The text is originally posted by Nereo Cajilig Luján.
The art deco Tiampo Building on Aldeguer Street, Iloilo City was built between 1930 and 1934 by couple Jaime and Josefina Chua Tiampo.
Born in China in 1898 and 1905, respectively, Jaime and Josefina migrated to the Philippines separately between 1912 and 1914.
His parents were Chua Tiampo and Sy Ni of Pengtian village in Guandong, while her parents were Co Siong Ping and Chua Im who were in the cargo and shipping business.
After settling in Iloilo, Jaime learned English and Spanish from Rev. Fr. Mathias Boonen, a Mill Hill Missionary, and became a Roman Catholic in 1922.
It was also Father Boonen who influenced Josefina to become a Roman Catholic and she became a very devout one throughout her life.
Jaime and Josefina got married on March 18, 1925, and they were blessed with seven children.
Jaime was listed as a general merchant in the 1937 Panay Directory and Souvenir Book.
In 1938, the Tiampo family moved to Hong Kong where the couple bought a piece of property on Nathan Road in Kowloon from the Dominicans.
This property developed into a cluster of five high-rise buildings called Chungking Mansions, well known as nearly the cheapest accommodation in Hong Kong.
In 1970, they migrated to Canada where their children became established in their respective careers.
Josefina died in Vancouver, Canada on June 6, 1979, while Jaime died there too on April 1, 1980.
The Little Flower Monastery of the Discalced Carmelites in Vancouver was dedicated to the couple.
The Jaime and Josefina Chua Tiampo Professorship Grant at the Harvard Business School was named after them.
Read also: List of Iloilo City Cultural Heritage Sites
