Presentacion Lopez Psinakis was the third child and only daughter of the late Eugenio H. Lopez Sr., founder of the Lopez Group of companies, and his wife Pacita Moreno Lopez. True to the characteristics of the Lopez women, Presy, as she is fondly known to many, was passionate about her advocacies and ambitious with her business goals.
She chaired the Phil-Asia Assistance Foundation Inc., an advocacy close to her heart. PAAFI provides financial assistance to public school students from elementary to high school. In celebration of her 80th birthday, her guests were encouraged to offer donations to the cause instead of gifts. Aside from her position in PAAFI, Presy Psinakis also as the president of Griffin Sierra Travel, Inc., and agency she had set up herself in 1967. From meeting with airline executives, to conducting sales calls on corporate travels, Presy Psinakis thrived in it all. Her move to Athens, Greece did not dampen her ambitious fervor. There she set up an Asian boutique specializing in handicrafts, art objects, and antiques from the Philippines, Japan, and other East Asian countries; a business she enjoyed running. In 1987, she found herself once again at the helm of Sierra Travel, overseeing its partnership with Griffin Marine Travel.
Her late-husband, Steve Psinakis, described her in an interview with Rogue Magazine as, Don Eugenio Lopez Sr.’s, “crown jewel.” “She was a stunningly beautiful young woman who moved gracefully and always seemed at ease, while effortlessly making everyone around her feel the same.” “I had no idea, that her polished exterior hid a depth and strength of personality unparalleled to anything I had encountered in my life so far.” The two rallied against the Marcos dictatorship, and experienced its repercussions first hand, from assisting in the clandestine escape of her late brother Geny Lopez, to receiving threats first hand. Still, they bravely rallied against the opposition.
“I feel that whatever you do in life, you have to do it with passion…With that attitude, it’s hard not to succeed,” said Presy Psinakis in an interview with LopezLink. Awoman who strived to pass on her father’s ethics, and the Lopez Values. She will be remembered by many as a woman of unwavering strength, and generous compassion.
Presentacion Lopez-Psinakis passed away on July 25, 2017. She was 81 years old.
Photo Source: Rogue’s 2008 State of the Nation Issue (June 2008)