Andrés Soriano


Andrés Soriano Sr. was a Spanish Filipino industrialist. Described by The New York Times in 1964 as "one of the most dominant business personalities in the western Pacific area," he was best known for expanding the original San Miguel Brewery evolving into San Miguel Corporation. He also established philanthropies and encouraged good employee relations by sharing profits with his more than 16,000 employees by establishing a pension plan that paid retired employees 25% of their salary, with guaranteed sick leaves and medical benefits. He was the founder of Philippine Airlines, Asia's first air carrier. In 1935, during Commonwealth era, Soriano established Commonwealth Insurance Company, a non-life insurance company.

Family

Soriano was born on February 8, 1898 in San Miguel, Manila, Philippines. His father, Don Eduardo Soriano y Sanz, was a Spanish engineer who migrated to Philippines in the late 19th century. His mother, Doña Margarita Róxas de Ayala y Róxas, was the daughter of Pedro Pablo Róxas, and the granddaughter of Antonio de Ayala and Doña Margarita Róxas, progenitors of the prominent Róxas de Ayala and Zóbel de Ayala clans. Soriano was a second cousin of siblings, Col. Jacobo Zóbel, Alfonso Zóbel de Ayala, Mercedes Zóbel McMicking and the artist Fernando Zóbel.
Soriano had three siblings, including sisters, Carmen and Margarita.
Soriano was married to Carmen Montemar in 1924. The couple had two sons, José María Soriano and Andres Soriano Jr.

Career

San Miguel Corporation

In 1920, the 22-year-old Soriano joined the original San Miguel Brewery as an accountant. In six months, he became acting manager. By 1924, he was its general manager, and in 1931, at the age of 33 he was elected as its president.
During his incumbency, the San Miguel expanded beyond brewery and began to bottle Royal Tru-Orange and Coca-Cola, manufacture Magnolia Ice Cream and dairy products, carbonic acid, dry ice and Fleischmann's Yeast.

A. Soriano Corporation (ANSCOR)

In the 1930s, Soriano established A. Soriano Corporation as a holding company for his investments outside of San Miguel. Initially, ANSCOR concentrated on natural resources and basic industries, investing in Atlas Consolidated Mining and Development Corporation, Phelps Dodge Philippines and Atlas Fertilizer Corporation. ANSCOR also went into insurance; gold mining ; oil exploration ; airline ; copper mining ; copper wire manufacture ; fertilizer from pyrite ; logging and lumber ; paper manufacture ; fluorescent lamps and incandescent light bulbs ; jute bags ; steel drums ; newspapers and broadcasting. Atlas Consolidated grew to be the largest copper mine of its time in the Far East and one of the ten largest copper mines in the world.

Citizenship

He was a Spanish citizen and leader of the Philippine Falange during the late 1930s until he applied for Filipino citizenship.
After becoming a Filipino citizen, Soriano served as secretary of finance, agriculture and commerce during the wartime cabinet of the Quezon administration. Soriano also served with USAFFE and later as a colonel on General Douglas MacArthur's staff in the Southwest Pacific Theater.
He was granted American citizenship for his wartime services and remained an American citizen until his death.

Death

Soriano died on December 30, 1964, at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.