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ABOUT PEDRO AND CONSUELO OLYMPIA Asian Leaders from the Philippines
Pedro Olympia was born of mixed Filipino - Spanish parentage in Barrio Laylay in the town of Boac, province of Marinduque in the Philippines on January 31, 1902 . Pedro grew up in a small, tranquil, rural community where his parents owned coconut and rice farms. He went to college at the University of the Philippines where he completed a B.S Engineering degree. He held various senior positions with the Philippine government. His last posting took him to the Embassy of the Philippines in Washington DC, USA where he retired in 1975.. Pedro had 2 other brothers, Quirino, a brilliant chemist, was hit by a shrapnel while working at the laboratory when the Japanese bombed the Philippine General Hospital during World War II. Gregorio was a physician, a survivor of the infamous Death March in Capas, Tarlac. He had 4 step-brother and sisters. Isabel was a pharmacist, Ely, a nurse and Mauricio, farm manager. Tita, a lawyer, is his only surviving sibling. She is retired and now lives in the family farm in Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro. Consuelo Lim - Olympia was born in Calapan, Mindoro in the Philippines on June 27, 1913. Her mother was a Filipina businesswoman and her father was a Chinese businessman who immigrated to the Philippines from mainland China. They owned a small hotel, restaurants and a few stores. Consuelo was a beauty queen, a competitive athletic star and schoolteacher. Elo, as she was fondly called by friends and relatives, had 7 brothers and sisters. Genia, the eldest was a very successful businesswoman. She owned the franchise and dealership for several publications like "Bulaklak", "Liwayway", "Tiktik", and several other titles including popular comic books. Irene, her most attractive sister,was a schoolteacher who later married the Superintendent of Pubic Schools for the province of Mindoro. Onyong and Ricardo were officers of the Philippine military and were killed during the war. Sulpicio was a businessman and Mariano was a police officer. Andres worked for the Philippine government. After Pedro died, Andres joined Elo in the United States to help take care of her until her death., Andres died shortly after he returned to the Philippines following Elo's demise. All 8 siblings have passed away. Elo was raised in the business district of the commercial capital of the province of Mindoro before it was split into Oriental and Occidental Mindoro. The environment she grew up in was completely different from Pedro"s childhood home. Calapan was, and still is, a bustling, vibrant, sometimes chaotic city. It is the center of commerce for the entire province. Laylay,where Pedro grew up, was and still is a beautiful, tranquil little island surrounded by the sea. (This made for very interesting school vacations for their children. Splitting their time between 2 sets of families living in 2 very different environments, they understood diversity at a very early age.) Pedro and Consuelo were married in Calapan on October 4, 1937. Consuelo was a very active and energetic community organizer. She led various community events, movements, festivals, fairs, sports events and others. Pedro, a brilliant conceptualizer, writer and engineer, equally fluent in Tagalog, Spanish and English, was the brain beneath her wings. For many years, Pedro headed an organization that was the biggest employer in the province of Marinduque. This kept Consuelo's social and civic calendar very busy. But their focus had always been on their children. They made sure that their children were all involved in their activities and vice versa. They nurtured a very closely knit, happy family. Pedro passed away in Fairfax, Virginia on November 1, 1995. Consuelo passed away in Buffalo, New York on December 27, 1997. After their deaths, Pedro and Consuelo Olympia left several farm land and commercial real estate in the Philippines which her children decided to sell to fund the Olympia Friendship Corps Foundation. That money will be used for various charitable projects in the Philippines to honor the memory of 2 Asian leaders who always taught their children to remember their roots and give back to their community. NEW: The following great grandchildren of Pedro and Consuelo Olympia are the recipients of the Dr. Jose Rizal Awards. They were honored at the Romulo Hall of the Embassy of the Philippines on June 26, 2004 for Academic Excellence. Brittany Olympia Sigler Peterson Ashleigh Olympia Sigler Baggett Alexandra Olympia Sigler Peterson
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