MANILA, Philippines?Basilio Tan does not quite look the trendsetter that he is. He made a modest fortune in garments manufacturing, but it was the 64-year-old?s entrepreneurial instincts that led to the creation of 168 Mall, which is perhaps the biggest retail success story since Henry Sy?s megamalls.

Even his closest business associates laughed off his idea of transforming a multi-story shopping structure into a Divisoria-style tiangge. But he had a vision and had the dogged spirit to make it happen.

For a long time Tan managed to elude the press who wanted to demystify the legend that had begun to grow around him. In person, Mr. 168 looks no different from most successful businessmen. He makes no claims to greatness and in fact expressed surprise that anybody would want to know about him.

In an exclusive interview with the Asian Dragon Magazine, Tan talks about how it all started, the controversies that initially hounded his project, and his management principles and philosophies.

Actually getting Mr. 168 to talk was but the latest in a series of scoops snagged by the upstart bilingual (English and Mandarin) quarterly, the only publication of its kind in the Philippines. In its inaugural issue last year, its cover was the even more reclusive Eddie Gaisano, the Cebu-based retail taipan. And in a previous issue, it had Mr. Zesto himself, Ambassador Alfredo M. Yao, on its cover.

?It?s not just about access,? says Asian Dragon editor in chief Lito Gutierrez. ?At the end of the day, we can only gain credibility and respect if we can deliver substantive articles readers would find interesting, if not useful.?

Asian Dragon is a bilingual (English-Mandarin) business-lifestyle magazine for and largely about the Chinese Filipino community. Publisher Olivia Limpe-Aw said she put out the magazine because she wanted a platform ?also for the less recognizable names in the community but whose contributions to the nation?s patrimony are no less significant.?

Thus the magazine?s lineup includes a number of profiles of successful men and women not just in business but also in other endeavors, such as medicine, culture and the arts. It also has analysis of economic trends, investment advice from industry professionals.

Limpe-Aw said, ?We try to cover as much ground as possible. We want our next issue to be better than the previous one.?

Asian Dragon magazine is available in bookstores and magazine stands nationwide.