Bert “Tawa” Marcelo did not live long enough to see the transformation of the company that makes his favorite beer. But son Gerard said that his dad would be proud and happy to learn of what San Miguel Corporation has become and that it has remembered to give back to his beloved Bulacan with a soon-to-be-built airport 25 years after his demise.
“He would have loved to meet Mr. Ramon Ang, the San Miguel visionary who led the diversification. He would have given him butong pakwan ni Mentong or a box of chicharon from Bulacan, his usual pasalubong to friends,” said the 47-year-old Gerard, one of the comedic legend’s four sons who have carved out their names in different businesses away from the spotlight of the entertainment world.
Gerard said his father’s closest association to SMC’s big boss Ramon S. Ang was the late chairman Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. “I remember, when Boss Danding wants to have a good laugh, he will call my father and tell him to deliver Boss Danding’s favorite joke.”
Gerard agrees that a lot has changed since then and San Miguel has diversified in many industries. “But my father would be happy that Ramon Ang is investing heavily in the country to help our kababayans by providing employment and improving our country’s infrastructure. His big investments are helping the country’s economy,” he said.
Because his father values the bond and friendship with San Miguel and loves Bulacan dearly, particularly his hometown, Baliuag, Gerard said that the construction of the P734 billion Manila International Airport would definitely make him proud.
“Yes, definitely he will happy and proud with the development. My father was a proud Bulakenyo. As Jose Guevarra also said, ‘He was one of the two men that the province of Bulacan can be truly proud of. He placed Bulacan on the map. The other one is Blas Ople, the serious one,” he said.
