Gokongwei heirs land first jobs tagging underwear

‘All roles are important’

MANILA, Philippines — No role is too small or too big for siblings Lance Gokongwei and Robina Gokongwei-Pe, who both learned the ropes in the family business in a rather “intimate” way – tagging women’s underwear before taking on bigger responsibilities in the family’s business empire.

The heirs of the late tycoon John Gokongwei Jr. shared inspiring reflections on their early experiences and leadership lessons with more than 3,000 Robinsons Retail employees during a recent service awards celebration.

Lance, Gokongwei Group head and Robinsons Retail board director, recalled tagging women’s underwear during his early work in the business.

From that experience, he learned an important lesson that has stayed with him: every role is important.

Robina, for her part, remembered losing count after a hundred pieces of underwear and having to start again. The delivery boy, she recalled, was not pleased, as he was already late for his next stop.

Robina was 23, working as a receiving clerk in 1984, when the business still had only one store.

Robinsons Department Store, Robinsons Retail’s first retail format, opened its first store in 1980 at Robinsons Manila in Ermita, when the property was still a strip mall.

Both Lance and Robina were among the awardees recognized during Robinsons Retail’s Service Awards 2026 held at the company’s head office in Quezon City.

The celebration brought together 85 awardees with at least 25 years of service.

Aside from Lance and Robina, JG Summit Holdings Inc. chairman and Robinsons Retail vice chairman James Go also received a 46-year award recognizing his longstanding guidance and support for the business.

Go, the youngest brother of Robinsons Retail founder Big John, has been part of the company since the first store opened.

Go expressed his gratitude to his fellow awardees for their years of service and expressed hope that Robinsons Retail would continue to grow for 100 years and beyond.

Robinsons Retail is a multi-format retailer that operates over 2,700 stores and more than 2,100 franchised TGP outlets nationwide.