As the third-generation Tantoco to helm the successful chain of Rustan’s supermarkets, Donnie Tantoco, president of Rustan’s Supercenters Inc. (RSCI), has long disproved the notion that one should never work with family.

 

But the son of RSCI chair Rico Tantoco Jr. and grandson of Rustan Group of Companies chair emeritus Ambassador Bienvenido Tantoco Sr. also refutes the other rule about never working with friends. He and RSCI vice president Manuel Alberto have been pals since second grade at the International School Manila (ISM), and even as they carved their own professional and personal paths through the years, both have remained constants in each other’s lives.

 

Alberto, who was in charge of RSCI’s store operations for close to 10 years, stood as best man at Tantoco’s wedding to wife Crickette. With another longtime friend, investments man Rene Domingo, the guys have gone food-tripping on out-of-town conferences. They’re also godparents to each other’s children, and their families spend Christmases and New Years together.

 

“Ours is a bromance,” jokes Alberto of his relationship with the RSCI president during the launch of the newly renovated Rustan’s Glorietta Makati Supermarket.

 

“After we became friends, we became best friends all the way,” Tantoco acknowledges with a smile. “I’m as close to him as I am with my brothers. I keep a permanent toothbrush for him in my house.”

 

Food, kindness

 

A direct descendant of Jose Rizal’s mother, Teodora Alonzo, Alberto was initially won over by Tantoco’s coolness—and his food. “When he became my seatmate in Grade 2, he brought a stacked-up metal lunch pail. I think he was the first to own one,” recalls Alberto with a chuckle. “He would come in with lunches like you’ve never seen before—baked macaroni, baked chicken versus my pan de sal with corned beef. I thought, ‘Wow this kid’s so cool, he must be the favorite of his mom.’ One day, he starts sharing his food with me and that’s where the friendship began.”

 

For Tantoco, it was Alberto’s genuine kindness that left a lasting impression. Years ago, Alberto noticed the young Donnie waiting to be fetched from school. Hours had passed; with no driver in sight, Donnie grew increasingly worried. Alberto, who hadn’t met Donnie at the time, introduced himself and kept him company until his ride finally arrived. “But that’s the way he is,” stresses Tantoco.

 

“Once, after we attended a party, he took it upon himself to drop people off in different parts of Manila. I asked him, ‘You live in the north; why are you dropping people off in the south and all these other places?’ I’ll never forget what he said: ‘I help people because I might not have another opportunity to do it.’”

 

Suitable workmates

 

As years passed, it became clear that the boys didn’t just hit it off as friends; they proved suitable workmates, too. In high school, where they played on the same basketball team, Alberto was elected student council president of ISM. It was a feat for a Filipino in a largely Caucasian community, and one he attributes to the support of his campaign manager, Tantoco. “Because of his campaigning, I got all the women votes,” Alberto kids.

 

“Noooh,” Tantoco dismisses with a laugh, “he got that on his own! It was a come-from-behind win and he did a lot of good things for the school.” So inevitable was it for them to one day work together, that they actually spent time thinking of a name for their future company.

 

On a trip to Baguio, they decided on Altan, a merging of the first syllable of their surnames—much like how the last names of Donnie’s grandparents, Rustia and Tantoco, became Rustan’s.

 

“We liked the sound of it so much, we kept saying, ‘Altan, Altan,’” says Tantoco. “And then somebody suddenly comes up to us and asks, ‘Are you looking for me? My name is Al Tan.’”

 

Pioneers

 

So they worked for Rustan’s instead. In the early 2000s, Alberto was general manager of the retail chain Makro when Tantoco asked him to join the startup that was RSCI. “Without hesitation, I said yes,” says Alberto, who came in when store No. 2 was being set up. “I’m proud to be a part of the pioneering group that built the company from scratch.”

 

Amazingly, except for one petty incident in high school that was resolved in 15 minutes, the two have never fought. “We have constructive disagreements,” admits Tantoco. “At the end of the day, whatever we decide is all for the customers and employees.”

 

For Alberto, being best friends with the boss actually makes work much easier. In fact, the dynamics of their relationship, he says in all candor, “is like husband and wife.” Or comedy duo Dolphy and Panchito: Years ago, Tantoco’s Filipino was so bad, Alberto translated everything the English-speaking Donnie would say to the staff.

 

Having known the RSCI president practically all his life, the VP can’t help but share a similar leadership style with his boss. “I think the best word to describe it is ‘nurturing,’” he says. “The way we manage the company and make decisions, a lot of that is done with the care of the people we work with,” he says. “These are the values I strongly share with Donnie.”

 

Evolving company

 

Still, with his expertise in operations, customer service and strategic planning, Alberto does bring something unique to the table. Tantoco credits him for introducing efficiency, systems and logistics into a then evolving company. Back in the day when RSCI didn’t have a manual, Alberto and his team came up with one so detailed, it systematized the entire customer experience starting from the time a shopper reaches the parking lot to the time he exits it.

 

“It’s not easy being responsible for something that has such an amazing heritage and strong, prestigious brand name,” says Tantoco, who thanked the VP and his team during the

relaunch of the 40-year-old supermarket branch. “But he took over, and what I see now is harvesting from all his sacrifices.”

 

By now, this friendship is so solid, it’s withstood a few of life’s little shakeups. Take Alberto’s unexpected career move. A few years ago, he left RSCI to become national operations head for Red Ribbon Bakeshop, then director for operations and channel management for Avon. He craved something different, he reasoned, and even if Tantoco wasn’t too keen on it, he let his buddy go. “Think of it as your sabbatical,” he joked. “In three years you’ll be back.”

 

The two continued to meet up socially once a month, Tantoco learning from Alberto’s stories on his new ventures, and Alberto realizing how much he missed retail from Donnie’s own updates on Rustan’s.

 

True enough, Alberto returned, assuming the VP post as RSCI forged a partnership with Hong Kong-based Pan-Asian retailer Dairy Farm Group. “The opportunity to run the whole Rustan’s Supermarket and Rustan’s Marketplace was a very compelling proposition,” he says. “The new level that Donnie and the team are taking the business to is a challenge that excited me.”

 

While this development indicates that the RSCI VP isn’t going anywhere in a long time, Tantoco is just as assured of Alberto’s place in his life in the years to come. “I’m truly blessed. I would fight anyone, wage any war, take on any hard mission for this guy,” swears Tantoco of his pal. “If anything ever happened to me, I wrote a letter to my kids telling them to look for him. ‘He will care for you as if he was me,’ I wrote. And I would do the same for his children.”

 

“There’s nothing we wouldn’t do for each other,” avers Alberto. “My friendship with him is the most treasured thing that I have. It’s our strength and it’s something we can rely on.”

 

PHOTOS BY KIMBERLY DE LA CRUZ