Page 28 - WashingtonSyCip_Bio_Excerpt_LastChapter_2nd_Edition

Postscript A Good Night’s Sleep

“He reminded me how he had established the first outsourcing company in the
Philippines because of his belief in Filipino talent. This encouraged us to establish
our Asia-Pacific Talent Hub with EY. This expansion made Wash proud.”

In some ways, however, Wash remained decidedly old-school. Itos smiles when he
recalls having been caught in traffic once, when he was riding with Wash. “I took out
my smartphone to use Waze. Wash asked me what I was doing, so I explained Waze
to him. He shrugged his shoulders and said, ‘That’s too complicated.’ He took out
his analogue phone and showed me how much simpler his system was—dial ‘1’ and
his driver would respond, and dial ‘2’ and his secretary would answer. He shook his
head and said, ‘Sometimes, technology is very complicated!’”

But no one was more forward-looking when it came to SGV’s future. “His true legacy
for me as far as SGV was concerned was stewardship—our goal should be to leave the
Firm stronger than we came in, so we could help the Filipino people better. Whatever
increase we bring to the value of SGV, we leave it to the next generation to build
upon. We clarified our corporate purpose accordingly: to nurture leaders and enable
businesses for a better Philippines.”

Outside of the board room, Itos became active in the diplomatic circuit because of
Wash, who made it a point to introduce SGV’s top management to the ambassadors
and business leaders he knew. This, too, was part of Wash’s passing of the torch.

Itos last saw Wash the day before he flew to New York. Along with Vic Noel, he was
supposed to fly there to host a gathering of SGV alumni based in the US. It was 5:30
p.m. on that Friday and Wash wanted to know the program of the alumni event and
what he needed to say. “He was hurrying me a bit because he still had cocktails to
attend that evening. In fact he had wanted me to join him on his flight the next day,
but I had to beg off because I still had an event to attend in Cebu. My last words to
him were ‘I’ll see you in New York, sir.’”

The week before, Wash had been looking for Itos every day, “He was always asking
me, ‘How can I help SGV?’ He liked to make a joke of telling clients that he always
did what I asked him to do, but that I never paid him, which would prompt me to
answer, ‘Sir, we’re not allowed to pay you, but you know we love you very much! And
then he would say, ‘But Itos, love cannot buy food!’”

309