JG Summit at 35: A Legacy of Nation-Building

At the Ninoy Aquino International Airport's Terminal 3 last Monday, election day, check-in counters of Gokongwei-led Cebu Pacific were busier than usual amid the snaking lines of passengers.

- By IRIS GONZALES

It is a testament to the low-cost carrier's continued dominance—with a commanding 54.1 percent share of the domestic market in 2024—and to JG Summit Holdings' success in providing consumers with wider choices at fair prices.

Cebu Pacific, which revolutionized air travel, is just one example of how the late retail tycoon John Gokongwei Jr. boldly challenged the status quo by building businesses that competed with market leaders.

He wanted to give consumers more options: snack foods that provided alternatives to imported brands; telecommunications that pioneered cheaper calls and text; air transportation that made flying affordable to more Filipinos, and many more.

This year, 35 years since it was incorporated and more than 70 years since Gokongwei put up a corn milling plant to produce glucose and cornstarch, JG Summit is a sprawling business empire comprising snacks maker Universal Robina Corp. (URC), property developer Robinsons Land Corp. (RLC), Cebu Pacific operator Cebu Air, digital bank GoTyme Bank Corp., and many other businesses.

In the run-up to the company's 35th anniversary on Nov. 23, 2025, JG Summit president and CEO Lance Gokongwei, the only son of the late tycoon, looks back with pride at the conglomerate's journey and casts a forward-looking vision focused on innovation and inclusive growth.