See you.

 See you, when I see you!

That’s what Ed would always say when he was leaving – leaving for a meeting or leaving for a trip. I think he rarely said “bye, bye.” But in our last call, we did say “bye, bye” to each other and I was able to thank him for all that he did for me. Closure.  

Ed could see things so far ahead. He could finish my sentence, even when I just started the first few words. He could state my conclusion, even if I was just laying down the first premise. He knew how a business would pan out. In 2009, he was already talking about the cloud and there were some PLDT folks who were rolling their eyes. He was pushing Meralco to build knowledge on smart grids. He said, in the future that’s what Meralco would be, managing a smart grid -because people will be generating their own power and selling back their power to Meralco.  

Ed had an uncanny ability to see through people if they had a hidden agenda. His meeting table was a game table. It symbolized a lot about conversations in business. I recall one exchange we had. I said, “Ed, I don’t like that guy, he has an agenda.” Ed taught me a valuable lesson that day. He said, “Diane, EVERYONE has an agenda.” Oh yes, indeed…I have an agenda too. Not only did I remember to think that everyone has an agenda, but to reflect on my thoughts too. 

People would ask me, what’s your boss’ nationality. I’d say, “oh he’s Italian American. But he is also rush-yan.” Ed was always on the go, the pace of work with him was like a hurricane. Someone even called him Typhoon Ed. Only can-do attitudes allowed. No tolerance for defeatist attitudes. If a person started to say it can’t be done, I was sure that person will get to know Ed Torture-ici. (Anyone who remembers Ed this way, I assure you, it was coming from a place of care.) It took me about 3 years to learn how to put away my phone and my notebook to assure myself, “don’t worry, Diane. Ed is not going to give you call and dictate some message.” Typhoon Ed is gone. Those of us who witnessed the whirling winds of EAT, will surely miss him. He was a great teacher. A mentor like no other. For me, he was a real-life Yoda.  

At one point in the past, we had a chance to talk about chakra, the soul, death and the afterlife. Ed always valued the other person’s opinion. So he respected my view that my soul will be in a new realm and that there will be life after my death. From our conversation, it seemed that for Ed – death is the end. But we will see, Ed. If I see you when I see you …we can have that conversation again. I really hope that will happen…not to debate about who could see the future, but to have those engaging conversations about history, travel, politics, business again and again. I will miss Ed.  

My friends and family, please say a prayer for this brilliant strategist. Some of our big businesses continue to serve millions because of Ed. His heart had a soft spot for the Philippines – forever grateful for his foresight.  

Edward A. Tortorici  

Lived a full life from 1939 to 2024