Lulu Cinco bade farewell to fellow MART directors after she accepted an early retirement package from AB Capital. She will be leaving AB capital by the end of the month. Lulu leaves AB Capital after 29 years, as its FVP and Treasurer. She has been one of the most widely-recognized market figures for the past 30 years. She always makes people at ease with her friendly and infectious smile; and never fails to amaze foodies with her knowledge on where to buy all the good stuff. But Lulu will be most remembered as a long-standing MART board member (1992-2000, 2003-2009) )and the organizer of MART conventions.  If you’re less than 35 years old or younger, then most of the MART conventions you’ve attended have been organized by Lulu.  During her chairmanship of the Convention committee, she has taken the convention to new locales such as Davao, Boracay, and Iloilo, giving us some of our best and fondest memories in the market. In contrast, Lulu points out that some of her most heartbreaking moments in life also happened during convention time. Despite the tragedies of losing loved ones, she never failed to ensure our comfort and pleasure during these times. Whether we had a great or bad year, we always knew that we can look forward to a great MART convention to usher in the end of the year.   

Francis Varela will take over as the representative of AB Capital to the MART board, while Jojo Velasquez (PS Bank) will take over the Convention committee. With Lulu Cinco’s departure and Boy Bombais’ decision not to run for re-election last November, MART ushers in a new era of camaraderie and fun with the new Toto Hilado / Jojo Velasquez tandem. 

* All the MART Conventions that the writer has attended was organized by Lulu, including his first MART Convention in Davao (1996), the first convention organized by Lulu