When Julian Ongpin opened his eponymous gallery for young artists in Makati in 2015, he told capital's elite how he realized that the arts was among his life callings.
Then in his mid-20s, the son of billionaire Roberto Ongpin said he once asked an artist friend how a person would know that he had found his purpose.
"If you can't think of any other thing in the world right now that you would be doing, the answer is yes," Ongpin said during the cocktail launchy of JOYA or the Jaime Ongpin Young Artists Gallery.
Ongpin dedicated his feat to his father, who was present in the audience, and to his late mother, Della Stone. "I could not have done any of this without my father," he said.
WHAT WENT BEFORE:
Artist Bree Jonson Found Dead, Last Seen with Billionaire Roberto Ongpin's Son
Who is Bree Jonson and What Inspired Her Art?
The young Ongpin, now 30, was in the headlines Sept. 20 after police claimed to have found cocaine in a surf resort room in La Union that he shared with friend, artist Bree Jonson, who was found dead in their bathroom.
The cause of Jonson's death is under investigation and Ongpin could be charged with illegal drug possession, according to authorities.
Together with his father, Ongpin set up a P1 billion fund to help Filipino start-ups take off, BizNews Asia magazine reported in January.
Ongpin Angel Investors Corp was among the patrons of ARISE Startup Challenge 2020 that was won by MedHyve, a buyer-seller hub of medical products that was all the more relevant during the pandemic.
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