SM Super Month: How the challenges of his childhood shaped Tatang Henry Sy's passion for education

PASAY CITY,Philippines,Oct. 24,2022 -- SMSuper Month is SM'sbiggest celebration across its well-loved retail brands,SM Supermalls,SM Store and SM Markets for the whole month of October. SM honors its roots by sharing the legacy of its founder,Mr. Sy,the visionary behind one of country's biggest conglomerates today,during his birth month.

Mr. Henry Sy,Sr. delivering his speech during De La Salle’s Honorary Conferment Ceremony in 1999

The late Henry Sy,affectionately called "Tatang" by those who knew and loved him,was a man who was born to learn.

"Even when I was a young boy,I had a plan for my life," Tatang once said. That plan began with an education.

Tatang was twelve years old when he helped manage his father's small sari-sari store in Quiapo,Manila.

Tatang saw firsthand how difficult life was.

Tatang asked his father if he could go back to school to learn English. Going back to school for him meant going back to the very beginning—from Grade One. He knew he needed to know the basics. Start from the ground up,he reminded himself.

His early years in Manila had taught him how important education was to his family and his own future. Receiving an education allowed him to push on with his dreams for growth and prosperity.

Decades later,Tatang's son Hans Sy would take their high regard for the value of education to another level. The SM Group would become a majority stakeholder of National University (NU) and help accelerate it to greater heights,innovating and enriching its academic offerings,enhancing its learning and sports facilities and programs,and establishing more campuses across the country.

In addition,the SM Foundation's scholarship program funds the education of thousands of scholars,with the aim of developing the country's youth and giving them brighter opportunities for their own success.

The way SM continues to deeply value education mirrors the way Tatang himself placed importance on his own education as a young boy. On this Super Month of October,Tatang's birth month,it is one of the things we celebrate at SM: the value of learning.

SM Scholars at a General Assembly in 2019

SM finds more reasons to celebrate with those who matter most-- family and friends-- with fantastic offers,amazing sales,and exciting events across its retail presence nationwide. #smsupermonth.