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Manolo Lopez, former envoy to Japan, dies

by Izel Abanilla

MANUEL Lopez, former chairman of Manila Electric Co.  and former Philippine ambassador to Japan passed away Thursday, January 12, as confirmed by his family. He was 80. 

He was a  younger brother of former ABS-CBN chairman Geny Lopez and former Lopez Holdings Corp. (LHC) CEO Oscar Lopez.

Apart from being the chair of the country’s largest power distributor, he too was the chairman and CEO of Lopez Holdings Inc. 

Lopez, who also served as chairman of Rockwell Land, was appointed Philippines ambassador to Japan from 2011 to 2016 during the term of the late President Noynoy Aquino. 

He was awarded by then-Japanese Foreign Affairs Minister Fumio Kishida, the current Japanese Prime Minister, with the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun for his efforts to Philippine-Japan relations.

During his early years, he was educated at the Ateneo de Manila University Baguio Military Institute, and Santa Clara University in San Francisco, California. 

After spending 24 years working for Meralco, he relinquished his post to business tycoon Manny Pangilinan in 2010. 

One of the landmark programs he was known for in Meralco was the Employee Stock Ownership Plan which basically helped boost company performance especially employee morale 

There’s also the Meralco Transformation Project which aims to elevate the company to world-class status. He is also known for various Corporate Social Responsibility Programs.  

His appointment as the country’s diplomat to Japan has been contested by some critics to be “politically-motivated” due to the Lopezes and Aquinos’ long political ties.

He was awarded by then-Japanese Foreign Affairs Minister Fumio Kishida, the current Japanese Prime Minister, with the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun for his efforts to further improve Philippine-Japan relations.

Photo credit: Manolo Lopez via Rockwell Land

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