Background and career
Emilio T. Yap Sr., GCLH (September 24, 1925 – April 7, 2014) was a Chinese Filipino business tycoon and philanthropist. He was the chairman of the board of the Manila Bulletin.
Yap was born on September 24, 1925 in Fujian Province, China. He moved to the Philippines where he studied and worked in a business owned by his grandfather in Manila, then went to Dumaguete to work as a shopkeeper. He began his business career in 1942.
In July 1984, Yap was elected as the chairman of the board of the Manila Bulletin, a position he held until his death in 2014. He was also the vice president of the executive department of the Manila Bulletin. Yap was the chairman of Manila Hotel from 1997 until 2014, chairman of Centro Escolar University since 2002, and the chairman emeritus of Philtrust Bank. Forbes ranked Yap as the 15th wealthiest person in the Philippines in 2013, with an estimated net worth of $1.1 billion.
Yap died on April 7, 2014, at the age of 88, and was buried at the Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque on April 13, 2014. On August 3, 2015, a facility inside the Philippine Red Cross Tower National Blood Center was named Don Emilio T. Yap Blood Apheresis Center in honor of his charitable works with the organization.
The following companies are grouped under a de facto holding company named U.S. AUTOMOTIVE CO., INC. whose beneficial ownership are traceable to the estate &/or descendants of Yap. He set up this legal entity back in 1950 to purchase surplus military vehicles and supplies.
Philippine Trust Company (Philtrust Bank)
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
