Araneta family
The Araneta family is a Filipino family that originated from Gipuzkoa, the Basque region of northern Spain. The name is derived from the Basque word aran meaning "valley", with the suffix -eta meaning "abundance of", but also a locative term denoting place. In this case, the Araneta name means "the family that comes from the valley".
Origins
In 1723, during the Galleon trade, two brothers named Baltazar de Araneta and Don Jose de Araneta arrived in Manila aboard the Spanish fleet La Sacra Familia. They came from the Basque region of Spain by way of Acapulco, Mexico. However, this was not conclusive as some members of the family disputed that the two are not brothers. Don Jose de Araneta must have been born in Gipuzkoa, but not Baltazar de Araneta; he was born in Mexico.Baltazar served as a regidor of the cabildo and secretary of the Charitable Fraternity of the Misericordia in Manila. He was married to Manuela de Aguirre and he died in Manila in 1750. One line of the Araneta family is descended from him.
In 1725, Don Jose joined the first Spanish expedition forces to Mindanao. A passage quoted from the book Islas Filipinas: Mindanao, by Benito Francia and Julian Gonzales Parrado, which was translated into the Chabacano dialect by Datu Michael Mastura, establishes two facts: First, Don Jose de Araneta served the Spanish Politico-Military Government of Mindanao based at Zamboanga City. Second, he served as an interpreter between the Spanish colonial government and the sultan of Maguindanao, together with Placido Alberto de Saavedra. Another passage in the document revealed that in 1746, Don Jose Araneta was executed in Sulugan, Mindanao, nowadays known as Anuling in Cotabato, Philippines. However, there is conflicting information drawn from translations of various documents pertaining to him.
Don Jose Araneta had two sons, Buenaventura and Vicente both surnamed Araneta Y Sta. Ana who would leave Zamboanga while one son stayed behind. Buenaventura would settle in Iloilo, while his brother would settle in Bago, Negros Occidental starting the prominent Negros branch of the family. He is buried in the old Catholic cemetery of Bago
19th century and the Philippine Revolution
In 1823, Buenaventura Araneta, son of Mathias Araneta, became the gobernadorcillo in Molo, Iloilo. He married Isabel Theresa Estrella; they had four children: Hermenegildo, Antonio, Pantaleon and Aniceta. Hermenegildo married Petrona Estanislao y Locsin of Iloilo; they had nine children, one of them was Felix who married Paz Soriano y Ditching and they had seventeen children, namely Leopoldo, Angel, Isabel, Pablo, Marciano, Gregorio, Anastacio, Maria, Filomena, Rosario, Lina, Jose, Concepcion, Candelaria, Encarnacion, Felicito and Remedios.In the latter part of the century, a kinsman of his on the Negros side; Juan Araneta was the architect of the Negros Revolution that defeated the Imperial Spanish forces in that island. This would lead to the establishment of the Cantonal Republic of Negros. He would serve as the secretary of war of the short-lived government, which was later absorbed into the American-controlled military government of the Philippines. A statue of him stands in the Bago public plaza. Marciano Soriano Araneta and Anastacio Soriano Araneta also participated in combat against the Imperial Spanish forces in Negros and captured the Spanish garrison in Mangkas.
Other members of the family were involved in the revolution elsewhere. Pablo Soriano Araneta was the commanding general of the Panay Revolutionary Forces and chief of the expeditionary forces of the Federal Republic of the Visayas. The eminent Gregorio Soriano Araneta, legal luminary, businessman, nationalist, and patriot, served his country and people under three regimes. He was elected a member of the National Assembly representing Iloilo. In 1898, he was appointed by General Emilio Aguinaldo as secretary-general and delegate to the Malolos Republic. Gregorio Araneta became the secretary of justice of the Philippine Republic on September 26, 1898.
Gregorio also became a successful and prosperous lawyer in Manila and married Dona Carmen Zaragoza y Roxas, of the prominent Spanish mestizo Zaragoza and Roxas clans of Manila, and established the Araneta name in Manila society for the first time.
20th Century to Present Era
After the end of the revolution and the creation of the Philippine Commonwealth, members of the clan expanded their business and political interests. Juan Araneta went on to establish the Ma-ao Sugar Central in his hometown of Bago, Negros Occidental. Industrialist Jorge Araneta would later expand it, and later the barangay where the Central stood was named after him. Jorge was also a close friend of the Philippine Commonwealth president Manuel Quezon.It was Jorge's son-in-law and distant relation J. Amado Araneta who made the family into a household name. He established the real estate empire of commercial Cubao. His most prominent achievement is building the Araneta City. Its landmark structure, the Smart Araneta Coliseum, was the world's largest indoor stadium. It still remains one of the largest in Asia. Meanwhile, Amado's son, Jorge L. Araneta, replaced him as the head of the Araneta Group.
The Araneta Group
The Araneta Group is a private and diversified company established owned by the Araneta Family since 1954 that holds the key businesses established by J. Amado Araneta. During Amado's leadership, he expanded the family's real estate businesses, farmlands, and sugar plantations. The company is currently owned by Amado's son, Jorge L. Araneta since 1970, and presently owns, operates and invests in Real Estate Development, Investments, Leisure & Entertainment, Fast Food Restaurant franchises, and Hospitality businesses.History
The Araneta Group began its operations in 1908 as a diversified company, until the company's ownership was transferred to J. Amado Araneta, with interests in real estate and agriculture sectors, particularly in the sugar plantations industry. As the family's sugar plantations in Negros Island continue to grow during the country's recovery from World War 2, Amado purchased of land, located within Highway 54, Aurora Boulevard, and P. Tuazon Boulevard, from the Radio Corporation of America in 1954, and purchased the remaining a year later. Amado merged his companies in 1954 and began his real estate developments in the area in 1956, as he sold a portion of the property to the Philippine National Bank, for the company to set up a branch within while maintaining ownership on the property's land, and later erected the first Aguinaldo Department Store beyond Manila, while relocating his company's offices to the area. In 1957, Amado launched one of his largest projects, the Araneta Coliseum and was completed in 1960. Since then, Amado inaugurated many buildings in the complex, such as the Araneta Enterprise Building in 1956, the New Frontier Theater in 1967, and the Coliseum Farmers Market and Shopping Center in 1969.As time grew by, Amado expanded his business until his retirement in 1970, when his son, Jorge L. Araneta took helm of his company and his businesses. Since then, the company expanded its interests and investments from real estate, agriculture, investments and entertainment to fast food restaurant franchises in the 1970s, after the purchase of franchising rights of Pizza Hut, and lodging sectors, after the grand opening of the Novotel Manila Araneta City in 2015. Correspondingly, the company is regarded as one of the pioneers of the country's entertainment and leisure development sectors, and serves as one of the biggest private conglomerates in the country.
Subsidiaries
Araneta City, Inc.
Araneta City, Inc. is the owner, developer, and manager of Araneta City complex in Cubao, Quezon City. It was founded in 1960 after the opening of the Araneta Coliseum. The area serves over 1 million people daily.ACI's developments include Manhattan Gardens, a ₱15 billion, 9,000 unit, 18-tower joint venture residential project with Megaworld Corporation occupying of the Araneta City, consisting of 4 phases, known as the Manhattan Parkway, Manhattan Parkview, Manhattan Heights, and the Manhattan Plaza. The project is also the first transit-oriented residential development in the country.
Araneta Hotels, Inc.
Araneta Hotels, Inc. is the Group's hotel development arm and serves as the owner and developer of Novotel Manila Araneta City, the first Novotel brand of AccorHotels in the Philippines, and the Ibis Styles Araneta City, the first Ibis Styles brand in the Philippines.PPI Holdings, Inc.
PPI Holdings, Inc. is the sole franchise owner of Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Dairy Queen in the Philippines, operating over 300 restaurants nationwide.Progressive Development Corporation
Progressive Development Corporation manages investments and property assets of the Araneta Group outside of the three strategic business units.The group's major properties are in San Mateo, Rizal, Rodriguez, Rizal and Bacolod, where the company is involved in the development of The Upper East, a joint development project between the Araneta Group and the Megaworld Corporation. Other assets include holdings in Atok Big-Wedge, a listed mining holding company; investments in Wenphil and Philippine Seven, local franchisees of world-renowned brands Wendy's and 7-Eleven respectively; The Peninsula Manila luxury hotel, and tertiary hospital Makati Medical Center, both located within the Makati Central Business District.
The PDC is also a business incubator for new ventures.