US ambassador offers condolences to Sy family

MANILA, Philippines — US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim expressed his condolences to the bereaved family of mall magnate Henry Sy Sr., who passed away on Saturday.

Kim took to Twitter on Saturday to send his sympathies to the Sy family and widow, Tessie.

“My sincere condolences to Tessie and the Sy family. I was deeply impressed by Mr. Sy's strong commitment to philanthropy and education, and his enormous contributions to the Philippines development,” Kim said.

“He will be missed,” he added.

Sy, who was the Philippines' richest man, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Saturday. He was 94 years old.

The news of Sy’s death was reported by SM Supermalls Chief Operating Officer Steven Tan.

Sy was born in Xiamen, China and moved to the Philippines where he later led a multi-billion dollar business empire.

READ: Philippines' wealthiest man Henry Sy passes away at 94

Sy's SM Prime is a dominant player in the Philippine mall business. His holdings also included banks, hotels and real estate in the Philippines, as well as shopping centers in China.

Last year, Forbes named Sy as the 52nd richest person in the world besting out business moguls such as Elon Musk, Rupert Murdoch and George Soros.

Forbes said Sy had a net worth of $19 billion as of Friday.