Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon-Chua, 81, passes away

Antonio L. Cabangon-Chua passed away on Friday, March 11, at the age of 81.

His passing was confirmed by his son, D. Edgard Cabangon, who asked friends to join their family in praying for the peaceful repose of the soul of their beloved father. The wake will be held at Heritage Park, Arlington Chapel in Quezon City.

He was a former ambassador to Laos, a full colonel in the Reserve Force of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and an honorary member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of '56. He is also a Certified Public Accountant.

Married to Bienvenida Angeles Chua, he was blessed with 10 kids – eight sons and two daughters.

Cabangon-Chua graduated from the University of the East in 1956 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration

He was born on August 30, 1934. His father was a well-off Chinese businessman, who tragically died during the Japanese occupation when Cabangon-Chua was seven. He became a shoeshine boy and a street vendor, selling pan de sal, ice drop, and newspapers. Cabangon-Chua also worked as a jeepney driver and a mechanic.

He experienced varying degrees of humiliation, like being kicked by an American soldier while shining shoes when he refused to eat a half-eaten pear thrown at him. This motivated Cabangon-Chua to work hard and improve his condition and it also inspired him to stay humble regardless of his socioeconomic position.

After working numerous odd jobs, he was able to save enough to put up Filipinas Pawnshop with his friends in Paco, Manila. The same store stands today.

Cabangon-Chua went on to become the head of a large business and media empire under the Antonio L. Cabangon-Chua Group of Companies and Aliw Media Group. He also established the Dominga L. Cabangon Memorial Foundation, in honor of his mother, whom he views as a superwoman.

Among the over 20 companies that Cabangon-Chua oversaw were Eternal Plans Inc., Fortune Life, Radio Philippines Network (CNN Philippines, 882 DWIZ, ), Philippine Business Daily Mirror Publishing Inc. (BusinessMirror), Philippine Graphic Publications Inc. (Philippine Graphic), Aliw Broadcasting Corporation (97.9 Home Radio), and City State properties.

He received the Lifetime Achievement award from the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) during the 23rd Golden Dove Awards in 2015. – Aya Tantiangco/VDS, GMA News