Former Speaker Jose de Venecia has called Henry Sy a Filipino-Chinese visionary and a bonafide Asian titan, who built Philippine-wide enterprises, pushed economic dispersal throughout our is­lands with his network of SM stores, and contributed to decentralization and the emergence of a Filipino middle class. Henry Sy Sr. (Photo by Tonnette P. Jacinto) In a statement yesterday, De Venecia said “the soft-spoken Henry Sy is one of our economic heroes and a pride of the Filipino people.” “Before he passed away, his network had established branches in some cities in China and was moving into other Asian locations. “Henry Sy’s group diversified as well and achieved first place in Philippine commercial banking, building estates and housing, while his family engaged in philanthropy and other great causes. “His widow, Felicidad Sy, is a dedi­cated social and religious worker, and the children led by Tessie Sy-Coson have kept their well-known humility, leadership and work ethic, while building and working with a first-class team of non-family cor­porate executives,” De Venecia said.