PROPERTY FROM THE DR. AND MRS. ROBERTO MACASAET COLLECTION

Provenance: A gift from President Jose P. Laurel to Ramon Macasaet and thence, by descent to his son, Dr. Roberto Macasaet

ABOUT THE WORK

By the first half of the 20th century, the Montinolas of Negros and Iloilo had made their name in the South. The head of the family, Ruperto Montinola, was appointed the first public fiscal prosecutor of Iloilo where he served until 1903 before he resigned due to health complications. The call for service did not leave Montinola, however – in 1908 and again in 1922, he served as governor of Iloilo, all the while active as a lawyer in between his terms. By 1931, Montinola rose to the national stage, where he was elected to the Philippine Senate on behalf of the 7th District. Furthering his national campaign was his delegation to the 1934 Philippine Constitutional Convention where the 1935 Constitution was drafted and agreed on by 202 delegates from all over the Philippines. It was in this delegation that Montinola met Jose P. Laurel, who was then representing the 3rd District of Batangas. Montinola served as the first vice-president of the committee with Laurel as one of the leading names when asked for the head of the committee. Laurel served as the temporary chairman by acclamation, and though he was soon replaced by Claro M. Recto, it is not out of the realm of possibility that the two who were both from the Nacionalista Party would have bonded together in the months it took for the draft to be finalized. It was this lauded family that Dr. Roberto Macasaet, Sr. married into when he wedded Teresita Montinola, the granddaughter of Ruperto. A lauded man himself, Macasaet received his degree at the University of the Philippines post-war before studying General Surgery, Urology, and Pathology at Fordham University. Perhaps his greatest contribution to Philippine healthcare is his ushering in the Philippine Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) industry, having founded Maxicare in 1987 at a time when the industry was practically nonexistent. In a twist of fate, the Macasaet's themselves are acquainted and even close with the former president. Macasaet’s father, Ramon Macasaet, served as Vice Minister of Health and Welfare and even as a private physician to the President. He was one of Laurel’s most trusted, with sources naming Ramon as one of the people present when the President had to flee the capital during the war. As his private physician, Ramon was one of the people Laurel trusted with his health and to an extent, with his life. The lot at hand – an Oriental Suite consisting of tables, chairs, and pedestals – is a gift to Ramon from President Laurel. Laurel’s favor for the Montinolas and the Macasaets intertwines through the fateful union of Roberto and Teresita, a union that is symbolized by this grandiose gift. Created with the rarest, finest quality of rosewood, the suite is adorned with an inlay of mother- of-pearl and marbles, creating a majestic vision of rarity and elegance. The Macasaets, too, have returned the favor to Laurel. The Jose P. Laurel Memorial Foundation website listed Dr. Roberto Macasaet as an Acting Chairman of the Board of Trustees. It is evident that the Macasaets and the Montinolas cultivated a strong relationship with former president Jose P. Laurel, a relationship represented by this majestic set of furniture and lived through by their descendants today. (Hannah Valiente)