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<img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources/soriano-zobel-t.webp" alt="Colonel Andres Soriano y Roxas" />
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(Andres Soriano y Roxas (right))
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<p>
Colonel Andres Soriano was born to wealthy Spanish parents in Manila in 1898, attended the Ateneo de Manila and in Stonyhurst College (Lancashire, England) and the Escuela Superior de Comercio at Madrid, Spain, and after obtaining a bachelor of commerce degree,  joined in the management of the family businesses in 1918, beginning with San Miguel Brewery, now the San Miguel Corporation. In 1930 he established Sorox y Cia. which became  A. Soriano y Cia., as a holding and management company, then strictly family-owned, through which he rapidly extended his constructive business activities. 
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<p>
A Spanish citizen, Soriano was a supporter and financier of the Falange party of Spanish fascist dictator Generalissimo Francisco Franco.    He was acting Consul General for Franco in the Philippines.  He was also a key player in the pre-war headquarters of General Douglass MacArthur in the Philippines,  whose commerce was dominated by resident Spaniards.
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<p>
In 1941 he decided to take Filipino citizenship, and in December of the same year, joined the USAFFE (United States Army Forces in the Far East) as an infantry captain, saw action in Bataan, and escorted  President Manuel Quezon and his family to Australia in March 1942.  He also served as Secretary of Finance of the Philippine Government in exile in Washington D. C.   On Quezon's death he returned to the Southern Pacific war theater, to become a colonel in the staff of General MacArthur.  He took part in the American landings in both Leyte and Luzon and entered Manila with the advance forces in February, 1945. 
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<img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources/soriano-farlange.webp" alt=""/>
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Andres Soriano y Roxas (second from right) at a Falange rally pledging support for fascist dictator Generalisimo Francisco Franco.
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<p>
Soriano, immediately after the war became an American citizen. 
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<p>
While he spent a part of every year in the United States and had residences there and also in France, the Philippines remained his real home. Here he built the greater part of his post-war industrial empire and entered most deeply into community affairs and was noted for his always generous assistance to many civic, cultural, and charitable organizations. 
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<p>
President Macapagal in his message of condolence to Andres Soriano Jr. wrote: 
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<p>
<i>"I am shocked and saddened to hear of the death of your beloved father and my esteemed friend, Colonel Andres Soriano. His pioneering activities in Philippine industry which distinguished him as one of the great economic builders of our country, his wartime service in the Philippine Government, and his many civic projects have endeared him to our countrymen and to me as the present leader of our people and have made his name an object of admiration, respect, and gratitude..."</i>
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<p>
Andres Soriano was married to Carmen de Montemar in San Sebastian, Spain on September 4,  1920. The couple had two sons, Jose Maria  and Andres Jr.  His parents were Don Eduardo Soriano y Sanz and Doña Margarita Roxas de Ayala y Roxas.
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<p>
<b>Sources:</b>
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<ol class="article-sources">
<li>
The American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Journal, Volume XLI, Number 1,  January 1955, Manila
</li>
<li>
Unpatriotic History of the Second Word War, James, Harfield, Zero Book, 2012, UK
</li>
<li>
Spanish Falange in the Philippines, 1936-1945, Volume 43, Number 1, Florentino Rodao, University of Tokyo, 1994
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<li>
The Nazi Connection to the John F. Kennedy Assassination, Mae Brussell, The Rebel, January 1984
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<li>
Men of the Philippines : a biographical record of men of substantial achievement in the Philippine islands, George Ferguson Mitchell Nellist, Sugar News, Manila, 1931
</li>
</ol>

December 30, 1954: Colonel Andres Soriano y Roxas died in a Boston hospital