OBRA
Henry Sy, Sr.: The legacy endures
October 26, 2023 2:23 p.m.
The story of Henry Sy, Sr., who profoundly changed the way Filipinos shop, dine, and entertain themselves through his SM mall and retail chains, is the stuff of legends.
Indeed, the well-documented and eventful life story of the Father of Philippine Retailing has been told and retold over the years, providing a rich source of lessons and inspiration to many Filipinos, especially those who are valued partners of the SM Group.
Amelia Manas, co-founder and chairperson of Bruno’s Barbers, did not have the pleasure of directly interacting with Tatang, as Sy was fondly called, but recalls seeing him from afar in one of malls that he had built.
Even then, Manas was inspired to pursue the growth and diversification for Bruno’s Barbers, guided by Tatang’s example of how big things such as SM can come from small beginnings.
Manas draws parallels with the story of Bruno’s Barbers that also started from a single branch in Alabang and has now grown to some 70 branches, of which 35 percent are in SM Malls.
“There is the story of how Henry Sy, Sr. and his family would gather for weekend lunch. We do the same. And like them, we also always end up talking about business,” Manas shared with a smile.
For her son Marco Pascual, who took over the reins of Bruno’s Barbers as president in 2019, Tatang also demonstrated by example how it is important to work for a vision that goes beyond just the business.
“As leaders, what we bring to the table should be beyond oneself. His life and accomplishments will always be an inspiration for me because of his contributions to the economy of the country and the Filipino people,” said Pascual.
Following Tatang’s footsteps, Bruno’s Barbers contributes what it can by providing jobs to some 1,200 people which creates a positive ripple effect for their families and lives that they touch.
“We at Bruno’s Barbers continue to be aligned with SM. We want to be closer to our customers while providing livelihood for our countrymen,” he said.
“The growth we are experiencing with SM continues to be exciting. With their 2026 goal of 100 malls, we hope to continue reaching new markets in the country which otherwise would have been difficult to penetrate, especially those outside of the Metro Manila area,” Pascual added.
Like Pascual, Adrian Dimacali, Director of the group behind the popular and fast-expanding chain of Mary Grace Cafes that was founded on the baking skills of his mother, Grace, was also encouraged by Tatang’s oft-retold rags-to-riches story, of how rewards inevitably come from honest hard work and discipline.
“I remember one time, my Mom and I were meeting someone and I saw a picture of Henry Sy, Sr. and his family. We were reflecting on how difficult the business was and questioning whether we should keep building. I told her, we are just opening restaurants, they are opening big malls,” he said, “They are doing their part to keep the economy going, to provide opportunities to tenants. I guess we have to keep opening too, to help our people and our suppliers.”
Mary Grace Café opened its first SM branch at SM Southmall in 2012 and from there expanded its SM footprint to 20 cafes out of 73 all over the country and then 31 out of 70 kiosks.
“Now we have a five-year plan because when you reach a certain point, you have to protect what we have built,” said Mary Grace, “That is always my prayer because it is a gift, this business of ours. Good thing that I have my daughter and my sons with me and each have their own talents that make the business whole!”
Indeed, an example of a family working together like the one nurtured by Tatang, whose diverse companies are now ably run by his children.
Malou Fores, the driving force behind the acclaimed Mamou restaurants, and her husband Jorge “Oye” Araneta Fores, who is in charge of finance and marketing for the chain, can certainly relate to the challenges as well as the rewards from harnessing the power of family to grow an enterprise from the ground up.
And like the Dimacalis, they are constantly inspired by Tatang’s compelling and unique growth story that has lost none of its significance from every retelling.
Jorge shares that Tatang – who had an SM Department Store in the Araneta Center – was a regular visitor to the Cubao home of his uncle, Araneta Group CEO Jorge Araneta, and he recalled how he and his siblings and cousins were not allowed to disturb them while they had their discussions over a hearty home-cooked meal.
“That must have been about 35 years ago when they would have one-on-ones in the house. I was moved by that sight, of these two people I admired who saw each other as equals and partners, not one who is a lessor and one who is a tenant. There was mutual respect,” he said.
Malou and Jorge Fores apply the same principle of partnership and collaboration in the way they are growing their business, seeing SM Supermalls, for example, as an integral partner in the success of Mamou, which now has six restaurants including the latest branch at SM’s S Maison at Conrad Manila.
“I always see business as something that is a partnership. I have worked on both sides, as a mall manager and now as a lessee. I know that for a relationship to work, you cannot say I am a landlord and you are a tenant. It has to be a mutually beneficial relationship,” said Jorge.
That business principle has paid dividends for the SM Group and promises to do the same for the celebrated Mamou.
For Eric Teng, CEO of The Mango Tree and Gengki Sushi, what Tatang went through to grow his empire from the Shoemart store in Manila showed them that to succeed, one must be willing to work harder than everybody else.
“Do it for family. For their security. For their future. Don’t quit. The harder times are just part of life that we overcome,” said Teng.
“I totally agree with Tatang on the value of hard work. Being able to see things others cannot and lead everyone through hard times to thriving times is a gift [of Tatang that] I wish I have. You can’t go wrong by working hard. And we must surround ourselves with people who are equally driven by the same life principles,” added Teng.
George Mirani, chair of the dominant Mirani Group that retails and distributes internationally recognized fashion and lifestyle accessories brands in the Philippines, certainly shares similar life principles with the Sy family whom they have known for decades.
Indeed, the SM Group has been instrumental in the continuing success of the Mirani Group, which operates 70 concession spaces for timepieces, 31 stores for timepieces such as Watch Republic and Times, and 35 stores for top fashion brands including Parfois, Triumph, Etam, Ever New, and Yves Rocher in SM Supermalls.
Mirani, however, started the group’s relationship with SM back in 1974 when as an 18-year-old, he would sell houseware, gift products, and a number of small appliances such as oven toasters to what was then Shoemart.
Over the succeeding years, as the SM Group rapidly expanded, the Mirani group did, too, diversifying from housewares to distribution of one brand after another. Today, it is one of the most formidable groups in the retail and distribution business, thanks in large part to its partnership with the Sys.
“What you learn from Tatang through doing business with Tessie [Sy-Coson] is to think ahead,” said Mirani. “From 1976 to until about 1986, we were all, at that time, short-sighted business people. Nobody knew about transformation, where things were headed after the [Ninoy Aquino] assassination. But then there was this gentleman opening a mall. I remember that, at the time, people were saying Tatang was going to go broke and wouldn’t be able to pay the banks,” he shared.
Tatang certainly proved his naysayers wrong, and the opening of SM North Edsa at that time catapulted him to a higher level, Mirani said. And it has continued to reach higher goals long after Tatang’s passing, taking along partners such as the Mirani Group.
Indeed, it seems likely that the SM Group continues to grow, with the reins firmly in the capable hands of Tatang’s children. The smooth transition of the family and the greater SM family, including tenants and partners, is Tatang’s greatest legacy.
In honor of its 65th anniversary, SM is reconnecting with its tenants who have gained valuable insights from Tatang and have grown their own businesses to pass on to the next generation.
To know more about SM’s 65th-anniversary activities, visit www.smsupermalls.com and follow us at @smsupermalls on social media.
OBRA
The Architect of the Blue Hour
9:00 a.m. February 1, 2026
BY NAZARENE A. LEYCO
History often holds its breath before dawn. In this razor-thin margin of eschatological suspense, while the rest of the world sleeps in ambiguity, a new fortress of resilience supervenes.
There is a specific frequency of silence that exists only in the “quarta vigilia” or the fourth watch of the night. It is the poetic hour of the wolf, a time defined not by the darkness that remains, but by the inevitable light that is coming. To the temporal mind, this is merely 3:00 AM; but to the anointed observer, it is a landscape of profound tension, a threshold between the end of an age and the birth of a legacy. It requires a leader of a rare constitution to stand in this gap, to act as both the guardian of ancient memory and the futurist of a new dawn.
Sifting through the algorithmic haze of digital jungle and fractured truth where the most valuable currency is truth, Apostle Jonathan Ferriol has become the “voice in the wilderness,” re-engineering the most valuable infrastructure of the cyber 21st century – absolute truth, the kind that sets the slave free and usher people inside the “unveiled era” of the PMCC (4th Watch).
To grasp why such a voice carries consequence today is to understand the condition of the modern world itself. We live amid an excess of information and a deficit of meaning, where speed has replaced reflection and visibility has displaced truth. For the global elite such as the captains of industry in Zurich, the technologists of Silicon Valley, the policy architects in Brussels, the rarest commodity is no longer access or advantage, but anchoring: a fixed point of moral and spiritual gravity amid constant motion. It is into this condition of dislocation that Apostle Ferriol’s proclamation enters, not as commentary on the age, but as contradiction to it, offering not speculation, but certainty; not noise, but a truth that orders time, restores direction, and heralds freedom without apology.
The Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ (4th Watch) has long been a subject of fascination for kibitzers, religious orders and even sociologists, but under its current Chief Executive Minister, Apostle Jonathan Ferriol, it has evolved into a profound embodiment of transcendental leadership. He is presiding over the “Unveiled Era,” a period signaling of a consequential shift that reframes the church from a distinctly quiet Filipino movement toward a faithful and vigilant community with lucidly articulated faith that goes beyond geography..
If the 4th Watch refers to that thin, blue hour before the dawn, a time of eschatological suspense, then Apostle Jonathan is its vigilant watchman, holding a lantern that illuminates both the urgency of the end and the necessity of enduring legacy.
The Symphony of Succession: Roots and Reach
Human experience for generations proves that continuity of stewardship and passage or inheritance of authority, whether corporate or ecclesiastical, succession is the most dangerous intersection. The passing of the late Apostle Arsenio T. Ferriol, the revered “Goodman of the House,” could have marked a contraction. Instead, it marked a consecration comparable to the epochal biblical sequence of anointing and headship such as Moses to Joshua; Elijah to Elisha; and David to Solomon.
There is a profound, positive contrast in the continuum of these two servants, a duality that serves as the engine of the church’s expansion. The father, Apostle Arsenio, was the Anchor who broke the ground, established the “North Star” of revelation, and forged the iron discipline that defines the organization. He was the primal force, the root deep in the soil of divine calling.
The son, Apostle Jonathan, is the Antenna. He has taken the immutable truths excavated by his father and transmitted them on a frequency that resonates with the modern cosmopolitan. Having spent decades leading the church’s expansion in the United States, Apostle Jonathan possesses a unique bilingualism of the soul. He speaks the language of the ancient scriptures with the same fluency that he navigates the complexities of global scale.
While the father built the house, the son is currently electrifying it. Apostle Jonathan has managed a feat few leaders won’t achieve: he has modernized the method without diluting the message. He understands that for the message to reach the CEO in London or the nurse in Madrid, the vessel must be impeccable. Under his stewardship, the church’s operations, from the grandeur of the AATF Sports Complex to the precision of their liturgy, have achieved a Gesamtkunstwerk, a total work of art where excellence is the highest form of worship.
He acts as the calm within the chaotic storm of the modern zeitgeist. The passing of the baton from the late, revered Apostle Arsenio T. Ferriol was not merely an administrative shift; it was the “unveiling”, a revelation of how a movement rooted in the Philippines would mature into a global stabilizer.
The “Home Free” Protocol: Logistics of the Spirit and Reverse Missionaries
Nothing illustrates Apostle Jonathan’s adaptive genius quite like the genesis and evolution of the “Home Free” event. Born in the terrifying silence of the global pandemic, when the cathedrals of commerce and religion alike were shuttered, “Home Free” began as a digital lifeline.
While other organizations paused, Apostle Jonathan pivoted. He recognized early that the pandemic was not just a medical crisis, but a crisis of isolation. “Home Free” was conceptualized as a borderless sanctuary, a convergence of technology and theology designed to reassure the faithful that they were not abandoned by God in times of tribulations.
From those early days of lockdown, Apostle Jonathan nurtured this initiative into a trans-continental phenomenon. Today, “Home Free” is no longer just a survival mechanism; it is a victory lap. It has matured into a sophisticated hybrid engine of evangelism and fellowship, proving that the church is agile, tech-forward, and logistically capable of uniting a diaspora across twenty time zones simultaneously. It is a masterclass in crisis management, transforming a moment of global vulnerability into a monument of silent but compounding spiritual revival.
Perhaps the most intellectually arresting aspect of Apostle Jonathan’s tenure is the acceleration of what sociologists are calling the “Reverse Missionary” movement.
For centuries, the geopolitical flow of faith was unilateral: The West exported religion to the East. The West sent the missionaries; the East provided the converts. In the Philippines, inside the halls of the PMCC (4th Watch), under the Ferriol mandate, the entire 4th watchers have inverted this paradigm. They are arguably the first major movement to successfully export Filipino resilience, modest aesthetics, and a rigorous moral compass back to the West.
This is a subtle but powerful disruption of the global order. Apostle Jonathan is dispatching laborers not to “civilize” the developing world, but to bring “sanity” to the developed one. In the hyper-liberalized, confused urban centers of North America and Europe, the PMCC is building “Locales” of order. For the 4th Watchers, this is simply an apostolic mandate entrusted to them.
They are exporting a specific brand of Filipino spiritual tenacity, the ability to smile through the storm, the deep adherence to family, and the refusal to compromise on holiness. To the chaos of the Western secular void, Apostle Jonathan offers the most expensive commodity in the modern world: freedom- that can only be found in Christ!
Home Free has just culminated its recent tour in Manila that featured iconic Filipino artist Yeng Constantino and household name in the global Christian music scene, Taya Smith. But that’s exactly the beginning of bigger things to come. Home Free Global Crusade is true to its billing as it is set to kick off anew and scour the planet to preach the Word come April.
The greater part of its planned engagements will unfold across provinces where the Gospel is seldom proclaimed, bringing the message to communities long beyond the reach of sustained evangelical presence. Beyond the nation’s borders, the crusade will extend into Asia, the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East, animated by a single, enduring mandate of the Great Commission: to preach the love of God that brings salvation, healing and deliverance..
For those who want to know more about the upcoming events, you may check out their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/279252872435689, or follow 4th Watch Media https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=4th%20watch%20media to listen to daily discussions and podcast from select leaders of the Church.
The Blue Hour Beckons
As the 4th Watch moves deeper into this Unveiled Era, the figure of Apostle Jonathan Ferriol stands in sharp relief. He is not merely an administrator of a religious organization; he is a curator of a global culture of profound love for God.
He demands the best because he believes the King they serve deserves nothing less. Whether it is the AI-driven archives preserving their history or the “grand symphony of order” displayed at their galas, the message is consistent: Tradition is not the enemy of progress; it is the foundation of it.
In the thin, blue hour before dawn, while the rest of the world sleeps in uncertainty, Apostle Jonathan Ferriol and his people are awake, dressed in the armor of discipline, building a kingdom that will outlast the night.
It is here, within this “Unveiled Era” of spiritual transition, that the true weight of leadership is measured. While modern society fractures under the weight of relative morality and ephemeral trends, a different kind of foundation is being poured.
In a world drowning in digital noise and fragmented truths, Apostle Jonathan Ferriol is engineering the most valuable infrastructure of the 21st century: Certainty which comes not from him but from the God he faithfully serves. (with reports from Grace Acosta L)
OBRA
TCL QD-MiniLED: The new benchmark for visual excellence
3:21 p.m. June 15, 2025
Clarity is paramount for any visual display, transforming everyday viewing into an immersive experience. Whether you’re enjoying a cozy movie night or binge-watching the latest K-drama, you want a TV that renders every color, shadow, and scene with stunning detail.
Go for a TV with brighter visuals and richer contrast. TCL, the Triple Global Top 1 TV Brand and a trusted leader in home appliances, finally announces the arrival of TCL C7K QD-MiniLED TV. Dubbed a groundbreaking innovation that sets a new benchmark for TV technology.
The TCL C7K delivers a powerful, precise, and purely immersive viewing experience. Every scene, every pixel, and every detail comes through with incredible clarity. Whether you’re directly in front or off to the side, the view remains breathtakingly sharp. Enjoy the cinematic experience from the comfort of home, without the hassle of a crowd.
“Finally, the time has come to meet the newest TCL QD-MiniLED TV featuring cutting-edge technology and advanced features you’ve always wanted. Now, you get to experience the Big Screen energy inside your homes,” Joseph Cernitchez, Brand Manager at TCL Philippines, excitedly announces.
A New Era of Clarity
The TCL QD-MiniLED TV seamlessly blends style with smart living, offering a sleek, modern design that saves space and enhances any décor. Powered by TCL’s advanced Mini LED optical technology, the C7K achieves an astonishing Micro-OD. This not only results in a slimmer TV but also eliminates the common Mini LED halo effect. It achieves this by utilizing a super-condensed micro-lens and ultra-high zoning, ensuring that even the most delicate details, like stars in a night sky, appear deep, precise, and incredibly sharp.
No more distracting glow around bright scenes—TCL’s halo control keeps the picture sharp and clear, ensuring a premium viewing experience. It integrates high-efficiency light-emitting chips, self-developed lens technology, Micro-OD, and advanced light and shadow control algorithms. Combined with TCL’s unique CSOT HVA Panel technology, this system-level control effectively eliminates haloing.
Experience stunning clarity from the deepest blacks to the brightest highlights, as up to 2880 zones work in perfect harmony to refine every scene. Get ready for a display that intelligently dims and brightens with precision of up to HDR 3000 nits brightness.
This TV also features a groundbreaking, powerful light-emitting chip that significantly improves brightness and energy efficiency compared to its predecessor. This allows it to reproduce natural bright and dark scenes with exceptional clarity.
OBRA
Glowing reviews for Nathan Studios’ co-produced film ‘Renoir’ in Cannes
10:57 p.m. May 20, 2025
International collaboration gives hope to the Philippine film industry in its efforts to enter the world market.
This was true again after Japanese art film “Renoir”, co-produced by Nathan Studios, officially became a part of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on May 17.
“Renoir” is a collaboration among Japan’s Happinet Studios, France’s Ici et Là Productions, Singapore’s Akanga Film Asia, Indonesia’s Kawan Kawan Media, and the Philippines’ Daluyong Studio and Nathan Studios. The international sales are being handled by Goodfellas.
Filipino actress and producer Sylvia Sanchez-Atayde, the chief executive of Nathan Studios, said she is grateful for having co-produced the film as it led to the company getting a chance to foster international partnerships and broaden its international market, aside from achieving another red-carpet appearance in the Cannes Film Festival at the city of Cannes, France.
“This international collaboration creates a massive positive impact to the Filipino film industry, it also gives a lot of hope to Filipino film producers to go to the global market, especially here in Cannes,” Sanchez-Atayde said.
“Malaking impact ito, the mere fact na three years pa lang kami nagpupunta sa Cannes as a producer, isa na kami sa nakapag-partnership sa international productions at nakapag-red carpet muli dito sa Cannes,” she added. “I am hoping for more Filipino film producers to enter the global stage whether it is solo or collaborations, with other foreign producers.”
Two of Nathan Studios’ earlier movies — the psychological thriller Cattleya Killer in 2022 and action flick Topakk in 2023 — also premiered in the Cannes Film Festivals, starred both by veteran actor and Quezon City first district reelected Congressman Juan Carlos “Arjo” Atayde. The movies gained the attention of international film buyers, film aficionados, and distributors for the last three years.
Sanchez-Atayde, who celebrated her birthday in the European country, also said she is “ecstatic” that the “Renoir” film is part of the main competition in Cannes.
“I’m still in disbelief and absolutely ecstatic that Renoir (directed by Chie Hayakawa, and co-produced with Eiko Mizuno Gray and Jason Gray, Christophe Bruncher, Yulia Evina Bhara, and Alemberg Ang) was selected as part of the 2025 Cannes’ competition slate,” Sanchez explained.
“When we were starting out with Nathan Studios, this was only something we dreamt of and aimed for—and now, it is finally here. All the hard work, determination, belief, and prayers finally bore fruit!” she added.
“Renoir” is a coming-of-age drama that depicts a daughter coping with the illness of her father is making waves at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and has the potential of winning the highly coveted Palme d’Or or grand prize.
“Renoir,” directed by noted Japanese auteur Chie Hayakawa (Plan 75), tells the story of Fuki, whose father is fighting a terminal illness, and mother is stressed out from caring for him. She later becomes fascinated with telepathy and leads herself into her own fantasy world.
The film, which will be released in Japan on June 20, stars newcomer Yui Suzuki as the 11-year-old Fuki, alongside Hikari Ishida and Lily Franky.
‘Glowing reviews’
Reviews for the film are glowing, with Deadline’s Stephanie Bunbury noting that while the film is scattered, it does not “detract from the film’s beauty or the strength of the performances,”
“If this story doesn’t coalesce as seamlessly as her first film does, it still has the power to touch and then to haunt us. It does not take a fortune teller to predict that Chie Hayakawa soon will make her masterpiece,” Bunbury noted in her review.
Writing for Variety, Jessica Kiang said that Hayakawa’s film is a “slender but appealingly impressionistic story of an inquisitive young girl’s summer of life, death and amateur parapsychology,”
““Renoir” is a more diffused yet in some ways more interesting sophomore feature, that follows where its lovely, mercurial central character leads and, taking a cue from the painter of the (rather tangential) title, lets the brushstrokes show to deliver a firsthand impression of growing up in 1980s Japan,” Kiang added.
The Hollywood Reporter’s Lovia Gyarkye, on the other hand, said the movie is a “poetic meditation” on a crucial summer of Fuki as she navigated her father’s battle with cancer, her mother’s ambient stress and persistent loneliness.
“Part of the reason Renoir, despite its modesty, hits emotionally of Suzuki’s compelling performance. The newcomer has a wide-eyed, penetrating stare that at once communicates the reality of Fuki’s innocence and the depth of her curiosity. In the actress’ hands, the character becomes someone you come to feel deeply protective of, ” Gyarkye noted.
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