In the fertile plains of La Castellana, Negros Occidental, where vast sugarcane fields sway beneath the tropical sun and the scent of molasses often drifts across quiet rural roads, the life of Edgardo “Nonoy Gadó” Jalandoni stands as a remarkable testament to vision, industry, compassion, and unwavering faith.
Known throughout the region as a distinguished sugar planter, he owned two expansive and adjacent haciendas—Hda. Rosario-Nato, covering approximately 500 hectares, and Hda. Balatong, spanning about 1,200 hectares—for a combined landholding of nearly 1,700 hectares. Yet he was far more than a landowner. He was an industrialist, philanthropist, community builder, and devoted servant of God.
His journey reflected entrepreneurial excellence firmly anchored in service to others and a belief that prosperity must uplift not only the owner but also the community that sustains the enterprise.
Born into a family deeply rooted in the sugar industry, Nonoy Gadó grew up understanding the rhythms of planting and harvest, the uncertainties of weather and fluctuating sugar prices, and the discipline required to sustain a large-scale agricultural enterprise.
Life at the farm taught him resilience and patience. However, he was not content to merely inherit tradition. He sought to modernize and strengthen it. Through innovation, sound management, and deep respect for workers and partner-farmers, he helped transform sugar production into a more organized, efficient, and forward-looking enterprise.
As an industrialist, he believed that business must extend beyond profit. He lived with his wife, Inday Nenet Soriano, at No. 3 Banaba Street in Forbes Park, Makati City, in a spacious two-story residence. Yet even in the heart of the country’s most exclusive district, the farm remained central to his life.
Notably, the household helpers in their home were recruited from his farms—an expression of trust and familial closeness.
Many individuals he later employed in Republic Flour Mills in Mandaluyong City also came from his agricultural community. For Nonoy Gadó, opportunity began at home, and those who labored with him in the fields deserved pathways toward better livelihoods.
He championed diversification and value-adding initiatives while safeguarding the welfare of his more than 1,000 employees. To him, the sugarcane field was not merely land—it was livelihood for thousands of families whose hopes and futures were tied to its productivity.
Agricultural prosperity, in his view, must translate into social stability, dignity for workers, and access to education for their children.
In the early 1960s, his visionary leadership led to the establishment of the JAL-SOR Dairy Farm—an acronym derived from Jalandoni and Soriano—located within Hda. Rosario-Nato.
It was a state-of-the-art dairy operation for its time, raising as many as 800 imported Holstein-Friesian cattle from Australia and New Zealand. The cows were nourished with carefully prepared silage consisting of paragrass mixed with molasses, sealed under tarpaulin for fermentation, and later fed to lactating cattle to enhance milk production.
Others were raised under free-range conditions, allowed to graze naturally in open pastures. At that time, it stood among the pioneering large-scale dairy operations in Philippines, demonstrating his commitment to agricultural innovation and diversification.
The farm’s generosity extended well beyond its economic contributions. Our own household received a daily ration of 8 liters of fresh milk—a rare luxury in those days.
At Jose Soriano Primary School, later renamed Jose Soriano Elementary School, which he built specifically for farm children, every recess meant free milk and nutritious snacks such as cooked yellow corn powder.
I was among the first 17 graduates of JSES and completed my elementary education as class valedictorian.
My five siblings, now all professionals in their respective fields, finished their elementary schooling at Benjamin H. Jalandoni Elementary School in Hda. Balatong. Education was not merely encouraged—it was actively sustained and prioritized.
What truly set Nonoy Gadó apart was not only his business acumen but his quiet generosity. He planted hope as faithfully as he planted cane.
Scholarships, community programs, church support, and civic initiatives became hallmarks of his stewardship. I myself was among the beneficiaries of his generosity until I completed my degree at Central Philippine University—the first scholar from the farm to return bearing a university diploma.
His philanthropy was never performed for publicity or recognition. Hospital bills were quietly settled for workers in need.
Churches—including San Vicente Ferrer Church and several farm chapels—were repaired and maintained. Relief assistance was extended during calamities.
Each week, workers were entertained with film showings for recreation and morale. Every permanent employee was provided with decent housing equipped with electricity.
The hacienda’s motorpool contained farm trucks, heavy equipment such as bulldozers and graders, a fleet of modern tractors and trailers, irrigation systems with risers and rotating sprinklers, and powerful engines and pumps. He viewed wealth not as possession, but as responsibility entrusted to him for the welfare of others.
When Martial Law was declared in 1972, he migrated with his wife to Vancouver, Canada, entrusting the management of the farms to my father and other trusted administrators.
Later, declining health compelled him to sell Hda. Balatong to Eduardo Cojuangco. In a move that demonstrated both foresight and compassion, he became the first in Philippines to voluntarily subject Hda. Rosario-Nato to Agrarian Reform coverage.
Workers from Hda. Balatong and Hda. Rosario-Nato received titled parcels of land ranging from half to one hectare. Portions of the estate were also retained for a public plaza, church, barangay center, and other community facilities.
The JAL-SOR Dairy Farm eventually ceased operations, and its cattle and facilities were later acquired by San Miguel Corporation, where he held an investment.
Yet the true measure of his legacy cannot be calculated in hectares cultivated, livestock raised, or enterprises built. It endures in lives uplifted, scholars educated, workers empowered, and communities strengthened through his vision and generosity.
In the end, Edgardo “Nonoy Gadó” Jalandoni was more than a sugar planter, industrialist, or philanthropist. He was a steward of the land, a builder of opportunity, a benefactor to many, and above all, a servant of God whose life bore fruit far sweeter than sugarcane itself. | NWI
