Carlos Palanca Sr., also known as Tan Guin Lay, was a Chinese-Filipino businessman and philanthropist.

Early life

Palanca was born as Tan Guin Lay in 1869 in Amoy,

Qing China The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu people, Manchu-led Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin (1616–1636), La ...

(now

Xiamen Xiamen ( , ; ), also known as Amoy (, from Hokkien pronunciation ), is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Strait. It is divided into six districts: Huli, Siming, Jimei, Tong'an, ...

Career

Tan Guin Lay migrated to the Philippines in 1884. Tan adopted the name Carlos Palanca, after his godfather of the same name whose Chinese name was Tan Quien-sien. The name "Carlos Palanca" adopted by both men came from a Spanish colonel. He worked as an apprentice in a hardware store ran by a relative before setting up his own store in 1890, and became involved in textile trading. He established the La Tondeña Incorporada in Tondo, Manila a distillery which grew to be a major player in the Philippine alcoholic beverage industry.

Death

Palanca died on September 2, 1950. He was 81 years old.

Legacy

Palanca was one of the most prominent Chinese Filipino businessman during the

American colonial era in the Philippines American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

. In 1987, the heirs of Palanca entered La Tondeña in a joint venture with

San Miguel Corporation San Miguel Corporation, abbreviated as SMC, is a Philippine Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila. The company is one of the largest and most diversified congl ...

(SMC). La Tondeña was eventually absorbed by the SMC, and was renamed as Ginebra San Miguel in 2003. Palanca's heirs were able to establish the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature in his honor. His former residence built in 1940 along Taft Avenue in

Pasay Pasay, officially the City of Pasay ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasay; ), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, i ...

is a protected heritage site.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palanca, Carlos Sr. Filipino people of Chinese descent 20th-century Filipino businesspeople Businesspeople in brewing 1884 births 1950 deaths People from Xiamen Chinese businesspeople