Sari Yap would have been 61 today. After a long battle with cancer, Sari sadly passed away in 2019. However, the founder of One Mega Group left behind an incredible legacy, not just in the industry, but to those lives she had inadvertently touched.
When Sari started Mega with Jerry Tiu, there were only less than 10 staff members to run a magazine. Optimism and determination were her driving forces to go forward and One Mega Group has evolved into the institution it is today.
To those who knew Sari best, they remember her fondly and only has good things to share and how much impact and positivity she inspired. The current president of One Mega Group, Suki Salvador, narrates how he valued, and still continues to do so, Sari’s insight. “As an artist, I always created using the eyes, but one of the many things Sari taught me is to design using the heart. The work that I do isn’t for myself, it is always for someone else to use, to be inspired by. So in this case, form always follows function. When I followed her advice, that’s when I truly felt MEGA worthy.”
For Vice-President of Content, Peewee Reyes-Isidro, the wealth of knowledge she had gained from Sari when she was starting out was immeasurable. “Sari Yap has taught me a lot of things that truly helped me in my career: how to create a magazine, the value of hard work, and how to be detail-oriented. But when people ask me what’s the most important lesson I learned from her I always go back to 2014 when I got the editorship. I spoke to her about the pressure of having to fill such big shoes, to which she quickly quipped that I shouldn’t be trying to fill hers, but to carve my own path and make my mark instead. She taught me the greatest lesson: to believe in myself.”
Even Bettina Bonoan, the first Editor-in-Chief of BluPrint, and the one who coined the magazine’s name, recalled receiving a call from Sari in 1998 and BluPrint was born on January 1999. She said Sari gave her free rein to take charge of the magazine, its content and its branding. This became the foreground of what BluPrint has established, 23 years later.
“The BluPrint experience was one for the books. There was complete trust given by Sari and Jerry. And with TRUST (in all capital letters) came great responsibility of delivering a product of the highest standard. For check and balance, I was invited to board meetings to present BluPrint’s stories and plans for the upcoming issues. And they would always say, “Thank you.” And on the very few times they would give a comment, I would intently listen.”
– Bettina Bonoan, the first Editor-in-Chief of BluPrint
“I would consult Sari when I needed guidance,” Bonaon added, speaking highly of Sari’s support for the magazine. “Like when I needed more “substance” in some stories and she even ended up writing an article for BP!”
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In commemoration of her birthday, we remember a fearless leader who constantly challenged and empowered the people she worked with. Sari Yap had the uncanny ability to motivate everyone around her to be their best selves, and that was the mark she left in the world.
