GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 28 June) — An announcement that former Sarangani governor Miguel Rene Alcantara Dominguez will head the main investment holding firm of their family-owned Alsons Group has dispelled rumors that he will stage a comeback at the capitol or seek the mayoralty post in this city.
Effective July 1, the 47-year old Dominguez will be the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Alsons Development and Investment Corporation (Alsons Dev), a company press statement said on June 28.
Alsons Dev is one of the country’s largest and most diversified conglomerate comprising dozens of companies in power and energy, real estate ventures and property development, aquaculture, value added processing and fresh fruit exports.
The appointment of Dominguez “signals a new era of leadership that marks a pivotal moment for the company as it continues to expand its footprint in the real estate development sector,” the statement read.
Dominguez replaces his mother , Rosie Alcanta Dominguez, who will be retiring from her position as Executive Vice President.
Prior to his new appointment, the agriculture-inclined Dominguez served as director of Alsons Dev’s at the same time the vice president for operations of the Alcantara Group’s Agribusiness Unit, that runs the Philippines’ largest fully integrated aquaculture farm, value-added processing, and exports of fresh bananas and pineapples.
Taking on the challenge of his new role, Dominguez said “We must always give credit to those whose shoulders we stand on, not just professionally but also for the experiences that shaped us as individuals.”
Political hope
The announcement of his new appointment was met with mixed emotions by his political supporters in Sarangani who have always been hoping for his return as governor of the province where he served a full nine-year term from 2004 to 2013.
“It is unfortunate for Sarangani,” remarked retired executive Edmundo Cejar, who had closely worked with Dominguez’s father Paul in the past. The elder Dominguez served as Presidential Adviser on Mindanao during the Ramos administration
Cejar said many were asking if the former governor will again throw his hat in the political arena.
“People in the capitol, grossly overestimating my connection with Gov. Migs, ask me if he entertains going back to serve Sarangani as he is the only one who can bring down the kleptocratic cabal in the province,” he said.
When he won his first term, Dominguez was 27, the youngest Mindanao governor then and the country’s second youngest. He unseated a seasoned politician whose administration was marred with controversies and fund scandals.
As a young governor, he introduced innovative programs and initiatives in Sarangani that were recognized and earned for him three presidential awards and the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines (TOYM) Award for Governance and Public Service.
Dominguez graduated at the Boston College in 1999 with an Economics degree and completed his master’s degree in public administration at Harvard University. He was the first recipient of the Jesse Robredo Leadership Award in 2013 and was among the awardees of The Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines (TOYM) in 2013, for the category on Governance and Public Service.
Dominguez is currently the president of the General Santos City Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GSCCCI). With the elections approaching, talks are also rife about the former governor running for city mayor of General Santos.
“I really have no idea about his political plans. It’s been a long time since I last saw and talked to him. Better to wait for Gov. Migs himself to make the announcement if indeed he is running,” Cejar said. (Rommel G. Rebollido / MindaNews)
