From a humble shoe seller to the country's richest man, Henry Sy Sr.'s success story is not unheard of.

With only 10 centavos to his name, Chinese-born Sy started from selling surplus shoes to becoming the titan of the Philippine retail industry. But Henry Sy Sr. wasn't alone when he built his over P1-trillion business empire which spans retail, banking, and property development.

Aside from his children who have taken on key roles in the SM group, he also put his trust in individuals outside his family. But these executives all agree, each of them eventually felt they were part of the Sy family.

“He always treated us as family. Even if we were not direct family, he treated employees as family,” shared Steven Tan, Chief Operating Officer of SM Supermalls.

Then a young manager, Tan recalled how Sy would always invite him over for coffee giving him advice on how to manage the mall business.

“I was very fortunate. I was very lucky that I was mentored by him personally. When Mall of Asia opened back in 2006, he would come to the mall every afternoon for at least a good year… and we would sit together for 30 minutes to an hour and he would share with me, “Look Steven, look at how the customers behaved…When you conceptualize a mall, it should be for everyone, for the whole family,’” Tan said.

Jeffrey Lim, President of SM Prime Holdings, shared the same fond memories with Tatang. Described as among the lucky individuals who worked extremely close with the late Sy patriarch, Lim disclosed most of his office furniture were once Sy’s belongings.

“I think his presence is here... I actually approached him, I said ‘Mr. Sy, pwede ba akin na ang mga furnitures mo?’ Sabi niya, ‘oh sige sige you take it na lang.’ So that's how I was able to get all of these.”

But if there was one person who would know the late tycoon inside and out, it would be his most trusted lieutenant and now Chairman of SM Investments, Jose Sio. An accountant by profession, he was hired by Sy from the country's biggest auditing firm, SGV & Co. In 2017, he was chosen to succeed Henry Sy Sr. as chairman of the whole group.

“I thought I’d stay for 10 years with SM, then get out and put up an accounting firm… but Mr. Sy said ‘no, sabay na tayo magretire.’ After so many years, he retired ahead of me. When I visited him, I said, ‘Mr. Sy, I thought we’ll retire together?’ And he just laughed at me.”

Having worked with not just one but two business tycoons and now a leader himself, Sio shared that if there were two things all successful businessmen had in common, these would be hard work and trustworthiness.

Senior Vice President for SM Group’s Marketing and Communications, Millie Dizon, is a witness to the very industrious character of the company chief, having accompanied him to many of his big time interviews. But she shared that it was also through these interviews where she got a glimpse of Sy's true personality.

“After one interview and we were about to wrap, he said (he) wanted to see the sunset. It was nice to see a great man still appreciating nature and the small things in life.”

But Mr. Sy faced challenges too. He is after all, one of the biggest employers in the Philippines. His Supermalls had been accused of engaging in contractualization, even as the company says it is in compliance with labor laws.

But close confidante Jose Sio shared, Sy's company employees never left his mind.

"One noon I went into his room, he was looking up the ceiling, I asked, 'what's the problem?'... 'I feel the heavy responsibility of caring for our employees, for our tenants, our suppliers, customers'... That's just the sign of how human, that he feel towards not business alone, but people."

Carina Nudo, an SM employee for more than 40 years, is among those people. She shared how she and her co-employees always looked forward to his visits.

“Lahat ng empleyado masaya kapag nagvisit siya… todo smile po siya… Masaya (kami) nandun si Tatang.”

One of Sy’s greatest legacies is his thrust for education. His scholars, through his foundation, are a testament to his generosity.

“According to our director, scholars are his favorites, so we are actually very lucky when he’s with us. We feel loved. We feel valued in the foundation,” SM scholar Ericson Cabrera shared, who is now passing on Sy’s passion for education as a teacher himself.

While Henry Sy Sr. may have passed away January 19 and laid to rest on the 24th, his memory lives on in the people whose lives he touched.

Watch the full interview of "The Boss: The Legacy of Henry Sy Sr." on Friday, January 24 at 10:30 p.m.

-- With reports from Christel Lagdameo, Biena Magbitang, Bruce Rodriguez, ABS-CBN News