MBC welcomes Apa Ongpin as its New Executive Director

22 January 2024 – The Makati Business Club’s board of trustees introduced Rafael “Apa” Ongpin as the organization’s new executive director. Ongpin started on January 1, 2025, succeeding Roberto “Bobby” Batungbacal (former Dow Chemicals Philippines Inc. country manager).

Apa Ongpin is the son of Jaime V. Ongpin, one of MBC’s founding members. Apa worked in the media industry, as a writer, actor, host, producer and director before getting his MBA from Insead, in France. He then worked in corporate for the Transnational Diversified Group, ABS-CBN, PhilWeb Corporation, and Alphaland Corporation. He is concurrently the president of Quicksilver Satcom Ventures, and has several entrepreneurial ventures.

Ongpin’s predecessor, Bobby Batungbacal, served as the organization’s executive director for nine months and initiated a number of new and successful programs like the Agriculture Summit, LGU awards and the MBC Golf tournament. Batungbacal shared his expertise in the manufacturing industry and his experience as a CEO of a multinational corporation in advancing the organization’s advocacies and partnerships.

Prior to Batungbacal, MBC had Guillermo Luz (now with the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation), Alberto Aldaba Lim (who went on to become Secretary of Tourism, and now heads several foundations), Peter Perfecto (now with PHINMA Foundation), and Francisco Alcuaz Jr. (now with Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas).

“MBC has a legendary board of directors, all great leaders – this attracted me to the position. I’ve had the chance to get to know the staff and its advocacies in the first two weeks, and it’s very exciting to work with this dynamic group.

Rafael Alfonso Salvador Garcia Ongpin graduated Interdisciplinary Studies, major in Communications, from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1987 and earned his Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Institut Européen d’Administration (INSEAD) in Fontainebleau, France, in 1997.