Education as the Great Equalizer: SM Prime Holdings Chairman Hans Sy Shares His Father’s Legacy with QCU Graduates
Speaking before the 2,498 graduates of Quezon City University’s Batch Sidhaya during the 18th Commencement Exercises on June 30, 2026, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, SM Prime Holdings Chairman Hans T. Sy reminded the graduating class that commencement marks not only the completion of their academic journey but also the beginning of new opportunities. Through personal stories about his father, Henry Sy Sr., he underscored how education can transform lives and encouraged graduates to move forward with resilience, optimism, and humility as they pursue their aspirations.
Below is his speech:
In all my years of public speaking, I have found the most joy in addressing young audiences. It makes me feel younger, which, at my age, is always welcome.
So let me thank Mayor Belmonte and the people behind QCU for giving me this opportunity to speak before you today.
We often use “graduation” and “commencement” interchangeably, but they are not the same.
Graduation signals completion. When we say, “graduate na ako diyan,” we mean we have gone through something, learned our lessons, and are ready to move forward.
Commencement points to a beginning. In property development, a project commences only when enough planning has been done for the real work to begin.
I raise this point because, for the 2,498 graduates here today, the distinction has special meaning.
After years of schoolwork, you have completed your degree. With it comes the power to begin a life beyond the limits of your present reality.
Allow me to expound on that by sharing the story of my father, Henry Sy Sr., or Tatang, as we called him.
Tatang passed away when many of you were still very young. You may not know him by name, but what he built is likely part of your core memories: bowling with family at SM North EDSA, ice skating with friends at SM Megamall, or weekend explorations of the SM Mall of Asia—or watching your favorite movies in any SM malls.
But his life and legacy go beyond that. He was a self-made businessman who believed, from his own experience, that education is the greatest equalizer.
At the age of 12, he migrated from China to the Philippines with only ten centavos in his pocket. He traveled alone and spoke neither English nor Tagalog.
Before he left for Manila, my grandmother gave him one instruction: “yǒng wǎng zhí qián” (“yong kang khi khia”), which in English means “Move bravely forward” or “Bravely move forward.”
And he did. Though his early life was marked by poverty and hardship, he refused to let them decide his fate.
While helping my grandfather in his tiny store along Calle Echague, he completed grade school at 17. He endured the teasing of younger classmates and finished at the top of his class.
In his late teens, he began buying and selling whatever he could to earn a living. Eventually, he saved enough money to open his own store, which also served as his home at night.
Even after my grandfather returned to China, Tatang stayed in the Philippines, perhaps remembering my grandmother’s advice to always move forward with courage.
At 28, Tatang enrolled at FEU to continue his education. He went to night school and earned a two-year associate degree.
He had to stop because he was already managing two stores at the time. Being much older than his classmates also made him feel awkward about continuing.
But what Tatang lacked in formal schooling, he more than made up for with curiosity, hard work, and ambition. He always found ways to keep learning.
In the 1950s, he traveled 45 hours to America to secure shoe inventory and understand how the world’s best retailers operated.
He studied marketing, supply chain management, merchandising, and mall design because he wanted to turn two stores into a chain of 50.
When he passed away in 2019, the shoe store he began in 1958 had grown to 72 malls across the Philippines. Today, we have 90.
Around many of these malls, we have built residences, offices, hotels, convention centers, arenas, and schools that support local communities and the national economy.
Through SM Foundation, deserving students across the country are given the chance to pursue college and vocational education. We help turn dreams into degrees, and degrees into better futures.
Education gave my father a chance in life, and today, we are giving that chance to others. That is something I am deeply proud of.
QCU has given you that chance, as well. Do not waste it. Use it to rise above your current reality, as my father did.
Tatang was an ordinary man who lived an extraordinary life because he made hardship his superpower. It pushed him to work harder, dream bigger, and build a business that could serve others.
I believe you can do the same. Your degree gives you a strong starting point. But to make a real impact on the world, you must anchor yourself on three important principles.
First is resilience.
As adults, you will face setbacks. But hard times are not a reason to stop. They are a reason to become better.
I remember when SM Makati was gutted by fire in 1988. My father asked me to oversee the reconstruction.
As we cleared the debris, I told myself, “Nobody should have to go through this. There must be a better way to prevent fires.”
So when we rebuilt SM Makati, we made sure it would be safer. We installed a comprehensive, modern automatic sprinkler system throughout the building, even before it was required by the local government.
Fires broke out again in 2003 and 2011. But both times, the damage was minimal because we had prepared for that risk.
That is resilience: recovering from challenges, learning from them, and being ready for the next test.
Second is optimism.
Optimism allows you to see possibility where others see only difficulty. It keeps you from giving up on your dreams.
When my father started building the first supermall in 1983, other businessmen thought it was a crazy idea.
Back then, few wanted to invest in the Philippines. The country was in a political crisis, and interest rates had reached 45 percent.
Despite the skepticism and risks, SM North EDSA became an instant success when it opened.
Today, it remains one of the country’s most iconic malls and a reminder that optimism, when matched with hard work, can turn doubt into something real and meaningful.
Third is humility.
Humility will matter at every stage of your life. When you start out, it means knowing what you do well and what you still need to learn.
And when success comes, it means staying grounded and honoring the path that brought you there.
The name and logo of SM carry that lesson. If you search online, you will see that we started as a shoe store named Shoe Mart, hence the name SM. The Shoe Mart logo looks quite similar to the SM logo we use today.
That is both deliberate and meaningful. We kept it because we do not want to forget where we began. No matter how much the SM Group has grown, we remain connected to the small shoe store that started it all.
By continuing to honor our humble beginnings, we preserve the legacy of Tatang and the lessons he left behind. I hope you will do the same.
Your parents, families, and teachers in QCU had a part in your success. Their guidance and sacrifices led to this moment. Honor them by making everything they gave worth it.
To end, let me say this to our graduates—
You are entering the workforce at a challenging time. Do not let this weaken your spirit or limit what you can become.
When you feel anxious or overwhelmed by the world around you, remember the young boy who came to this country with ten centavos, spoke no English or Filipino, endured hardship, and used education to make a better life for himself and others.
That same power is now in your hands. Congratulations, QCU Class of 2026.
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