Capt.
Lacson was born on May 9, 1898, in
Silay, Negros Occidental. He studied high school at
Silliman University in
Dumaguete, Negros Oriental and took an Associate in Applied Science in
Nautical Science at the
Philippine Nautical School in
Manila. During
World War II, Capt.
Lacson became
Lieutenant Junior Grade in
San Francisco. He later became a U.S. citizen and adopted the name John B. Lacson. He lived in
San Juan, Puerto Rico. After the war ended, he went home to the Philippines and founded the first maritime school in the Visayas,
Iloilo Maritime Academy (now known as
John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University) in 1948. He also served as a
harbor pilot in
Iloilo City until his death on June 15, 1992. == References ==