Fernando Lopez

Fernando Hofileña López Sr. (April 13, 1904 – May 26, 1993) was a Filipino statesman. A member of the influential López family of Iloilo, López served as Vice President of the Philippines for three terms – under Elpidio Quirino (1949–1953) for the Liberals and Ferdinand Marcos (1965–1969 and 1969–1972) for the Nacionalistas. He was also the chairman of ABS-CBN Corporation from 1986 to his death in 1993.

López was born on April 13, 1904 in Iloilo City, Iloilo to Benito Villanueva López and Presentacion Javelona Hofileña. He was the younger brother and only sibling of Eugenio López, Sr. The López family was the richest family and most influential in the province.

López studied high school at Colegio de San Juan de Letran, finishing in 1921. He then studied law in the University of Santo Tomas, earning his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1925. After passing the bar examinations, he did not go into private practice, but helped his older brother manage the family business.

In 1945, with no prior political experience, López was picked by President Sergio Osmeña to be mayor of Iloilo City.In 1947, he ran for Senator and won the election.

López was one of the founders of University of Iloilo and the FEATI University in Manila.

The brothers Eugenio and Fernando owned the Iloilo-Negros Air Express Company (the first Filipino owned air service), the Iloilo Times (El Tiempo), the Manila Chronicle and ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation, LSC (Lopez Sugar Corporation), Bayantel (including Bayan DSL), SkyCable(including SkyBroadband), Meralco, RLC (Rockwell Land Corporation), Rockwell Center, First Balfour, Inc., Philippine Electric Corporation (Philec), First Electro Dynamics Corporation (Fedcor), First Sumiden Circuits, Inc. (FSCI), Securities Transfer Services, Inc. (STSI), The Medical City (TMC), BayanTrade DotCom, First Gas Holdings Corporation (Santa Rita), FGP. Corp. (San Lorenzo), FG Hydro Power Corporation (Pantabangan-Masiway), FG Bukidnon (Agusan mini-hydro), Bauang Private Power Corporation (Bauang), Panay Electric Company(PECO), First Philippine Industrial Corporation (the major fuel distributor of Shell and Chevron Caltex in the country), First Philippine Realty Corp, First Philippine Electric Corp. (First Philec), First Philec Solar Corporation, First Sumiden Circuits, Inc. (FSCI), First Sumiden Realty, Inc, First Philippine Industrial Park.

Vice President Fernando Lopez with President Ferdinand Marcos at the Presidential study.

First Term

In 1949, he became vice-president under President Elpidio Quirino and concurrently worked as secretary of agriculture, serving until 1953.He was then elected once again as senator, and re-elected in 1959.

Second and Third Term

In 1965, he ran with Ferdinand Marcos and won as vice-president. He was re-elected in 1969. By the time martial law was declared in 1972, the Lopez family fell out of Marcos' favor and was targeted by the dictatorship because of their denunciations of Marcos' alleged corruption. They were also targeted due to their family's political influence, being members of the entrenched oligarchy. The position of vice-president was dissolved, and the Lopez family was stripped of most of its political and economic assets.

After the removal of Marcos from power in the People Power Revolution of 1986, he became chairman of FHL Investment Corporation and vice-chairman of First Philippine Holdings Corporation.

He died on May 26, 1993 leaving his wife Mariquit Javellana with whom he had six children: Yolanda, Fernando, Jr. (Junjie), Alberto (Albertito), Emmanuele, Benito and Mita.