Derek Kong Fonn Liew

Remembering Derek Liew When I heard that a Singaporean alum (MBM73) had joined the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) faculty, I somehow got the impression that he’d been a sommelier for Singapore Airlines, which made me wonder why he was attached to the Finance faculty. But it was his knowledge of wines, more than his expertise and experience in Banking and Finance, that left his mark and brought him closer to the AIM faculty. When he discovered that we were absolute Philistines when it came to wines, he offered to teach us how to appreciate wine “on the cheap.” He made us contribute to a fund (well, he was a Finance professor after all) which he used to buy proper wine glasses and a selection of wines that he said was “affordable but drinkable.” And so was born the AIM Quaffers and the weekly quaffing sessions, an institution that continued even after Derek had left AIM and returned to Singapore. One particularly memorable quaffing session was a de gustacion that Derek organized for us. Did I mention he was an excellent cook? Most of us had never heard of a de gustacion until Derek told us he was preparing one and we could all partake for a small fee. But the Quaffers and Derek remained fast friends because we often found ourselves in Singapore on our way to teach in AIM programs in Indonesia. We liked to fly Singapore Airlines to Jakarta, and we made sure to spend our Singapore layover time with Derek. He generously took us to the best hawker places and restaurants (usually on foot, because he loved to walk and didn’t want us spending on public transport), and on our way back to Manila brought us to the local markets where we could buy Singaporean goodies to bring home to our families. And when Derek would visit Manila to join his MBM73 classmates in their annual reunions, he would make time for his Quaffer friends. Derek never got over the loss of his beloved wife, Bee, and visited her resting place often. And he always shared with us a photo of that visit. He missed her terribly. I was dreadfully saddened when Derek told me (in March 2025) that he would not opt for the heart valve procedure and dialysis that his doctor had recommended, opting instead to avoid the pain and inconvenience of therapy and recovery. I felt in my heart that what he wanted most was to be reunited with Bee. And when he informed us last December that he would be in Manila, I knew this would be our last get-together. We caught up at AIM for the Sunday Mass and proceeded to a Chinese restaurant for lunch. And when we said our goodbyes, I knew we would not see each other again. Not in this life, anyway. But hopefully in the next, where we can enjoy a glass of wine together. Farewell, dear friend. May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sunshine warm upon your face. May the rains fall upon your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.