DURING his teenage years at La Salle Green Hills, Atty. Jose Ferdinand “Joy” Mendoza Rojas II was already engaged in buying and selling different kinds of goods, which he offered to the parents of his classmates and to employees in offices his father, Jose Agreda Rojas, visited during the summer.
He later entered the real estate business after graduating from the University of Massachusetts in the United States, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, with majors in economics and political science, cum laude, in 1988.
Rojas graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law in 1994 with a Juris Doctor degree and passed the bar examinations that same year.
He worked as an associate at a private law firm from 1994 to 1995 before becoming a partner at Rojas Sales De Leon Tecson & Desiderio Law Office. In 2000, he established the Jose M. Rojas II Law Office, which engages in the general practice of law.
Beyond business and law, Rojas developed another pursuit: visual art, which began partly through charitable efforts to help others.
The former general manager of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office has participated in numerous art-for-a-cause exhibits. On December 2, 2017, he held his first solo show at the Saturday Group Gallery in Mandaluyong City. The exhibit featured winning racehorses, reflecting his experience as a former chairman of the Philippine Racing Commission.
Art critic Sid Reyes wrote that Rojas pursued a strain of abstraction in the tradition of French informel and matière, or matter painting, associated with Jean Dubuffet, Jean Fautrier and Georges Mathieu.
“Rojas transforms a surface into an encounter with the infinite varieties of sensation, tension, and languorous mood,” Reyes noted.
Rojas is a member of the Saturday Group, one of the country’s oldest artists’ organizations, and has participated in its group exhibitions and collaborations. He will hold his 10th solo exhibit at ArtistSpace at Ayala Museum in Makati City from October 10 to 26, 2026.
He paints primarily in his rented studio in Pasig City. Horses remain a recurring subject, while his abstract works draw on memories of places he has visited.
Rojas says he finds inspiration in the Philippines and abroad, particularly in Japan, France, Spain and other European countries.
During weekdays, he divides his time among business, legal work and art.
“Friday and Saturday nights, I devote my time to my wife,” he says.
On Sundays, he usually spends time with his in-laws and other family members. He is also a lay minister at Sts. Peter and Paul Parish Church in Makati City and is occasionally invited as a guest on a Sunday radio program.
His wife, Atty. Patricia “Trisha” A. O. Bunye, became the first Filipino woman and first Southeast Asian woman to serve as president of LESI, the Licensing Executives Society International, a global organization focused on intellectual property, commercialization and licensing.
When time permits, Rojas reads autobiographies, real-life stories, fiction and history.
“I also love to read history books because there is something from the past that can be learned and applied to the present and future,” he says.
When he was younger, he played tennis and badminton before becoming involved in equestrian sports and horseback riding.
“But I am involved in horse breeding and horse racing as a hobby,” says Rojas, who served as director and corporate secretary of PHILTOBO, the Philippine Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Organization Inc., from 1997 to 2006.
The youngest of seven siblings, Rojas was also a member of the Manila Jaycees from 1988 to 2006.
He ends the interview with this philosophy: “Make the most of your life by sharing what you have and serving others’ needs, and you will find happiness in your heart.”
His words reflect a simple conviction: happiness may be fleeting, but bringing happiness to others can lead to contentment and peace.
Associate Professor III Rogelio Constantino Medina is an award-winning Filipino international journalist, columnist, and academic. He is well regarded for his extensive contributions to both Philippine media and major international news publications.
His career spans several decades and covers a wide range of fields, including news, business, travel, lifestyle, science, sports, and health. He has written for major international publications such as the Far Eastern Economic Review in Hong Kong, The Japan Times in Tokyo, and Gulf News in Dubai.
