Of the third-generation Tantoco men, who are all hard-working, good-looking and well-mannered, Michael Christopher Tantoco Huang stands out for his boyish charm, fashion sense and a proven capacity for making things happen while keeping in the background. While quite a number of their family members need to keep a high profile given their kind of business empire, which takes root from luxury retailing, his job has mostly required him to do things quietly outside of the glare of the spotlight.

Mike, the second son of Nedy Tantoco who sits at the top of the family empire as its active chair, you see, is involved in store development, which includes looking for sites for their retail operation, their maintenance and expansion.

It is quite a daunting responsibility that I cannot exactly define and pinpoint to the last detail but all I know is if there’s a new branch, or there’s an old Rustan’s outlet that has been refurbished, you can be sure Mike had been there all along making the new look happen. He doesn’t cut ribbons, he doesn’t make speeches, but this is the guy who makes all that possible. If a store gets inaugurated on time, you can be sure that is because of Mike.

Also, he is the guy who handles the family’s Tantoco-Rustia Foundation, although this one is, of course, under the purview of his mum, Nedy, whose visionary guidance has been responsible for the foundation’s many projects including the publication of books about National Artist Ramon Valera and the First Ladies of the Philippines, and the patronage of Philippine performing arts through its support for various groups especially the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra.

As a backroom operator, Mike has so much future and I would not be surprised if, in the coming years, he would have a more visible role in the family’s various enterprises, having proven himself a topnotch executive that the family could rely on. I dare say he will be a CEO in his own right in a top-earning company.

On several occasions, I have had the opportunity to interview Mike, and I am sharing excerpts with you as part of my occasional series on the scions of our country’s top families.

“I ALWAYS knew that I was going to work for the family business,” Mike said. MIGE ESPENA Student leader

Daily Tribune (DT): Tell me about your education.

Michael Christopher Tantoco Huang (MCTH): I started off with Xavier School. Although I spent one year in International School but that was because I came back late from vacation. So I had a year there. But after that I transferred back to Xavier, and completed my elementary and high school there.

And for college, I went to the University of Asia and the Pacific. All four years. I took up Bachelor of Science in General Humanities with the degree in Business Administration. It was always a BS in General Humanities. Our first two years were all general humanities. It was our version of the liberal arts.

When I was there it was still the Center for Research and Communication and then in my 3rd year, it became University of Asia and the Pacific.

DT: What was your top extra-curricular activity?

MCTH: I was part of AISEC (International Association of Students in Economic and Commercial Sciences.) In my first year, I was just a member, but in my second year, I was in charge of corporate development. In my last year, I became the president of AISEC. During my time, UAP became the host of the National Committee meeting. We were in charge of the general assembly of all AISEC schools suh as Ateneo, La Salle, UP, St. Scholastica, and University of San Carlos in Cebu.

DT: What were your activities and hobbies when you were much younger?

MCTH: I was into sports a lot. In elementary, I took judo. I’ve always liked basketball so in my grade school, I already joined teams that competed in inter-village summer leagues. And then in my later years in elementary, my brother, Anton, introduced me to badminton, which I really enjoyed. I was very serious with my badminton especially when I got to high school. I played more at the Manila Polo Club. I trained for tournaments. I only quit badminton in 2005.

I believe that each employee has a talent they can be proud of. By not being in their face, I am telling them they can do it their way. MIGE ESPENA Wannabe pilot and soldier

DT: Did you think of joining the family business right from the start?

MCTH: We knew that someday we would join the family business, and we looked forward to that.

DT: Did you go through the usual phases of wanting to become a fireman, and then a soldier, and so on?

MCTH: When I was younger? I thought I wanted to be a pilot. Not of commercial jets. I wanted to join the Air Force. It was part of that thing, jet fighters and all that. It was more about the speed. It wasn’t just about flying to other places.

And then there was a time I thought of applying to a military school. Because of what I had read and what I had seen on television and the movies. I liked those action and war movies.

Up to this time, I still like watching them, especially those about ancient conflicts. One of the subjects that I took to in school was history. I always enjoyed it even when I was in grade school. Especially the part about ancient world history. I was also fascinated with Greek mythology. Those things.

MCTH: I started after I graduated from college in 1998. Right after, I joined the family business. I started with Marks & Spencer. I joined the management training program so I was actually in the store during my first two years. During my first year, I worked at M&S. After working in the store for two years, I moved to the head office where I did some merchandising.

MCTH: Right now, I am vice president for Store Development and Expansions. My job has to do with any store renovation or expansion.

DT: Was the recently inaugurated Cebu store your first project?

MCTH: I had actually done several projects already, after which I was promoted to vice president. But before that, I was special assistant to the president who was then my mother. She is now CEO and chairman.

DT: Were you concentrating all the time on store expansion and renovation?

MCTH: Yes, I was. My first project in this position was in Shangri-La (Plaza). We renovated the entire store. It had been like more than 10 years when we last renovated it. So before I became VP, I was the representative of the president during those construction meetings. I still am now, although I am now heading a department.

MCTH: One was Rustan’s at Gateway in Cubao. It was very small before. For a department store, it was really small at 7,000 square meters. So, now, we’re about 12,000 square meters. We’re on the first three floors of this new building that’s attached to the original mall.

DT: So, what makes a store different and special?

MCTH: Every time we go into an area now, we always conduct a study. Demographics and all that. For the Gateway store, for example, we realized that the area is surrounded by a very young crowd. It is a university area with all those schools around it, plus those coming from Manila universities pass through the Araneta Center. And of course, during the games and concerts, the young people are there and they stay and hang out at the Gateway. So, we decided to give bigger spaces to the young adults and children’s sections. Not so much on the mature market but on the yuppies. It’s still a very young age group that goes there.

DT: We all know that Cebu has really become very progressive. But what made you think the Cebuanos were ready for a bigger Rustan’s?

MCTH: For a while, we had been wanting to expand to Cebu. We know about the Cebuanos being astute when they go shopping. They buy for sure, but for them to buy, it would need a lot of convincing for them to spend a lot. That has changed through the years, especially with the emergence of the likes of Monique Lhuillier who is from Cebu. Or Kenneth Cobonpue. They sell expensive products but they really opened the eyes of Cebuanos when it comes to luxury. The Cebuanos are willing to invest but they demand top quality. So, it’s really been good for us for the past few years.

MCTH: I try to get involved as much as possible. But there is also such a thing as being too involved. So I also believe that you have to give them room. So I entrust them with their work. And they can’t perform as well if you’re in their face the entire time. I also believe that each of us has his or her own talents. And in order for those talents to come out, you have to give them room to be able to do things. If you’re in their face all the time, they might be intimidated. They won’t be able to fulfill their full potentials. If you’re in their face, it is like you’re telling them to do it this way. For me, by not being in their face, I am conveying the message that they can do it their way. I just expect certain results. As long as you meet my expectations, we’re okay.

That’s why I do hope that in the next few years I would see myself building and expanding the presence of Rustans in the country with new stores. MIGE ESPENA ‘Book of Five Rings’

DT: Do you watch movies or shows? What are your favorites?

MCTH: I like those action, war movies. I also like to watch a series, especially the comedies. This is for my relaxing time.

DT: Do they help you in strategizing your moves at work?

MCTH: I’ve read a couple of things and they say that a lot of these generals and military men actually make very good businessmen. If you think about it, when you run a company, it’s like the same strategies that you apply. They think about things. I’ve read a couple of stuff and a lot of the things they teach in the military really applies to business.

MCTH: Yes, I’ve read it. Although I am Chinese, the one that really makes sense to me is the Japanese one, the Book of Five Rings. The author was Musashi. You know why I read it also? It was the one book where Phil Jackson, the coach, learned the whole system. You know how the Japanese are. It’s that whole zen thing. That’s why if you watch the game tapes, the time Phil Jackson was coaching sila Michael Jordan, there were very few times you would see him shout at his players. He was very calm. That book is actually very interesting. It’s centered on the code of the Samurai.

DT: Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

MCTH: Ten years from now…I hope to hold more responsibilities. I like what I am doing now for the company, and I do hope that with what we are doing, and people asking us if we are looking at opening more stores, and having been around for more than 65 years now and having carved out a niche for ourselves with a customer base here, and with the growing awareness of Filipino consumers of luxury retailing and fashion because of the Internet and all these bloggers, and we’ve been there from the very start and I’d like to think that as a company we’ve played a big part in promoting fashion in the Philippines by bringing in all these brands and giving the Filipino people a place to see these brands and purchase them right here when they want and need them. That’s why I do hope that in the next few years I would see myself building and expanding the presence of Rustans in the country with new stores. So, that’s where I will be helping the company, expanding to places ready for a luxury department store.