Hairstylist Ricky Reyes (right) receives the award from Hans Sy and Teresita Sy-Coson as one of the pioneer tenants of SM City North Edsa during the gala night.

SM CITY North Edsa capped its 25th anniversary celebration with a gala evening honoring the pioneer tenants. The event honored 53 business partners of November 1985 to December 1986 for sharing the vision of SM founder and chairman Henry Sy Sr. that made Philippine shopping center history in the process.

At the gala night, Sy together with SM Prime Holdings president Hans Sy paid tribute, to tenants who took the risk and made a difference. Many of these tenants are captains of industry in the Philippines who believed in Sy’s vision and have grown with SM.

During the 1980s, the country was in the midst of a major political and economic crisis. ‘In 1983, we were building SM City North Edsa, our first shopping mall,’ Henry Sy recalls. ‘Many people at that time said I was crazy. There was a political crisis; interest rates were as high as 45 percent, and the location of the mall was in the middle of nowhere. They said that the mall would not succeed, but SM City North Edsa was an instant success when it opened on November 1985.’

Today SM City North Edsa is the largest mall in the Philippines and one of the largest in the world. More than that, it was the mall that introduced the malling experience to the lives of Filipinos. There are now 40 SM Supermalls that serve customers in key cities and provinces. Jollibee’s William Tan shares. ‘during the time I was scheduled to meet Mr. Henry Sy Sr. on opening a branch at SM City North Edsa, I was told that the meeting was at 12 midnight. When we arrived, we were surprised to see Mr. Sy still in the office with his staff. We were amazed at SM’s dedication to work, and thought that despite the odds, the mall would be a success.’

Hosted by Johnny Litton and Bernadette Sembrano, the program featured music and memories of the times performed by some of the country’s top artists. Vignettes from the mall were shown together with the modem look of SM City North Edsa today.

The event also highlighted SM City North Edsa’s customers, as well as the community it serves. The winner of the Audi raffle draw was announced during the evening, and 25 housing units at the SM GK Village were turned over to Gawad Kalinga’s chairman Tony Meloto.