Last man standing

He lived a life so filled with achievement, it took three volumes to tell. The first was his family’s story and the experiences that molded him; the second was his rise through the ranks and then becoming a CEO in the private sector; and the third was his public service. By the time I got to know him, he’d become an adviser, a mentor to many, and it was in keeping with this decades-long role that he wanted to end his book with a list, in the manner that the first two volumes of his memoirs had useful lists, too. Unfortunately, the list inadvertently didn’t make it, though one hopes a future edition of his memoirs will contain it. But here it is:

Ten rules to bear in mind when giving advice:

1. There is always room for compromise, but don’t compromise principles.

2. Don’t go for one-shot deals: look for long-term/lasting relationships.

3. Expect the unexpected.

4. It is not enough to be fair; you must be seen and perceived to be fair.

5. There is no such thing as a perfect solution.

6. Don’t go back on your word—your word is your bond.

7. Thorough due diligence is a must in any acquisition, partnership, or joint venture.

8. Don’t be afraid to take calculated risks.

9. Don’t kick a man when he is down.

10. It is never too late!

When he was mulling over his memoirs, he’d been adamant about it not ending up as an exercise in vanity. It isn’t egomania, I suggested, if you view your life’s work as a series of case studies worth sharing with the next generation of people who want to rise up and do well for themselves and the country.

When the time came for him to wrap up his book, he sketched out his thoughts on a yellow pad—the CEO’s battle map—and there’s no better way to remember him with gratitude than with his own words as he peered ahead at a Philippines still to be:

“One thing that links my generation with that of my children and grandchildren is our being citizens of the world, so to speak. By this, I mean that with the right foundations, we Filipinos can thrive anywhere. And we do.

“But the question that haunts me is, for how long?

“We dominate the service industries of many regions, but we need to not just work our way up abroad, we need to level up at home.

“We need two things to do this. These are nutrition and education.

“Both, in turn, seriously hinder the ability of a child to learn, which becomes a permanent liability in life. The statistics are alarming and constitute a national emergency.

“For children fortunate enough to avoid stunting and wasting, there remains the next challenge: receiving a good, relevant education.

“Instead of surrendering to despair, many institutions and individuals are rising to the challenge and working to reverse these trends.

“The challenge before us is to scale up these efforts in a massive way before it’s too late. We cannot allow a permanent underclass to form, one condemned to poverty because it literally lacks the physical strength or brainpower to better its prospects. We also cannot have the undeservedly rich, who feel entitled to lord it over everyone else without having earned their abundance. The contrast between the two would be a guarantee of social and political strife.

“Back in 1985, Jimmy [Ongpin] zeroed in on what we collectively believed we represented: the ability to rise based on competence. This is the Filipino dream. A nation that not only believes in but also upholds merit is a nation capable of confronting any problem because it will find the right solution.

“On the other hand, when an entire people starts feeling that you can only go so far, because the top places are reserved for a few, on the basis of mere inheritance, sheer brute force, or corrupt bargains, then you have a society in danger of self-destruction. That is because social mobility is a requisite for a healthy society. Today, there is one sector where this is most true: politics. Fewer and fewer can get elected who aren’t from families already in politics. In any society, this is unhealthy.”

He titled his memoirs, “I Have a Story to Tell,” and he did—not least because it was and is our collective story, where some beat the odds and live lives of dignity, achievement, and integrity, while many others don’t, and still more never even had a fighting chance. He saw what was coming because he had seen it all before and, in his own ways, tried to fight it.

Cesar A. Buenaventura, Dec. 18, 1929 – Dec. 10, 2025

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Email: mlquezon3@gmail.com; Twitter: @mlq3