Gregoria Cue Cokaliong, the matriarch of one of Cebu’s prominent business families, died on Sept. 30, 2026, at the age of 90, marking the end of a life closely associated with family, education and entrepreneurship.
Born on May 9, 1936, in Cebu City, Cokaliong was the daughter of Paulino Cue and Julita Lee, who operated the Sen Hiap Hing Department Store. Her early life was shaped by a family involved in commerce, an environment that would later influence her own role in building and supporting the Cokaliong family’s business interests.
Cokaliong pursued higher education at the University of the Philippines Diliman, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and graduated cum laude in 1958. Her academic achievement became one of the defining parts of her personal story, alongside her later involvement in the family’s expanding enterprises.
She married Edgar Dy Cokaliong, and together they helped establish and develop the family’s business interests, beginning with the textile industry. Their partnership eventually grew beyond textiles as the family expanded into several areas of business and built a stronger presence in Cebu and other parts of the country.
The couple had four children—Chester, Christopher, Cherrylene and Charlton—who later became involved in the family’s growing business activities. Over the years, the next generation played increasingly important roles in the enterprises associated with the Cokaliong name.
The family became particularly known for Cokaliong Shipping Lines Inc., which was founded in 1989 by their eldest son, Chester Cue Cokaliong. The company eventually developed into a major passenger and cargo shipping operator, serving communities across the Visayas and Mindanao.
The shipping company’s growth added another major chapter to the family’s business history, connecting the Cokaliong name with maritime transportation in the central and southern Philippines. Its operations expanded alongside the family’s other ventures in areas including textiles and hospitality.
For the Cokaliong family, Gregoria’s role extended beyond being associated with the family’s business story. Her life also reflected the importance placed on education and family continuity, with her academic background and involvement in the household’s entrepreneurial activities forming key parts of her legacy.
Her death at 90 brings to a close the life of a woman whose family became closely identified with Cebu’s business community. Through the enterprises built by her family, particularly in shipping, the Cokaliong name became familiar to generations of passengers and communities throughout the Visayas and Mindanao.
Cokaliong’s legacy now continues through her children and the succeeding generations of the family, who remain connected to the businesses that grew from the foundations established by Gregoria and her husband.
Her passing on Sept. 30 was reported as a significant loss for a family that has played a longstanding role in Cebu’s business landscape. She is remembered through the family she helped raise, the education she valued and the entrepreneurial legacy that continues to bear the Cokaliong name.
