Pampanga's Best founder Leticia Hizon passes away at 84

MANILA - Businesswoman Leticia Lolita Olalia Hizon, founder of processed food giant Pampanga’s Best, passed away on Oct. 3, the company said on Monday. She was 84.

Hizon left behind her husband Angelo, their 12 children, 61 grandchildren, and 31 great-grandchildren, the company said on its Facebook page.

“She was a philanthropist in her community, serving San Fernando and Bacolor selflessly throughout her life. As the founder of Pampanga’s Best and the one who formulated the original Tocino, her contribution to the Philippine economy is immeasurable. Likewise her influence on Filipino cuisine cannot be overstated,” the company said.

According to Pampanga’s Best, Hizon formulated the process to make tocino as she did not want to have a meat vendor neighbor’s unsold pork go to waste.

“Mrs. Hizon came up with a formula to cure the meat; she revised the traditional Capampangan pindang (fermented pork), causing the pork to acquire the unique salty – sweet taste that we have all come to love. She called it “Tocino”, derived from a Spanish delicacy that is sweet,” the company said on its website.

Pampanga’s Best has since become a well-known brand and one of the most successful meat processing companies in the Philippines.

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