Our History
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From its inception in 1901, through its incorporation in 1906, J.P.T. Central Corporate Holding & Management Corporation, through its generic name of its subsidiaries and pawnshops in the Philippines – Tambunting; has achieved growth every year, except during the Japanese occupation. Built on the solid foundation of client’s confidence and the guiding principles of SERVICE, INTEGRITY & TRUST through the years of alternative financing assistance.
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Don Ildefonso Tan Bunting, a son of a Chinese immigrant from Fujian, China was owner of horse-drawn carriages that could be seen slowly traveling through the streets of Manila collecting the accumulated garbage. He was paid by Manila city Government just five centavos per can and on such thrftiness and over the years of hard effort, he was able to accumulate real estate and other small investments. Some of this real estate is located in now popularly known as Divisoria, Tondo, Malabon and Navotas.
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After years of continuous expansion, Don Ildefonso tried the shipping business, however, his partner from Hongkong was discovered to be a fraud and thus, this business was urged to sell by his wife, Filomena Concepcion in 1902. She the persuaded Don Ildefonso to start up a pawnshop in Sta, Cruz Manila with the amazing name of Casa Agencia de Empeños de Ildefonso Tam Bunting.
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At that time, only the Catholic Church operated a pawnshop which is the Monte De Piedad and Savings Bank which was followed by Tambunting virtually an unknown business in the Phillippines. The business flourished, and allowed Don Ildefonso to invest in other business. His son, Antonio, entered the business in 1932, opening the first of his chain of pawnshops in San Juan, and was the sole proprietor when the Japanese invasion took place. Forced by the occupying power to keep the business going, they have accepted Yen in lieu of Philippine Pesos which became virtually worthless at that time due to runaway inflation. The business almost went bankrupt.
Even though it had become a hand-to-mouth existence during the Japanese occupation, after the was in 1944, among the siblings of Don Ildefonso, it was only Don Antonio who continued the business, and picked up the pieces, slowly expanding the chain which in a few years covered not only all of Metro Manila, but many of the provinces, both north and south.
 Agencia de Empenos in Sta. Cruz, Manila
By the 1990’s the Tambunting family operated over 300 branches effectively being the very first to participate in networking. Today, there are over a thousand branches nationwide. As the branches expanded, the families also multplied, each with their own management styles. Inevitably, the families broke up into various groups, and the once huge chain, which was then the biggest in the world, was also broken up into smaller groups.
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All groups expanded their respective network with the largest group owning directly over 800 outlets. The other groups, with varying numbers, each owned no less than 50 outlets operating not only under the Tambunting brands but also under different names, where these are all consolidated under one umbrella organization. It could well be over ONE THOUSAND (1,000) branches and still expanding with the incoming fourth generation.
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