IT HAS BEEN five years since the most popular Filipino-Chinese businessman in Iloilo City – Alejandro “Boy” Que – passed away. But his legend lives on and he still pursues his legacy through the foundation bearing his name.
I had been hoping to write about the Dr. Alejandro “Boy” Que Foundation but it was only recently that opportunity presented itself over coffee with its president, John Alexander C. Que.
“I was a friend of Boy,” I told the young man, as if to emphasize that his father had liked his friends to call him by his nickname.
John wondered how I had known about the foundation named after his dad. I did not have to tell him that good deeds always find a way to crop up. And so he favored me with basic information.
John and his siblings put up the foundation in December 2013 or one month after the untimely demise of their dad on Nov. 17, 2013 – aimed at helping poor but deserving school children.
“We take the initiative of searching for deserving scholars,” John said, “one at a time. We also require applicants to write an essay on why they deserve scholarship.”
Their first full scholar, Ms. Rona Mae C. Talaron, has just graduated from the BS Criminology course at the University of Iloilo.
Two more scholars, Lloyda Maris and Stela Mae Ricafrente, are about to start their 4th year as BS-Accountancy students at the University of San Agustin.
There was a time when the foundation reached out to an indigent family at the remote island barangay of Tambalisa, Concepcion, Iloilo to extend the same scholarship to their mathematically-gifted child starting this school year.
In the past five years, the Dr. Alejandro Que Foundation has routinely conducted gift-giving activities in elementary schools. The bag of “gifts” usually consists of school supplies.
In collaboration with Waffle Time, the foundation recently donated three school classrooms at the Pagsanga-an Elementary School in the municipality of Pavia.
Wherever he is today, Boy Que must surely be proud of the foundation that has taken over his philanthropic work.
As I write, I remember the last time I saw Boy Que alive in his inner sanctum at Washington Grocery Store on J.M. Basa Street. By then, I had heard that he was sick but refrained from asking him about it.
“Wala na ako buhok, Bert,” he said while emerging at the door. “I am sick.”
I had not prepared for that statement. I could only presume he had been undergoing chemotherapy.
“You will recover,” I quipped. “You’ve been through it.”
Many years before, Boy had battled nasopharyngeal cancer and beat it.
I said nothing more about his disease, realizing that I had forgotten what I was there for.
“Bert, what can I do for you?” he asked.
“Oh,” I remembered what I had to say. “I have not yet congratulated you. So I’m here to extend my belated congratulations to you for having been conferred an honorary doctorate degree by the University of Iloilo.”
Boy had distinguished himself as chief executive officer of the family-owned chain of stores and malls, Washington Grocery and Iloilo Supermart, all located in Iloilo City.
A Rotarian and Freemason, he encouraged us his less fortunate friends to unburden problems to him so that he could help within his means.
Dr. Alejandro “Boy” Que was only 64 when he passed away, but he moves on through the Don Alejandro Que Foundation, Inc. (hvego31@gmail.com /PN)
There are many ways on how to honor the memory of a beloved family member. Seldom, though, are we inspired to follow a narrative that enliven a legacy such as those of Alejandro “Boy” Que, Iloilo City’s popular Filipino-Chinese businessman. May the story of Dr. Alejandro “Boy” Que Foundation established to educate poor but deserving school children be duplicated a hundred times.