BACKGROUND PROFILE OF JORGE L.

ARANETA

One of the most media-shy yet wealthiest billionaires in the Philippines is the Araneta Group of
Companies Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jorge L. Araneta, more famous for being the boss of
Gateway Mall and the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Mr. Jorge L. Araneta, hails from a family of sugar barons who founded the Ma-ao Sugar
Refinery in Negros province over a century ago. His late father, Amado Araneta, went on to build the
Araneta Center Complex in 1959, which houses the Smart Araneta Coliseum, one of Asia's largest
indoor sports arenas. The 90-acre property in Quezon City is the family's biggest asset. Araneta Group
also has franchises for Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Dairy Queen, Wendy's and 7-Eleven. Other interests
include the Makati Medical Center and the Binibining Pilipinas, a beauty pageant overseen by his wife
Stella Z. Marquez, a former Miss Columbia. He shares wealth with his sisters Maria Lourdes Araneta
Fores and Judy Araneta Roxas, Araneta Group Vice Chairman.
After having been left behind by Makati and even Greenhills in the 1980s, the Araneta family
eventually became more aggressive in redeveloping their once stagnant but strategically located Araneta
Center in Cubao. Now the area has come alive again. Megaworld has partnered to develop 18
condominiums, a new 400-room Novotel will open next year, and the 31-story Gateway Tower is a
modern office condominium with a lot of foreign BPOs.
The Araneta family, which includes Jorge and his sister Judy Araneta Roxas (mother of DILG
Secretary Mar Roxas), owns 35 hectares of prime land in Cubao, Quezon City. Excluding all the malls,
buildings and the coliseum, just computing conservatively based only on the BIRs zonal valuation of
P130,000 per square meter, their landholdings alone are worth P45 billion or over US$1 billion.
Mr. Jorge L. Araneta, son of J. Amado Araneta, was one of the few non-physicians, who sat at
the Makati Medical Center Board of Directors. Like his father, who had the foresight to buy vast lands
in Cubao, he saw the potential of what a premier hospital could do for a city like Makati burgeoning in
the 1960s. He co-founded Medical Doctors Inc. in 1969. He serves as the Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer of Philippine Pizza Inc., Uniprom Inc. and Progressive Development Corporation and serves as a
Director of Philippine Seven Corporation.
Today, as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Araneta Group of Companies, he is
responsible for leading his team in the growth and advancement of the Araneta Center Inc.

THE ARANETA FAMILY

Name History
The Araneta family dates back from the early times when aristocracy was still prevalent. The
family traces their ancestral roots back to ancient times in Aragon, Spain and from there, are scattered
all over the world. The Araneta family is an influential Filipino family that originated from Guipzcoa,
the Basque region of northern Spain.
According to the historian, "Baron de Cobos" of Belchite, Aragon one branch of this family
established their household in Guipzcoa, one of the three provinces of Euskal Herria, the name given to
the home of the Basque people, which today forms the Communidad Autnoma del "Pais Vasco" or
"Euskadi" in Basque, and the Chartered Community of Navarra (Nafarroa).
The family dwelled mostly near the mountains, which are surrounded by valleys, hence the name
Araneta, the etymology of which is derived from the Basque term "aran" meaning valley, and the
locative suffix "eta", which denotes a "place of". Thus, the initial bearer of the surname Araneta would
have been someone who dwelled in a valley.
From the diverse unity which characterizes Spain, comes the distinguished Araneta family
surname. Historians have studied the available records and it revealed that the original family ancestral
seat first originated in Aragon, an ancient kingdom of Spain.

Martin de Araneta
One of the earliest record, bearing the name Araneta is that of Martin de Araneta, who came
from an aristocratic family of Basque origin. His name was recorded in a Castilian document dated
1227.
Martin de Araneta was a Knight during the era of the Reconquest. He served and escorted
Ferdinand III, King of Castile and Leon, in the conquest of Cordova, Murcia, Jaen, and Seville, from the
Moors in 1217. He was granted innumerable amounts of lands when Ferdinand divided the conquered
territories between his knights, the Church, and the Nobility, whom he enfeoffed with great latifundias.
According to Alberto and Arturo Garcia Garaffa, Basque writers and historians, the Aranetas had
ancestral homes in the valleys of Gainza and Andoain in Guipzcoa. A notable member of this
household, Juan Francisco de Araneta, was ennobled in Gainza, circa 1683.
The Spanish Crown, in granting the family a decree of the coat-of-arms, recognized the nobility
of the Araneta family. It is found in the compilation of the land of "Basque and Navarres" (Vol. 10 page
91 Enciclopedia Heraldica y Genealgica Hispano - Americano by Alberto and Arturo Garcia Carraffa).

Origins
In 1723, during the Galleon Trade, two brothers named Baltazar de Araneta and Don Jose de
Araneta arrived in Manila aboard the Spanish Fleet, "La Sacra Familia". They came from the Basque
region of Spain by way of Acapulco, Mexico. However, this was not conclusive as some members of the
family disputed that the two are not brothers. Don Jose de Araneta must have been born in Guipzcoa,
but not Baltazar de Araneta, who was born in Mexico.
Baltazar served as a regidor of the cabildo and secretary of the Charitable Fraternity of the
Misericordia in Manila. He was married to Manuela de Aguirre and he died in Manila in 1750. One line
of the Araneta family is descended from him.
In 1725, Don Jose joined the first Spanish expedition forces to Mindanao. A passage quoted
from the book (Islas Filipinas: Mindanao Vol.11), by Benito Francia and Julian Gonzales Parrado,
which was translated in Chabacano dialect by Datu Michael Mastura, establishes two facts: First, Don
Jose de Araneta served the Spanish Politico-Military Government of Mindanao based at Zamboanga
City. Second, he served as interpreter between the Spanish colonial government and the Sultan of
Maguindanao, together with Placido Alberto de Saavedra. Another passage in the document revealed
that in 1746, Don Jose de Araneta was executed in Sulugan, Mindanao, nowadays known as Anuling in
Cotabato, Philippines. However, there are conflicting information drawn from translations of various
documents pertaining to him.
Before the turn of the century, two of Don Jose's sons, Mathias Araneta and Vicente Araneta left
Zamboanga province for Iloilo. They settled in Parian [Molo]. Don Jose's other son Benito, followed
them afterwards. Years later, Vicente Araneta, with his family moved and established their residence in
the province of Negros Occidental starting the Negros branch of the family.
In 1823, Buenaventura Araneta, son of Mathias Araneta became the Gobernadorcillo (Alcalde
Naturales) in Molo, Iloilo. He married Isabel Theresa Estrella. They had four children: Hermenegildo,
Antonio, Pantaleon and Aniceta. Hermenegildo married Petrona Estanislao (Militante) y Locsin of
Iloilo. They had nine children, one of them was Felix who married Paz Soriano y Ditching (daughter of
Don Anselmo Soriano y Flores and Maria Ditching of Binondo, Manila) and they had seventeen
children, namely Leopoldo, Angel, Isabel, Pablo, Marciano, Gregorio, Anastacio, Maria, Filomena,
Rosario, Lina, Jose, Concepcion, Candelaria, Encarnacion, Felicito and Remedios.

19th Century and The Philippine Revolution

Buenaventura Araneta became the Gobernadorcillo (Alcalde Naturales) of Iloilo, becoming the
first member of the family to enter political life.

In the latter part of the century, a kinsman of his on the Negros side: Juan Araneta was the
architect of the Negros Revolution that defeated the Spanish forces in that island. This would lead to the
creation of the Cantonal Republic of Negros. He would serve as Secretary of War of the short lived
government which were later absorbed into the American controlled military government of the
Philippines. A statue of him stands in the Bago City public plaza. Other members of the family were
involved in the revolution elsewhere:
Pablo Araneta y Soriano (18641943), Commanding General of the Panay Revolutionary Forces
and Chief of the expeditionary forces of the Federal Republic of the Visayas, encountered several fierce
battles in San Miguel, Pavia and in the outskirt of Jaro, more notably the battle of Oton to Arevalo.
Along with General Angel Corteza and General Leandro Fullon of Antique, who fired the first shot, they
crushed the Spanish Garrisons.
Marciano Araneta y Soriano (18661940), and Anastacio Araneta y Soriano (18701898),
participated in combat against the Spanish forces and captured the Spanish Garrison in Mangkas
(now La Carlota City, Negros Occidental).
The eminent Gregorio Soriano Araneta (18691930), legal luminary, businessman, nationalist,
and patriot, served his country and people under three regimes. He was elected a member of the National
Assembly representing Iloilo. In 1898, he was appointed by General Emilio Aguinaldo as Secretary
General and delegate to the Malolos Republic. Gregorio Soriano Araneta became the Secretary of
Justice of the Philippine Republic on September 26, 1898.
Gregorio also became a successful and prosperous lawyer in Manila and married Doa Carmen
Zaragoza y Roxas, of the prominent Spanish mestizo Zaragoza and Roxas clans of Manila, and
established the Araneta name in Manila Society for the first time.
After the end of the revolution and the creation of the Philippine commonwealth, members of the
clan expanded their business and political interests. Juan Araneta went on to establish the Ma-ao Sugar
(refinery) Central in his hometown of Bago City. Industrialist Jorge Araneta would later expand it, and
later the barangay where the Central stood was named after him. Jorge was also a close friend of
commonwealth Philippine President Manuel Quezon.
It was Jorge's son-in-law and distant relation, J. Amado Araneta, who made the family into a
household name. He established the real estate empire of commercial Cubao. His most prominent
achievement is building the Araneta Center. Its landmark structure, the ARANETA COLISEUM, was
the world's largest indoor stadium. It still remains one of the largest in Asia.
In politics, Salvador Araneta, son of Gregorio Araneta became a Cabinet Secretary in the
Philippine government. He was the founder of Araneta University and FEATI University. Later, his
nephew Greggy Araneta married Irene Marcos, the daughter of Philippine former President Ferdinand
Marcos.
4

Other members of the clan involved with Marcos was Rafael M. Salas, the son of Ernesto
Araneta Salas of Bago City. He served as Marcos' Executive Secretary, due to political differences, he
left this position and later become Under-Secretary General of the United Nations, head of UNFPA. He
would serve in this capacity for 17 years.
Many other members of the clan also serve in various political positions. Currently, the most
well-known example is Senator Mar Roxas, a grandson of J. Amado Araneta. The most prominent is
Philippine former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, husband of Philippine former President Gloria
Arroyo. He is a descendant of Jesusa Araneta Lacson de Arroyo of the Negros Branch of the family.

Notable Members in Politics

Buenaventura Araneta - Gobernadorcillo (Alcalde Naturales) of Iloilo

Juan Araneta - revolutionary, Secretary of War (Negros Republic)

Gregorio S. Araneta - Secretary of the Malolos Congress

Marciano Yulo Araneta - President Municipal (Mayor) of Bago City, Negros Occidental

Salvador Araneta - Secretary of Economic Coordination under President Elpidio Quirino, Secretary
of Agriculture under President Ramon Magsaysay

Vicente Aurelio Araneta - head of a development related agency, ACCFA

Gloria Araneta-Esteban - Vice-Governor, Negros Occidental, daughter of Lorenzo Araneta

Manuel "Mar" Araneta Roxas - grandson of J. Amado Araneta and former President Manuel Roxas,
son of former Senator Gerry Roxas and Judy Araneta Roxas Trade Secretary, former Senator, 2010
Vice-Presidential candidate, current DILG Secretary

Jose Miguel Arroyo - husband of former Philippine President Gloria Arroyo, grandson of Jesusa
Araneta Lacson de Arroyo

Rafael M. Salas - United Nations Under-Secretary General, Head UNFPA, son of Ernesto Araneta
Salas

Ramn Torres - Labor Secretary, Senator, descendant of Irene L. Araneta-Torres, author of 8-hour
day law

Jos Yulo - Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives, war-time Chief of Justice, Secretary
of Justice, descendant of the Yulo-Araneta branch

Manuel Torres - Mayor of Bago City, Negros Occidental, nephew of Ramon Torres, descendant of
Irene L. Araneta-Torres

Jos Varela - Assemblyman, Negros Occidental, grandson of Antonio Araneta Varela

Ramn D. Torres - Current Mayor of Bago City, Negros Occidental, nephew of Manuel Torres,
descendant of Irene L. Araneta-Torres
5

Arsenio Yulo - First Chairman of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (Philippines), descendant of
the Yulo-Araneta branch

Crispino Varela Ramos - son of Agaton Varela and Josefa De Los Dolores Araneta, Consejal from
1907 to 1911 (Bacolod Municipal Council)

Notable Members in Business

Jorge Araneta - pre-war industrialist

J. Amado Araneta - business tycoon, developer of the Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City

Luis Ma. Araneta - a familiar figure in local architectural, engineering and construction circles

Leopoldo M. Araneta - a businessman, entrepreneur, importer and exporter

Gregorio Araneta II - Founder of Ace Compton Advertising

Jorge L. Araneta - President and CEO of the Araneta Group, son of J. Amado Araneta founder of
Araneta Center complex in 1959, which houses the Smart Araneta Coliseum, one of Asia's largest
indoor sports arenas

Ramon Araneta Yulo - Real Estate baron of the Canlubang Estates, Laguna

Gregorio Ma. ("Greggy") Araneta III - CEO and Chairman of the Board of Araneta Properties Inc.,
he is also the Chairman of the Board of Autobus Transport System, Inc., Gregorio Araneta
Management Corporation (GAMACOR), GAMMA Holdings Corp., and GAMMA Properties, he is
also a Director of LBC Development Bank

Benito Araneta - businessman

Santi Araneta - CEO of LBC Express

Notable Members in Religion

Francisco Araneta, SJ - priest, was the first Filipino to serve as Rector-President of Ateneo de
Manila University from 1959 to 1965

Francisco Araneta del Rosario - philosopher, spiritual guru, main proponent of The Holy Matrix
Theory

Jess Y. Varela - Roman Catholic Bishop, grandson of Antonio Araneta Varela

Rolando Ramos Dizon - religious President of De La Salle University-Taft, CHEd Commissioner,

descendant of Josefa Araneta-Varela

Notable Members in Sports

Manolet Araneta - member, 1948 London Olympics, Basketball

Ian Araneta - member, Philippine Football team

6

Allan Araneta - Gold Medalist, Philippine Fencing Team (Saber) 1995 SEA Games - Chang-Mai
Thailand

Other Notable Members

Judy Araneta Roxas - Papal Awardee, Vice Chairman of the Araneta Group, political activist, social
development practitioner, widow of former Senator Gerry Roxas the son of former Philippine
President Manuel Roxas

Louise Araneta Marcos - lawyer, wife of politician Ferdinand Marcos Jr. son of former Philippine
dictator Ferdinand Marcos

Margarita A. Fores - daughter of Maria Lourdes "Baby" Araneta Fores, granddaughter of J. Amado
Araneta, celebrity chef and businesswoman in Manila, owner of 10 Italian inspired restaurants
including Cibo, Pepato, Caf Bola and Pepato restaurants, other businesses include Fiori di M and
Casa di M, high-end floral and housewares design, respectively

Bianca Araneta Elizalde - model, great granddaughter of Gregorio Soriano Araneta

The Araneta Group of Companies

The Araneta Group holds the Araneta family's key businesses and investments. This includes
Araneta Center, Inc. (ACI), the owner, developer and manager of the Araneta Center (Gateway Mall, Ali
Mall, Farmers Plaza, Farmers Market and Aurora Tower); United Promotions, Inc. (Uniprom), manages
the leisure and entertainment businesses (Araneta Coliseum, Fiesta Carnival, TicketNet and movie
theaters); Philippine Pizza, Inc. (PPI), the exclusive franchisee of Pizza Hut in the Philippines; and
Progressive Development Corporation (PDC), the management company of the Araneta Group. PDC
also holds investments in Wenphil and Philippine Seven, local franchisees of Wendys and 7-Eleven.
The Araneta Group also holds major stakes in Binibining Pilipinas Beauty Pageant (Binibining Pilipinas
Charities Incorporated or BPCI), Taco Bell Philippines and Dairy Queen Philippines.

Other Businesses
Salvador Araneta started RFM Foods Corporation, which manufactures and distributes White
King, Swift, Fiesta, Sunkist, and Unilever-licensed Selecta products. Jose S. Concepcion, Jr. is the
current chairman of RFM.
The Luzon Brokerage Corporation (LBC Express) was started by Carlos "Linggoy" Araneta, its
current CEO is Santiago "Santi" Araneta.

THE ARANETA FAMILY TREE

Vicente Araneta

Vicente Atanacio
Araneta
Ines Suansing

Marciano Araneta
1874 - 1946
Cleofe Yulo

[Yulo great-great
grandfather?]
[Yulo great-great
grandmother?]

J. Amado Araneta
1900's - 1980's
[Sitchon greatgrandfather?]
Natividad Sitchon

Judy Araneta

[Sitchon greatgrandmother?]

Jorge
Leon "Nene"
Araneta

Romualdo Araneta
Juan Anacleto T.
Araneta
1852 - 1924

Maria Lourdes
Araneta

Agueda V. Torres

Jorge Leon Araneta

Crestita Sarmiento

[Sarmiento greatgreat grandfather?]

[Sarmiento greatgreat grandmother?]

Ester B. Araneta
1911 - 2007
[Bustamante greatgrandfather?]
Amparo
Bustamante
[Bustamante greatgrandmother?]

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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