Jose Concepcion Jr.

Jose Santos Concepcion Jr. was born in Pasay on December 29, 1931, to industrialist Jose N. Concepcion Sr., who co-founded RFM Corporation and founded Concepcion Industries, which included a twin, Raul, who was born ten minutes after him and subsequently led part of the family business. In his early years, Concepcion lived at the family residence in Taft Avenue, Manila, and studied at the nearby De La Salle University, from where he received an associate degree in commercial science, and the Araneta Institute of Agriculture, from where he received a Bachelor's Degree majoring in soils and agricultural sciences. ==Business==

Concepcion served as president and COO of RFM Corporation, which was founded by his father Jose N. Concepcion Sr. and father-in-law Salvador Araneta as a flour-milling company, from 1965 to 1986. Concepcion was a trustee of the Makati Business Club from 1984 to 1986. He was also chairman of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry's ASEAN Committee, and was also the Philippine chair of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council and the East Asia Business Council upon their establishment in 2002. ==Scientific career==

Concepcion was the first person in the Philippines to use radioisotopes, which he applied as a mechanism to determine how much phosphorus was needed in fertilizers to encourage growth. His efforts led him to publish a paper titled "Radio-isotope Phosphorus in Plants." ==Political involvement==

Concepcion was elected to represent Rizal in the Philippine Constitutional Convention of 1971, during which he was an advocate for domestic manufacturers. Following the declaration of martial law in 1972, during which he was noted for organizing his cell block to do daily tasks. the National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) as its chair. He helped mobilize thousands of members through his slogan "it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness" NAMFREL, particularly its volunteer wing known as the Bantay ng Bayan, became known for monitoring instances of fraud and other irregularities and publishing results of the 1984 Philippine parliamentary election that contradicted the official results released by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC). His tenure in the Aquino cabinet was marked by his launching of the "Yes, the Filipino Can!" movement to promote the Philippines' economic recovery after the Marcos dictatorship and his establishment of the One-Stop-Shop program for obtaining business permits and licenses. A message promoting the Yes, the Filipino Can! movement was included at the end of the 1991 comedy film Juan Tamad at Mister Shooli: Mongolian Barbecue. A year later in 1992, he ran for the position of senator, however achieved 29th place outside the winning circle of 24 candidates for that years elections. ==Later years==

After leaving the Aquino cabinet, Concepcion returned to leading RFM, during which he also owned the Pop Cola Panthers competing in the Philippine Basketball Association from 1991 until the sale of its franchise in 2001. He was also elected in 1999 as barangay chairman of Forbes Park. During his tenure Concepcion, on one occasion, helped to direct traffic during a gridlock despite his advanced age. He also remained active in the politics of Pasay through the Pasay Citizens League for Good Government, which he founded. He also co-founded several other civil society and business organizations such as the Capitol Jaycees, the Bishop-Businessmen Conference for Human Development, and the ASEAN Chambers of Commerce and Industry. He also engaged in overseas visits to promote NAMFREL's work as the organization continued to help other countries hold credible elections. In 2000, he was among several prominent members of the private sector who called for the resignation of President Joseph Estrada amid corruption scandals involving the latter. ==Personal life and death==

Concepcion was married to Maria Victoria Araneta, whom he first met while studying at the Araneta Institute of Agriculture, and had eight children and 31 grandchildren. as well as a trade adviser to President Bongbong Marcos. Joey is also the founder of Go Negosyo, an organization that seeks to assist small and medium-scale entrepreneurs throughout the Philippines. Concepcion died on March 6, 2024, at the age of 92. He was buried in Taguig. ==References==