SM City North EDSA capped its 25th
Anniversary Celebrations with a gala evening honoring its pioneer tenants. It
paid tribute to 53 business partners who joined the mall from November 1985 to
December 1986 for sharing the vision of SM Founder and Chairman Henry Sy, Sr.,
and made Philippine shopping center history in the process.
During his frequent buying trips abroad
during the 1950s and the 1960s, Mr. Sy observed the shopping center development
in the US from the east to the west coast. That was the time the suburbs or
burbs were rising, each with a shopping mall as a center of activity. He
thought that it would be possible in the Philippines.
The country, however, was in the midst
of a major political and economic crisis when North-EDSA was being planned in the
1980s. “In 1983, we were building SM City North EDSA, our first shopping mall,”
Mr. Sy recalls. “Many people at that time said I was crazy. There was a
political crisis; interest rates were as high as 45%, 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 8, 1985.
Today, as SM City North EDSA celebrates its 25th Anniversary, it is the largest
mall in the Philippines and one of the largest in the world. More than that, it
was the mall that started in all. It made malling part of the lives of many
Filipinos, and today, there are 40 SM Supermalls to serve customers in key
cities in the metro and the provinces.
In the 25th Anniversary Gala, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte and Quezon City
Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte joined SM Prime Holdings President Hans T. Sy, SM
Investments Vice Chair Tessie Sy Coson, and SM Supermarkets President Herbert
Sy in paying tribute to the tenants who took the risk, and made a difference.
Many of these tenants, are captains of industry in the Philippines, believed in
Mr. Sy’s vision, and have grown with SM.
“We decided to go against the odds and open a store in SM because we felt that
the brand was ready to move ahead, “ recalls Bench Founder and Chairman Ben
Chan. “SM had faith in our efforts to grow the business. During those years of
uncertainty, were willing to support SM’s vision and take on the challenges
that lay ahead.”
Ricky Reyes says he decided to open a salon in the mall in November 1985
because, “I’m a very adventurous businessman, and I could see the trend leading
to the popularity of shopping malls.”
National Bookstore’s Presy Ramos recalls, “We believed in Mr. Henry Sy, Sr.’s
vision. National Bookstore always had the greatest respect and admiration for
him. We were more than happy to accept his offer to open a branch at SM City
North EDSA.”
“We trusted the Sy family,” says Manel’s
Manny Siggaoat. “Many people dissuaded us because the idea of a shopping mall
as a destination was not yet known. But the family was very optimistic despite
the political crisis at that time.”
Jollibee’s Mr. William Tan recalls “the time I was scheduled to meet Mr. Henry
Sy, Sr. about opening a branch at SM City North EDSA. I was told that they
scheduled the meeting at 12 midnight, and when we reached the place we were
surprised to still see Mr. Sy 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.”
“When things are not going as planned, or your environment and situations are
not exactly optimal, that’s the time to trust in a vision,” says Mr. Freddie Go
of Goldilocks. “So we trusted our instincts, saw that Mr. Sy and the SM Group
shared this philosophy, and ventured forward. We took a leap of faith, and it
worked out very well for us, thank God.”
Mc Donald’s Mr. George Yang says, “McDonald’s saw believed in the potential of
SM to become the place to be for Filipinos. SM shares the same vision as
McDonald’s to provide Filipinos with quality products at affordable prices -it
was just a perfect fit.”
“I remember that when we were cutting the ribbon on opening day, people were
telling me, ‘Bob, bakit ka nagbuikas? Napakagulo ng mundo.’ And I said, ‘No,
this is the best mall that Metro Manila will see, and hindi kami maaring mawala
duon,” says Toby’s Roberto Claudio. “While we had our apprehensions because SM
City North EDSA at that time was a barren field in the middle of nowhere, we believed
in Mr. Sy’s vision and are glad to have been part of it.”
“In any kind of endeavor, there is always a risk,” says Sportshouse’s Marcelino
Chua. “Perseverance is very important. Don’t you think that there was a place
for opportunities during that time?”
“I opened Video City in SM City North EDSA upon the encouragement of Mr. Sy,”
says Vic del Rosario, Jr. Founder and Head of the Viva Entertainment Group. “I
did not know anything about the retail business at that time, but Mr. Sy knew
what he was doing, and the rest as they say, is history. We could not have gone
wrong with Mr. Sy and SM.”
Mrs. Socorro Ramos of National Bookstore and Mr. William Tan of Jollibee gave
the response in behalf of the tenants.
The program hosted by Johnny Litton and
Bernadette Sembrano, featured the music and the memories of the times performed
by some of the country’s top artists. It also featured vignettes from the mall,
and showed SM City North EDSA as it is today. Among these were Gino Padilla,
Rachel Alejandro, and Jet Pangan singing an eighties medley including the
iconic We Built this City; Hajji Alejandro, Sitti, and Princess in a Christmas
medley in the portion honoring the tenants who joined the mall from September
to December 1986; and Bangs Garcia, Kristel Moreno, Saicy Aguila, and Gem Ramos
in an upbeat version of Umbrella, as the background for the fashion show which
introduced the tenants who came in from March to August 1986.
The audience was moved with a soulful
rendition of Bayan Ko and Handog ng Pilipino sa Mundo, sang as vignettes from
the EDSA Revolution flashed on the screen during the portion honoring the
tenants who joined the mall in January to February 1986. An OPM medley
featuring Audi Gemora, Guji Lorenzana, Isay Alvarez, Cris Villongco, Franco Laurel,
and Sheila Francisco introduced the pioneer tenants who were there when the
mall opened on November 1985.
The religious anthems were popularized
in the Catholic religious youth festival officiated by now Saint John Paul 2 and
in the drama series of television networks, was moved with a soulful rendition
of Charito Unite and Ernie dela Pena’s “May Bukas Pa”, Fr. Manoling Francisco,
SJ’s “Tanging Yaman” and “Sa’Yo Lamang”, Dana’s “We Are One Body”, Trina
Belamide’s Tell the World of His Love, Fr. Eduardo Hontiveros, SJ’s “Pananagutan”
and Jamie Rivera and Noel Espenida’s “We Are All God’s Children”, sang as
vignettes from the 1981 and 1995 visit of John Paul 2 in the Philippines, 1993
visit in Denver, Colorado, United States, the 2009 drama series starring Zaijan
Jaranilla, the 2010 political drama series of the same title, the 2013-2014
drama series “Honesto” starring Raikko Mateo, and 2015 apostolic and state
visit of Pope Francis in the Philippines on the screen during the portion.
The event also highlighted SM City North
EDSA’s customers, as well as the community it serves. The winner of the Audi
raffle draw Ms. Prescila Joson, was announced during the evening, and she
received her keys to her luxury car from SM Prime Holdings President Hans T. Sy
and Benedicto Coyuito of PGA Cars. The 25 homes in the GK SM Village were also
turned over to Gawad Kalinga’s Tony Meloto.
Capping the celebrations was a wonderful
rendition of “Sunlight” by Lea Salonga, who sang it as images of the Skygarden
were flashed on the screen.
