A long life is blessing enough, but when you can mark your 93rd year and still see your children together and the business you established having grown beyond your wildest dreams, then it is indeed a singular gift.
Ambassador Bienvenido Tantoco Sr. celebrated his 93rd birthday last week on the beach with his entire clan—his children, their respective spouses, and his grandchildren. Together with his late wife Glecy, known for her legendary merchandising and marketing savvy, Tantoco built up a single store, Rustan’s, into a respected retail conglomerate that has now expanded into luxury retail, food, supermarkets, property development and, most recently, mall development, with the opening of Wellworth in Fairview—a latest venture that, remarkably, has been launched still under the watch of the patriarch.
The Rustan Group of Companies also gave Tantoco a birthday tribute, aptly called “BRT Sr. @ 93,” complete with a musical competition among employees called “Rustan’s Got Talent.”
Family and friends are all hoping for many more years for the beloved patriarch. “My birthday wish for my dad is that his wit and humor don’t ever go away,” says youngest daughter Tokie Tantoco Enriquez. “They’re among the many things that make him so fun to be with. And of course, that he remains strong and healthy.”