Henry Sy teaches his execs lessons on fatherhood
HIS 24/7 workload was inspired by his love of family and his desire to give his all for shoppers.
But despite his tight work schedule, retail pioneer Henry Sy Sr., founder of SM Group of companies, was still able to keep all his six children within reach.
Sy involved all his children in his businesses, being their mentor as much as their father.
His children had to learn the ropes of the business from the ground up and in the process, discover the value of hard work, humility and simplicity. Two SM executives were likewise inspired by Sy’s example.
Epitacio Borcelis, 63, who has worked for almost four decades with SM in various capacities, has learned these lessons on hard work and humility well.
Borcelis, the son of a bus driver in Bicol, rose from the ranks, starting as a security officer in 1978 in SM Makati after earning his degree in Criminology.
In 1979, he took on legal secretarial duties, resulting in his transfer to SM’s head office at Carlos Palanca in Manila.
After doing his day job from 6 a.m to 6 p.m., he would walk to the University of the East College of Law to attend night classes. His career with SM took off after he passed the bar in 1985. He moved up the ladder, assuming various positions in the SM group including house counsel, corporate secretary and eventually senior vice president for legal at SM Investments Corp., the Sy family’s holding company.
Borcelis says he was inspired by Sy’s own life story and his ability to relentlessly pursue a dream until it becomes a reality.
Borcelis tries to impart the same lessons to his four children.
For former banker Ronald Tumao, 57, SM Prime Holdings’ vice president for Market Research and Planning, time with family is very valuable.
Tumao heads the department in charge of land acquisitions and development for SM Prime Holdings, SM’s propery holding firm, which requires him to take frequent trips away from home.
Despite these challenges, Tumao says he makes best use of his time with his family.
“People say that what matters more is the quality of time you spend with your family. I think that’s partly correct. You just have to spend time, period. Our kids feel safe and secure by our mere presence even if we are not doing anything together,” Tumao says.
To balance his time with his children, he tries, as much as he can, to wrap up at 6 p.m. to make it in time for dinner. On weekends, he finds happiness in cooking for his family.
Tumao grew up in small apartment in Mendiola, Manila and is the youngest of seven children. What he learned from his own father was to find happiness even in the simplest of things.
“As the youngest, I always got the hand-me-downs but I had no ill feelings about that. My parents were pretty cool and from them I learned how to become thrifty and to make the most of what we have. This is why I work so hard because I want to give my children what I never had,” Tumao says.
“I tell my children that there are phases in life. There are tough times and good times but that they should always try to remain happy. You can find happiness by simply being in the comfort of your own home,” he adds.
“Spending time with my family is very important to me. Just being there with them is the best way of showing I care,” he adds.
The greatest reward for these hard working dads is the mere knowledge that their children turned out okay despite the delicate juggling act they had to perform between fatherhood and their careers, knowing their sacrifice was the key to securing a better future for all their children.