birthday today. I remember asking my father Atty. Jesus “Lindong” Avila a question about my grandpa ‘Why his father Don Jose Avila did not have a middle name?’ My father did not want to answer that query. But in 1975 when my father and I where hotel hopping in Manila when we ended at the San Augustine church and my Dad walked straight to a spot inside the church where a grave was marked Fr. Manuel Rubio Fernandez.

 Right there, my father told me, “This is the Papa of my Papa!” Pretending (I already knew this from my other uncles) to be surprised, I told my Dad, “What are you saying, this man is a Fernandez, we are Avila.” Then my Dad replied in a louder tone, “I’m doing exactly what my Papa did to me. He brought me here and on this grave he told me, ‘This is my Papa.” Fr. Manuel Rubio Fernandez was the Parish Priest of Carcar up to the end of the Spanish times. Because of the shame and scandal in the family, Don Jose Avila was sent to school in St. Joseph’s College in Hongkong. Thus he became one of the first Cebuanos who spoke the English language with an English accent.

 Don Jose Avila grew up at the crossroads of history, when our American colonizers took over from the Spanish colonizers. Thus he was hired by the Americans as an interpreter because most prominent Cebuanos, including the governors of Cebu only spoke and understood Spanish. Hence Don Jose became known as “the Little Governor” of Cebu. He was a member of the Provincial Board and its Secretary for many years. It was then that he was tasked to oversee the construction of Plaza Independencia.

 When his mother Doña Filomena “Ximena” Avila moved from Carcar to Parian, Don Jose Avila lived with her in the property beside what is now the Café Elysa in España St. just 40-yards from the Segura residence of my maternal grandparents. After she died, he moved his residence to a street he helped build, which is now called Mango Ave a.k.a. Gen. Maxilom Ave.

 After retiring from government service, he opened up Cebu’s first English language newspaper “The Cebu Advertiser” and its Cebuano edition “Ang Tigmantala” whose Editor-in-Chief was Prof. Jose Maria del Mar, father of former. Rep. Raul del Mar who also lived in Parian. Of course his main business later became the Teatro Oriente, which is the Oriente Theater that is considered the oldest running theater in the country today. 

 In my old collection of photos, Don Jose Avila was in the rostrum as Secretary of the Provincial Board when Speaker of the Assembly Manuel Quezon came to Cebu to preside the session. In another photo he was reading a report before the American Governor General (who is unnamed) and Cebu Gov. Manuel Roa, Sr. There’s also a photo with my grandfather together with American Governor General Dwight S. Davies. Don Jose Avila was always in the company of Don Sergio Osmeña, where I also have a photo of his wedding reception, which Don Sergio attended. Don Jose Avila died on May 3, 1959 when I was only eight (8) years old. During his vigil in our house in Mango Ave. Don Sergio Osmeña came and my Dad introduced me to him as a former President of the Philippines. That’s how I got to be a fan of Don Sergio.

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