Ang tibay talaga

When I think of my younger days, I love reminiscing about every minute of it, especially my childhood, because those were the times when you didn’t have to sweat too much to get what you want. So here goes.

In my elementary school years, I still can recall my father taking me to Shoemart Makati immediately after he fetched me from St. Scholastica’s College. Excited, I would try out different styles of shoes. Papa always depended on SM for quality and low prices. As frugal as he was, he always ensured that there was a one-inch allowance at the toes of my shoes because I outgrew my shoes quickly. Most of my school shoes were Ang Tibay brand. I liked that style of boys’ shoes because they were more comfortable and durable than the girls’ shoes. They were really stylish and very sturdy. I liked the strap-over styles. When the style that I wanted was not available, my father and I would proceed to Carriedo where, most of the time, there is was lots to choose from. After that, Papa would go straight to a shoe stand near our house to have metal bostons fitted. I disliked that very much because I had to walk as lightly as possible in school so my classmates would not hear the sound of metal bostons hitting the floor. Other times, they would step on my new shoes as a “blessing.” So, when someone discovered my new shoes, she would shout “Bless!’ and everyone would come over to me, stepping on my new shoes!

In high school, I still preferred the Ang Tibay brand of boys’ style shoes. In college, I got rid of those and started wearing sophisticated ladies’ shoes like The Parisian and newer brands.

After college, I got employed in Makati, when usually after work on Fridays, my officemates and I would shop at SM Makati. We were amazed by the beautiful shop displays and the huge crowds. With an SM credit card and other credit cards that followed, my purchasing power was stretched more. How can you refuse when SM has everything you need and prices are so reasonable? Later, we would go discoing, so it was important that I had stylish, well-built shoes and matching outfits, especially for non-stop disco dancing. Like me, my officemates were unstoppable when it came to dancing — we hardly returned to our seats once we get on the dance floor!

Time flies. Now I’m blessed with five children whose requirements are also satisfied by SM. We moved our residence, but it was never a problem for us to find another SM establishment nearby. With or without me, my kids can go by themselves.

SM has taught two of my children to stay put, to be focused. In a huge mall, like SM, parents are often being paged because of lost children. This happened to me twice. I guess I, too, must be held responsible. My eldest child, who was a toddler then, disappeared while we were inside the department store. Without my noticing, he was able to escape my gentle grip and run to the toy section. Thanks to SM’s quick response, he was returned to me by the saleslady. Several years later, this same incident happened to my youngest child. He, too, was fascinated by the mall’s attractions and he wandered off without my noticing it. It took some hours to locate him. Thanks to SM’s security personnel, he was later found on another floor. When he saw me, he cried and came running to me. Since then, these two boys have learned to behave whenever we’re out. Their experiences served as a lesson to my other three children, and especially to me.

After years in the corporate world, I decided to establish a foodcart business. On one of my birthdays, I wrote Mr. Henry Sy requesting a modest space at SM Southmall. He could have just passed me on to whoever was in charge but he took time and gave personal attention to my letter. His kind gesture inspired me, as a young entrepreneur, to pursue a new direction in my career. As we all know, SM’s qualification standards are superior and my business profile was quite small to compete with the experienced giant competitors. Yet I took it as a challenge. I studied my business and went through the guidelines before opening in SM — interviews, food tasting, presentation, etc. I had to prove my business was worth it. Thank God, I got the space!

In this world that often settles for mediocrity, I have bumped into many negative people and I am grateful that there is someone like Mr. Henry Sy who is not like that at all. He is the epitome of what a father should be — God-fearing, selfless, compassionate, hardworking and responsible. To me, he is a real person.   

Mr. Henry Sy, the “Father of Philippine Retail.” Truly, ang tibay niya talaga!