Joe and Ronnie Concepcion are the well-known twins in Philippine history. Both have been at the forefront in politics and business for decades and one can never forget the Namfrel days during the dark era of martial law when Joecon bravely headed this organization of brave souls who wanted to make sure our votes counted despite threats of guns, goons and gold. Ronnie has been a staunch consumer advocate and helped build Concepcion Industries into the giant that it is now, proving that “Yes, the Filipino Can!”
Their birthday celebration at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel was so well attended that it was easier to mention who was not present than to name everyone in the Rizal Ballroom — from business and social bigwigs, politicians of all persuasions, childhood friends of the twins and business associates to their good-looking family members and even the littlest member, one-year-old Tyler Young. The Concepcion clan was in full force with the combined brood of Ronnie and Joecon’s 13 children, 45 grandchildren and one great grandchild.
The evening had a great mix of entertainment that included the Philharmonic Orchestra, Broadway and Filipino pop songs that included master songwriter Jose Mari Chan, Menchu L. Yulo and Audie Gemora as well as a high-energy performance by Gary Valenciano, who had the crowd jumping to their feet at the finale. It was no wonder that, when the dancing started, everyone in the ballroom started to flock to the dance floor and it was a joy to see the multi generation guests swaying to the DJ’s beat.
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