At Tatang’s wake

This was how Henry Sy Sr., the country’s richest man, was laid to rest.

Flowers — bouquets after bouquets, garlands of all colors and wreaths of all sizes — overflowed, filling all sides of the funeral house.

A bed of precious white orchids adorned his rose brown casket, a sleek and shiny coffin fit for the taipan that he was.

The snaking lines of employees of Sy-owned companies who wanted to pay their respects to their boss reached almost a block, while scholars of the SM Foundation also came in droves.

There were cordons to guide visitors. It was a necessary measure to accommodate the mammoth crowd of people who wanted to pay their respects to the man.

It was like a long line to a rockstar’s concert. The buffet tables were endless — like in a wedding or probably longer — and it was filled with people.

The parking lot was in chaos, and if you arrived without a driver, you’d have to wait for a while before you could finally park your car.

Everyone who’s anyone was there. I suspect even the spirits of those already buried in the memorial park fell in line, too.

Sy, founder of the SM retailing giant and named by Forbes as the country’s richest man for more than 10 years in a row, died in the wee hours of Jan. 19. He died peacefully in his sleep.

His wake was held at the Heritage Park in Taguig until Jan. 23, before he` was laid to rest the next day, Jan. 24. He was buried at the Heritage Park as well with a simple mausoleum built as his final resting place. There was a huge crowd, too during the interment and not just during the wake.

Of course, the huge crowd of visitors was not surprising.

Tatang after all, was a legendary presence in the Philippine business landscape and the accolades and tributes said it all — a visionary, a titan, a philanthropist, the father of Philippine retailing, a great man.

I went to the wake with my father, who introduced me and my siblings to SM. He often brought us to SM Cubao, among the first Shoe Mart malls in Quezon City, during weekends when we were kids.

When I told Sy’s eldest daughter Teresita Sy-Coson about this childhood memory, she too shared with my dad her own “SM story” with her father.

Her father, she said, would bring her and her siblings to his first mall in Manila. It was among the first shoe stores in the country which had an air-con and it was a big deal.

But Maam Tessie said in jest that sometimes they were not allowed to go inside the mall because they were dressed very simply often in old clothes. It was almost unbelievable, but it was true, she said.

I guess it was a reflection perhaps of the Sy family’s life of simplicity.

My father also recalled the innovative way of selling shoes at SM Carriedo wherein callers would shout out orders and then suddenly shoe boxes would fall from the ceiling.

When I told Sy’s eldest son and namesake Henry “BigBoy” Sy, Jr. about our SM Cubao story, he proudly told my dad that he was a manager there for a time. We also saw sir Hans and sir Harley and told them as well of our “SM story.”

Stories about tatang

I heard so many other stories about Tatang,

Former journalist Estela dela Paz shared with me her own Tatang story. Many years ago, she recalled, she lost her son within the premises of the Sy-owned Taal Vista Hotel in Tagaytay. Not knowing what to do, Estela mustered enough courage to approach Tatang who was in the hotel and asked him for help.

Tatang did not know her, but he instinctively ordered a lockdown of the hotel compound. Estela’s son, of course, thankfully reappeared soon after. He simply got lost in the crowd.

A giant property company owner also shared with me the story of how Tatang helped him by tapping his company as one of the developers for an SM mall. When he said he didn’t have capital, Tatang said BDO would lend him money. Now, his company has become a giant developer, thanks to the big break Tatang gave him.

As for me, I have no story to tell about Tatang. I did not have the privilege of meeting him. By the time I was covering listed companies, he had long retired and was already wheelchair bound.

But I was lucky to write his story in the coffee table book, Legends, Lives and Legacies published by the Philippine Retailers Association in 2018.

Here is my favorite part about his story as published in the book:

“There is no substitute for hard work. There is no such thing as an overnight success or easy money.”

It all starts with a dream, he says.

“You have to have a dream, whether big or small. Then plan well, focus, work hard, and be very determined to achieve your goals.”

True enough, Tatang had a dream, which was to get out of poverty. But with hard work and perseverance, he got so much more than what he dreamed of.

Iris Gonzales’ email address is [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @eyesgonzales.