We say goodbye to the businesswoman and philanthropist behind Lopez Inc.

Presentacion Lopez-Psinakis, or “Presy” as friends fondly called her, passed away on July 25. She was 81.

A zealous businesswoman and advocate, Presy was the chair of Phil-Asia Assistance Foundation Inc., which provides assistance to public school students from elementary to high school by providing monthly allowance for the students’ transportation, uniforms, and projects. This assistance extends to the scholars’ personal well-being—from regular social worker visits, medical and dental missions, to values education in partnership with local parishes.

She was also the former chairwoman of private holding and investment company Lopez Inc. and travel agency Griffin Sierra Travel Inc., which she established herself in 1967.

Presy and her late husband Steve Psinakis

She is the only daughter among the three children of Eugenio Lopez Sr., founder of the Lopez Group of Companies, and his wife Pacita Moreno Lopez. Her late husband Steve, a Greek-born American, was a former executive of the Lopez Group and was active in efforts to overthrow the Marcos dictatorship in the ’70s.

Renato Reyes, Jr., leader of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN), remembers Presy as “committed” and “actively involved” in mass actions.

“Maayos siyang makitungo sa amin kahit na mula siya sa mataas na uri ng mga malalaking negosyante. …Unlike others from big business, she committed and she showed up. She was actively involved in the planning meetings and in getting support for the broad actions that were taking place,” Reyes writes in a Facebook post.

In an Instagram post, Presy’s nephew Ilias Psinakis, a politician and TV personality in Greece, describes her as his “guide to the world, bright example of how to live life.”

Header image courtesy of ABS-CBN.com