Henry Sy Sr. laid to rest in Taguig City

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s wealthiest man, Henry Sy Sr., has been laid to rest in Taguig City on Thursday.

Sy’s remains were buried at the Heritage Memorial Park in Taguig City.

 The 94-year-old mall magnate passed away peacefully in his sleep on Saturday.

His wake was held at the Heritage Park in Taguig and was made open to public on Sunday.

Among the notable personalities who paid their respects to Sy were President Rodrigo Duterte, Cabinet members Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, presidential spokesperson and Chief Presidential Legal Adviser Salvador Panelo, and Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III. Sens. Antonio Trillanes IV and Franklin Drilon also attended the wake on Sunday.

US Ambassador Sung Kim, who earlier offered his condolences to the Sy family, also went to the wake.

Business allies and rivals of Sy also paid their last respects. These are Fernando and Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala as well as Dennis Uy.

The Sy children including Teresita, Henry Jr., Hans, Harley, Elizabeth and Herbert welcomed the guests.

During the wake, the Sy family requested that "in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions maybe sent to Sy's beloved scholarship program through SM Foundation Inc."

Sy was born in Xiamen, China and migrated to the Philippines when he was young. He later on built a multi-billion dollar business that includes chain of malls.

Throughout the years, the business mogul ventured on banks, hotels and real estate in the Philippines. His holdings also included shopping centers in China.

Sy is the 52nd richest man in the world in 2017, according to Forbes Magazine. He was on the roster of Forbes' world richest for over a decade.