Dr. Lucio Tan:
Most Distinguished Bicolano Business Icon

Born in 1934 in one of southern China's poorest provinces, he was barely four years old when his family joined the Chinese Diaspora to the Philippines to escape the invading Japanese forces. Sometime in 1948, the teenaged Lucio moved to Naga City and spent two memorable years in Bgy. Sabang where he studied and made a lot of friends. As a fresh chemist graduate from Far Eastern University, he established an electronics shop and a corn starch factory that failed. But these did not deter him from pursuing his dream. Within the same year that his corn starch factory closed shop, Lucio established Himmel Industries, Inc., a chemical manufacturing and trading firm. Using second hand machines and reconditioned American trucks, Himmel gave Lucio his first taste of success.

From Himmel, he set up Fortune Tobaco, housed in a small hut in Marikina, in 1965. From this flagship company rose numerous successful ventures in agribusiness; airlines and related services; banking, finance and securities; brewery; chemicals; distillery and alcohol; education; tooa; notel; real estate; soap manulacturing; steel fabrication; and tourism and travel services. Today, his companies have a commanding presence in many parts of the country, notably the Bicol Region. PAL flies regularly to the cities of Naga and Legazpi; Allied Bank and PNB have branches in major towns and cities; and many more of his products have a huge following among Bicolanos.

A firm believer in the value of education, Mr. Tan is the founder of the Foundation for Upgrading the Standard of Education (FUSE).Anonprofit organization, FUSE serves as a catalyst and as government's partner in upgrading the quality of education by improving the teaching skills of English, Science and Mathematics teachers. He also sends physicians for further studies and specialization abroad through the Asia Brewery Medical Scholarship Program. His only condition is for the scholars to return to the Philippines so they may serve their less fortunate countrymen.
Despite his fabled wealth, Lucio has never forgotten his humble roots. Not only because his life is one about hardship, perseverance and human triumph, but that he has his heart on its right place. His success is mirrored in the eyes of others, especially his fellow workers and adoring countrymen whose lives he touched through his humility and simplicity despite his huge capacity to win and succeed in all his endeavors.