“Taipans understood that in times of national distress leadership demands initiative”
There are moments in our national life when wealth is tested—not by how much is accumulated, but by how much is given back.
We witnessed this truth during the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2022.
At a time when fear and uncertainty blanketed the nation, it was not only government that rose to the occasion.
The Filipino taipans—our captains of industry—stepped forward with speed, scale, and sincerity. They built emergency hospitals, secured life-saving vaccines, donated billions, and protected livelihoods.
Leaders like Ramon S. Ang, Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, Enrique Razon Jr., Lance Gokongwei, and Manuel V. Pangilinan did not wait for directives.
I have written several articles about the exploits of Ramon Ang, Chairman and CEO of San Miguel Corporation (SMC), who played a significant role in the Philippines’ private sector response to the COVID-19 pandemic, prioritizing “life over money” by leveraging his conglomerate’s resources for humanitarian aid, food security, and infrastructure support.
His actions included repurposing manufacturing facilities for alcohol production, funding massive food drives, and supporting healthcare facilities.
Early in the pandemic, Ang personally donated ₱100 million in 2020 to fight COVID-19. He also spearheaded the donation of PCR testing machines, RNA extraction machines, and test kits, expanding the country’s testing capacity by 15,000 tests per day.
Under his leadership, SMC launched a nationwide food donation drive, distributing meals to poor communities. Despite significant losses, Ang guaranteed that over 66,000 SMC employees would receive full salaries and benefits.
He also ensured that SMC was the first company in the Philippines to build a COVID-19 testing facility specifically for its workforce.
What’s remarkable about Ang’s philosophy during the pandemic was that businesses could recover lost money, but lost lives could not be replaced.
He advocated for a balanced approach to the lockdown, emphasizing that while his companies faced heavy losses (with oil firm Petron incurring significant losses), the priority was saving lives, including his own, as he contracted COVID-19 three times.
RSA, like his fellow taipans, understood that in times of national distress, leadership demands initiative.
Today, the Philippines faces a different kind of catastrophic storm brought about by the war in the Middle East among United States, Iran and Israel.
While we are no longer in lockdowns, the Filipino people are once again facing a convergence of crises—rising costs of living, climate-induced disasters, water and food insecurity, and widening inequality. The emergencies may be less visible than a virus, but they are just as real—and in many ways, more enduring.
The question now is simple: Will our taipans rise again?
This is not a call for charity alone. It is a call for nation-building at scale.
During COVID-19, we witnessed what coordinated private sector leadership can achieve. Perhaps, we can once again summon the Filipino spirit of Bayanihan. That same model—bold, decisive, and collaborative—can be deployed today.
What is needed now is scale. And scale requires the participation of those who have the resources, reach, and influence to move the needle—the taipans. This is not about replacing government. It is about reinforcing it.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has repeatedly emphasized that public-private partnerships are key to national development. But partnerships must go beyond infrastructure and extend into social and environmental resilience especially during this critical time heightened by the Middle East war.
The private sector has always been one of the Philippines’ greatest strengths. Agile, innovative, and deeply rooted in community, our conglomerates are uniquely positioned to respond faster and more effectively than most institutions.
But beyond capability lies something even more powerful: malasakit.
It is this Filipino value—compassion translated into action—that defined the private sector’s response during the pandemic. And it is this same spirit that must guide us today.
This call is not only for the taipans but also for our rich and powerful politicians.
Let us be candid: many who hold public office today are not only leaders—they are among the most affluent in the land. With influence comes responsibility. With privilege comes obligation.
Public service must go beyond policy pronouncements and ribbon-cutting ceremonies. It must include personal stake—real, tangible, measurable contribution.
In times like these, the Filipino people deserve more than governance. They deserve shared sacrifice.
Because the crises we face now are not temporary disruptions. They are structural challenges that will define the future of our nation.
And history will ask:
When the Filipino people needed help once more—who stepped up?
(The writer, president/chief executive officer of Media Touchstone Ventures, Inc. and president/executive director of the Million Trees Foundation Inc., a non-government outfit advocating tree-planting and environmental protection, is the official biographer of President Fidel V. Ramos.)
