Almost always, the awarding of the Management Man of the Year, given by the influential group, the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), is a blockbuster event.

Yes Virginia, all roads seem to lead to the posh Shangri-La The Fort with most of the head honchos of the country’s top industries in attendance to share the momentous occasion with Hans T. Sy, this year’s MAP Man of the Year in recognition of his “commitment to environmental stewardship, social inclusion, good governance and resilience.”

And then, there were three.

As pointed out, the chairman of the executive committee of SM Prime Holdings, Inc. is the third member of the Sy Family to be feted as MAP Man of the Year, following his father, Henry “Tatang” Sy, Sr. in 1999 and his sister, Teresita “TSC” Sy-Coson, in 2016.

And by the way Virginia, in the sea of men that dominates the annual recognition since its launch in 1967, TSC, the eldest in the brood of six, holds the distinction as the second lady that MAP acknowledged. The first was Ramon Magsaysay awardee and retired director general of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority, Lilia de Lima.

“I am pressured,” was the humble response of Mr. Hans during a quick conversation before the start of the program while looking at the sea of economic engineers—in the molds of Fernando Zobel de Ayala, Edgar Chua, Ambassador Jesus Tambunting, former Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Gov. Amando “Say” Tetangco, Jr., good governance Guru and former Finance Secretary Jesus Estanislao, to name a few, and all are previous awardees.

That was 'nuff said for this Rottweiler journalist. I respect his stance, as for me, it was his subtle way of saying he still has big shoes to fill.

However, in my books, Mr. Hans is at par with these economic stalwarts, particularly on his environmental stance and his vision to provide good and economical education.

Without batting an eyelash, he recalled how his strong-willed stance to cut down the trees that surrounded a portion of the SM property in Baguio created a howler. True, the reactions were “harsh” and no matter the explanation, still many “accused SM of betraying the environment for financial gain.”

For most, it was an unpalatable decision that environmental activist and world-renowned artist, Sting of The Police fame, in protest, transferred the venue of his concert from SM-Mall of Asia to Araneta Coliseum.

This Sting fan girl was among those who actually questioned the decision back then. Although both venues are relatively equidistant from my abode, I preferred SM-MOA because I'm so familiar with the terrain compared to Araneta. If I can avoid it, I refrain from going to the Quezon City area as I need a transit visa because the trip practically takes half a day due to the traffic.

It was only last Monday, 13 years after, that I fully understood the decision. As he puts it: “Many saw the act but not the intent.”

In hindsight, the reaction was uncalled for. In his own words: “SM was once condemned for cutting down trees in Baguio City. Today, I want to tell you why that was the right decision, and what it taught me about leadership.

Across SM Baguio is the University of the Cordilleras, the oldest post-war university in the region. It sits on a hillside and serves thousands of students. In 2012, I noticed signs of potential soil erosion on the slope above the campus, where our mall stands. Each rainfall risked sending soil toward the classrooms below. I could not sleep knowing the danger it posed to the school.

The only way to keep the campus safe was to build a retaining wall and reinforce the ground. That required the removal and relocation of several trees in the SM Baguio property.

We finished the work anyway. The hillside held, and the school remains safe. That choice—of doing what is right, even when unpopular—sharpened my understanding of leadership,” as he humbly admitted that “as someone who has long cared about the environment, it was a very hard decision to make.”

Way to go Mr. Hans. Salute!