THE BEST FOR HIS CHILDREN
AS WITH OTHER personages who are as accomplished as him, Washington Z. SyCip is also reserved when it comes to speaking about personal matters, particularly about his role as a father.
But whenever he is asked to describe himself as one, he would always self- deprecatingly reply that he is not the best parent, alluding to his not being a hands- on father to his children — Vicky, George, and Robert — during their formative years.
“I have to admit that I did not spend as much time with my children as I should,” the 95-year- old told BusinessWorld in a previous interview. “As a parent, you might say I’m a lousy parent,” he said.
The rigors of running his then growing practice had him working almost every day, sometimes even on Sundays. His wife, Anna SyCip, was then left with the job of looking after their children full-time.
“When I started having children, I would have to say that I owe a lot to my wife who took care of them,” Mr. SyCip said.
He may say that he is not cut out for being what he thinks a good father should be, but Mr. SyCip is definitely the kind who stead- fastly performed his primary obligation, and that was to provide the best education for his brood.
He initially had them go to the International School (then the American School in Makati), but decided on having them finish their prep school in the United States. Vicky, the first to go abroad, went to Choate-Rosemary Hall (then Rosemary Hall) in Connecticut, while George and Robert both went to Phillips Exeter. Vicky proceeded to college at the University of the Philippines as George and Robert continued with their undergraduate studies in the United States at Stanford University and Pomona College, respectively.
Mr. SyCip’s children were indeed able to receive the quality education that their father wanted for them to have. This, in return, they diligently pursued, enabling them to finish their respective degrees with honors.
“So now that they have a good education and they are on their own, I leave them to do what they want to do with their business,” Mr. SyCip said in a recent interview.
In his biography, Wash: Only A Bookkeeper penned by Jose “Butch” Y. Dalisay, Jr., Mr. SyCip explained why he chose to send