The man beyond the empire

So much has been said of Ricky Razon, the business tycoon chosen by DAILY TRIBUNE as the 2023 Filipino of the Year, and his success as the chairman of the International Container Terminal Services Inc. and Bloomberry Resorts, which runs Solaire Resort & Casino in Manila.

Yet not much is known of him as a man outside of the boardroom and his work environment, no matter that ICTSI covers the whole girth of our planet with its 34 terminals in 20 countries, making it a truly multinational Filipino corporation of immense impact on their national locations and the international economy.

Enigmatic is the best word to describe this man who prefers to keep mum about his life and inner motivations.

And someone who is tasked to write about what makes the man tick and succeed beyond any Filipino's expectations of himself, including tycoons and magnates who are in the various billionaires' listings, could only hazard a guess here and there as to why this man ranks second on the Forbes List of Filipino billionaires.

I write first about his being a father because I have had a brief encounter with his artist son, Enzo, who has exhibited at the Leon Gallery. Enzo is one level-headed artist whose works, such as those of images of Filipinos belting out songs with a karaoke to enhance their voices, reflect his insightful understanding and appreciation of his countrymen and his country's popular culture. Here is a billionaire's son at home with everyone, and one wonders how he was raised by a father whose roots are upper-class Hispanic.

You see a young man who had been nurtured to think without pretense to rank and privilege, and neither a sense of entitlement that one would find in other children of affluent parents. Enzo, talented and cool, works outside of his father's multi-billion company and has chosen instead to co-found Tarzeer Pictures, a gallery and creative production outfit.

His sister, Katrina, on the other hand, achieved fame initially as a disc jockey and eventually as a mixer of music and a composer. Her gigs have brought her to the world's cosmopolitan cities where she has earned her following of music enthusiasts.

Again, one sees in her the kind of upbringing that allows independent thinking and affinity with the times and the era. There, too, is a sense of adventure, and yet, amid her success in music, she has not forsaken the entrepreneur in her veins and went into venture capitals through her KSR Ventures.

It has been said that being a Razon, she easily discovered that nothing beats learning how to invest by investing no less. There is, however, a prerequisite for an undertaking to be backed up by Katrina. And it is that the start-up should be aligned with her advocacy of sustainability — one that is friendly to the environment and the community.

Again, one harkens to the father who, to many, may seem focused on big business and yet has instilled in his children such values as affinity with nature and human society.

One imagines, too, the father enjoying his daughter's music, along with their mother Lizzy who, on the other hand, has successfully kept away from the social scene. A vivid image of the family together is one where all four are seen posing underneath a painting done by Enzo, in their jeans and casual clothes.

What an observer sees in Ricky is a man who chooses to be in casual jeans and a polo shirt which, those close to him say, is his standard wear, as he has abandoned the formal suit that he used to don.

A sporty gentleman is this guy who, when in New York, lines up for food at a restaurant along with other shoppers, tourists, and the netizens of the work world. He is not recognized there and he is said to enjoy such anonymity although there's no stopping a Filipino from saying hello to him, which he responds to with the familiarity that a kababayan (townsman) gives to another.

Sports is Ricky's cup of tea, or make that glass of wine. No wonder that his philanthropy has focused on this passion. He has supported the Philippine Golf Tour through his chairmanship of the Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc.

He contributes to amateur golf through the ICTSI-The Country Club Program and the Canlubang Golf Team. At De La Salle University, where he studied until he chose to leave to work for his father's company, he donated financial resources for the establishment of the Enrique M. Razon Sports Center, which he has supported over the years through the updating of its equipment and facilities, the Enrique Razon Athletic Scholarship Endowment Fund and the sports solidarity fund, and that is just at the top of the heap of his numerous beneficences for sports. Interestingly, he also provided the funds for the vaccine for the Philippines' competing Olympians as well as their coaches in the Tokyo Olympics.

It is, thus, no surprise that he is the recipient of the 2019 Distinguished Lasallian Alumni Award, a DLSU Doctor of Science degree honoris causa, the DLSAA Sports Hall of Fame Award, and DLSU Sports and DLSAA Distinguished Lasallian Awards for "his constant and wholehearted support for Lasallian causes and his visionary leadership in the ports management industry and in the sectors of investments, and hotels and resorts, all of which raise the bar of excellence in local and international business."

Now, as I ramble on about the man who mostly refuses an interview — the scion who chose to pursue a career in the company that his grandfather founded, who did not live sweetly and contentedly on his inheritance, but instead grew it into a colossal empire — I must underscore what has come from the horse's neigh, and while they are not necessarily witty all the time, they manifest the frankness of the man and his oomph whether recalling his youth, musing on what the press says about him, or simply sharing what transpires in his everyday life.

A few of his most quotable quotes should speak for the man himself, in place of an interview for this article, and the sinews that have made him the titan that he is.

When, as a young man, he chose to drop out and his father discouraged him by making work difficult for him, he recalled, "My father tried to make it impossible so I would not last a week, so I'd go back to school. But I was determined that it was not going to happen. To me, that's where the action was. It wasn't in a classroom. I'd rather be out there."

Not one to be impressed by what the press says about him, he commented when he was named to the Billionaires List: "That was what people like Forbes are saying. At a certain point, they call you a billionaire. But hindi mo naman tinitingnan yan eh. Mga listahan na ginagawa ng iba eh, nabasa ko lang (sa Forbes) (But you don't actually read it at all. Of the many lists made, I read only that of Forbes)."

At the height of the pandemic, he could not help praising the Filipino people, saying: "What continues to amaze me is the spirit of the people, how most people step up in situations like this. One thing everyone should learn is to be prepared for the next…"

He always aimed for the world because, he pointed out, "Why do you have to be just the biggest in the Philippines when the whole world is a market? Bakit kapag Filipino ka, dito ka lang?" (Why is it that when you're a Filipino, you're only good for your own country?)

Finally, he defined success thus, "If you're the best in whatever you do, you are a success. Whether you're the best teacher or the best taxi driver, it doesn't matter. As long as you're up there, you are successful no matter what you do in life. It may not be money."

So there, this man Ricky Razon does not look at the whole picture as simply money and more money. No wonder he is a success. He is the DAILY TRIBUNE Filipino of the Year because he has done more than build an empire that is at par with the best in the world. He has raised a good family, one without any tint of scandal, and he has put his money where his mouth is, sports being among his top advocacies.

Ricky Razon is who he is, an outstanding Filipino, because he has chosen to make the most of what fate and fortune have bestowed on him. He did not just inherit the top position from his father, but he built on the legacy that his father had passed on to him. He is not just an outstanding businessman but an outstanding Filipino. He is an outstanding son and that makes him all the more endearing to his countrymen to whom family and filial piety matter the most.