Ex-Sarangani governor Migs Dominguez assumes role as Alsons top honcho

GENERAL SANTOS, Philippines – Former Sarangani governor Miguel Rene “Migs” Dominguez took over as the president and chief executive officer of Alsons Development and Investment Corporation (Alsons Dev), a part of one of the country’s largest and most diversified conglomerates, on Monday, July 1.

The 47-year-old Dominguez’s new role put an end to speculations that he will try to reclaim his former seat or seek General Santos City’s mayoralty in the 2025 elections.

Alsons Dev is the real estate arm of the Alcantara Group, a business conglomerate comprising dozens of companies involved in power and energy, real estate ventures and property development, agriculture and aquaculture business, value-added processing, and fresh fruit exports.

The appointment of Dominguez “signals a new era of leadership that marks a pivotal moment for the company as it continues to expand its footprint in the real estate development sector,” read part of an Alsons Dev statement released ahead of his assumption as one of the top executives of the conglomerate. (A previous version of this story misstated that Alsons Dev, instead of the Alcantara Group, is one of the country’s largest and most diversified conglomerates. This has been corrected. – Editors)

In a way, Dominguez replaced his retiring mother, Rosie Alcantara Dominguez, who led Alsons Dev only as executive vice president – she did so as the highest-ranking executive before her son’s assumption.

The younger Dominguez served as a director of Alsons Dev and vice president for operations of the Alcantara Group’s Agribusiness Unit that runs the Philippines’ largest fully integrated aquaculture farm, value-added processing, and exports of fresh bananas and pineapples.

The Alcantara Group is considered the country’s second-largest producer of pineapples, which it grows in a plantation in General Santos.

“We must always give credit to those whose shoulders we stand on, not just professionally but also for the experiences that shaped us as individuals,” said the agriculture-inclined Dominguez.

Local politics

The announcement of his appointment was met with mixed reactions by his political supporters in Sarangani who have been hoping for his return as governor of the province, where he served a full nine-year term from 2004 to 2013.

“It is unfortunate for Sarangani,” said retired business executive Edmundo Cejar, who had worked closely with Dominguez’s father Paul in the past. Paul Dominguez served as presidential adviser on Mindanao during the Ramos administration.

Cejar, now a Sarangani farmer, said that with the elections fast approaching, many have been asking if the former governor will again throw his hat into the political arena.

“People in the (Sarangani) capitol, grossly overestimating my connection with Governor Migs, ask me if he entertains going back to serve Sarangani as he is the only one who can bring down the [present leaders] in the province,” he said.

When he first sought the gubernatorial post, the then 27-year-old Dominguez unseated a seasoned politician whose administration was tainted with controversies.

He became the youngest Mindanao governor at that time and introduced innovative programs and initiatives in Sarangani that were recognized and earned him three presidential awards and the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines (TOYM) Award for Governance and Public Service in 2013.

Dominguez earned his economics degree from Boston College in 1999 and completed his master’s degree in public administration at Harvard University. He was the first recipient of the Jesse Robredo Leadership Award in 2013.

Dominguez is currently the president of the General Santos City Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GSCCCI).

Before he became Alsons Dev’s top honcho, talks were also rife about him gunning for the city’s mayoral post.

“I really have no idea about his political plans. It’s been a long time since I last saw and talked to him. Better to wait for Governor Migs himself to make the announcement if indeed he is running or not,” Cejar said. – Rappler.com