BACOLOD. Hans Sy (center) is welcomed by Mayor Evelio Leonardia (left) at the Mayor’s Office, in the presence of Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran. Sy came in behalf of his father SM founder Henry Sy Sr., who was named adopted son and honorary mayor of Bacolod City, as part of the 12th BacoLaodiat celebration Saturday. (Merlinda A. Pedrosa)

HANS Sy, director of SM Prime Holdings Inc., one of the country’s largest property developers, said their group still has a number of projects planned for Bacolod, which already hosts an SM City mall and an SMX Convention Center, among others.

Sy was in the city Saturday to receive the recognition conferred by the City Government to his father, Henry Sy Sr., the richest man in the Philippines, as adopted son and honorary mayor as part of the celebration of the 12th BacoLaodiat Festival.

“In behalf of my father Henry Sy Sr., thank you very much for honoring him with this distinction of adopted son of the City of Bacolod. Our family and SM family as a whole, takes pride in being part of the Bacolod community. It is most warming that my father is now an adopted son of your city,” Sy during the conferment rites held at the Bacolod Government Center.

“We are very gratified by this gesture, we will see what we can do further to enhance the relationship with the City Government,” he said.

Sy, who was the president of SM Prime before stepping from his post last year, said they have a number of projects lined up for Bacolod.

After expanding with the North Wing Annex at SM City, they are also conducting a study to expand into another wing, he said.

Sy said that SM is doing very well in Bacolod as what they had projected.

“I had a meeting with the staff of SM Bacolod and there is really more room to step up.

I guess there is a lot of interesting projects that will be coming soon,” he added. Sy also said they are willing to improve the Manokan Country adjacent to SM City Bacolod.

He said Manokan Country can be improved by adding more spaces. “It is really a development which can give impact to the City Government, but it depends on the mayor.

I do believe, it is something we can help for the people of Bacolod,” he added. Aside from mall expansions, Sy said they have been focusing on the expansion of hotels and schools.

“One of the reasons why I stepped down from the operation of the malls is because I want to focus on expanding the school. That is following my father’s advocacy which is reaching out (to give others) an opportunity to study,” he said.

The Sy family owns a 60 percent stake in the National University, the country’s first private non-sectarian school based in Sampaloc, Manila.

They have plans to build about 10 schools in 15 years, Sy added. “

Although Bacolod is one of them, but I cannot really say that it’s going to be in the first few. There are many things that we still have to fix up before we can really go full blast in expanding the school,” he noted. He said one of the biggest problems that they have to hurdle is lack of faculty or professors in the Philippines.

“So we have to focus on training more teachers first,” he added.

Conferment

In declaring Henry Sy Sr. as adopted son and honorary mayor of Bacolod, Mayor Evelio Leonardia issued Executive Order No. 01 Series of 2017.

It conferred upon the elder Sy, the adopted son of Bacolod, the distinction of being the honorary mayor of Bacolod during the 2017 celebration of the Chinese New Year.

Sy was named adopted son of Bacolod by virtue of Resolution No. 09-17-21 passed and approved unanimously by the City Council on January 6, 2017.

In behalf of the 92-year-old tycoon, the recognition was received by his son Hans Sy, who came with his wife Carol and daughter Hannah.

Sy became the third honorary mayor of Bacolod after fellow Filipino-Chinese tycoons Lucio Tan and John Gokongwei Jr., who were conferred in 2006 and 2013, respectively.

Leonardia said the Chinese New Year celebration would have added meaning and significance with its recognition of the achievements, endeavor and contributions of Sy, who is the epitome of success despite adversities and humble beginnings, and whose life story is a shining example for all Filipinos to emulate in order to achieve a better quality life.

He said Sy is a perfect example of success as a result of hard work and determination, persevering despite the many hardships encountered, and is thus worth emulating by all generations of Filipinos.

“Sy has never lost sight of the plight of his disadvantaged and less fortunate brothers. In 1983, he together his wife, Felicidad, established SM Foundation which has its founding principle “People helping People.” Since its establishment, it has been supporting communities through scholarships, donations of school buildings, medical missions, rehabilitations of health centers, farmer’s training, disaster responsiveness, regreening and social entrepreneurship, among others,” the mayor added.

Sy is known as the father of Philippine retail, starting out with a shoe center named Shoemart in Carriedo, Manila which eventually became SM Department Store. From this flagship company emerged banking and finance, mall development, real estate, mining, health care, and education.

“The City of Bacolod and its constituents gratefully recognize Dr. Sy for his achievements and exceptional contributions to the economic development and growth of Bacolod and of the Filipino nation in general, and honor him with the distinction of holding the title of honorary mayor of Bacolod,” Leonardia said.