SAN Miguel Corp. (SMC) said Wednesday that former Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista had been elected an independent director, filling a vacant seat on the conglomerate’s board.
In a disclosure, San Miguel said Bautista was elected on Aug. 13 and would serve the unexpired term of the vacant seat as of June 9, 2026.
The conglomerate said Bautista had the qualifications and none of the disqualifications to serve as an independent director.
Bautista brings extensive experience from both the private and public sectors, having served as transportation secretary from 2022 to 2025.
Before joining government, he held various senior positions at Philippine Airlines, where he served as executive vice president and chief financial officer from 1993 to 2003, and later as president and chief operating officer from 2004 to 2012 and from 2014 to 2019.
He also held senior management positions in other companies under the Lucio Tan Group, including PNB Forex, Air Philippines and Asian Alcohol Corp.
Bautista currently serves as an independent director of San Miguel Food and Beverage Inc. and Eagle Cement Corp., having joined the boards of the two companies in February and June 2026, respectively.
He is also chairman of SKAL International Makati and a member of the Board of Governors of the Management Association of the Philippines.
San Miguel said Bautista’s years of finance and business experience in both the private and government sectors would allow him to contribute expertise and proficiency to the company’s board.
San Miguel shares on Wednesday added P0.10, or 0.15 percent, to close at P65.80.
