Inventor of the Beloved Filipino Tocino: Leticia ‘Apung Lolet’ Hizon Passes Away

Mrs. Leticia ‘Apung Lolet’ Hizon, the inventor of the original Filipino tocino, sweet and salty cured pork, a staple Filipino breakfast food item, passed away on October 5, 2021. Tocino originated from Hizon lending a helping hand to her neighbor to help cook their unsold pork and created a revised version of pindang (fermented pork) with its signature sweet and salty taste. Tocino does have Spanish origins but Hizon put her own twist on it, creating the Filipino version, a delicious cultural adaptation. This was the start to her co-founding (with her husband) a now multi-million meat processing corporation, Pampanga’s Best, Inc. which now includes more Filipino food items such as longaniza, tapa, and embotido. While this would be her most well known legacy as the face of the company, Hizon was also known to give back to her community in San Fernando, Pampanga as she held fundraisers and worked on charity projects to support the needs of people in her community. She is affectionately known as Apung Lolet and according to GMA news is “survived by her husband, Angelo Hizon, their 12 children, 61 grandchildren, and 31 great grandchildren.”

Tocino is a classic breakfast food item in Filipino cuisine, often served with fried rice and eggs, what is known as a “tosilog”(‘to’ from tocino, ‘si’ from sinangag: fried rice, and ‘log’ from itlog). However, I am just now learning of Mrs. Leticia Hizon, whose legacy not only encompasses the mark she placed on the Filipino cuisine world but also of San Fernando community members who she gave back to. Her legacy continues through Pampanga’s Best, Inc. but also through the lives of the people she touched in her lifetime. I’ll be sure to think of Apung Lolet the next time I eat tocino.

Sources:

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1155491

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/food/805637/pampanga-s-best-fo…

https://www.pampangasbest.com/history/#.YVu7ntNufeo

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1496949/pampangas-best-hizon-leaves-tocino…