Robinsons Trade Partners Night: Robina Gokongwei fashionably slithers as modern Valentina

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March 10, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines —  Oops! She did it again.

Retail tycoon Robina Gokongwei-Pe delighted netizens anew when she slithered into the recent Robinsons Trade Partners Night dressed as a Filipina serpent-haired villain.

“A quick clarification for everyone’s peace of mind. I am Valentina tonight, not Medusa. Wrong mythology, different snakes. So no one is getting turned into stone,” she said in jest during her speech.

But Robina did not channel her inner viper just for fun that night – it was also done to deliver a striking message to the retail community.

“Valentina is a very Pinoy tita villain after all,” she explains. “A Marites (someone who likes to gossip) who hears everything, notices everything and somehow always has screenshots.”

“And you know what? That feels right for retail because in this business, rumors are everywhere. Whispers about prices, promos, plans, who’s winning, who’s struggling, what’s coming next,” the chairman of Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc. added.

In fact, Robina described the market as being “noisy” last year, with prices moving, consumers becoming more careful and people making sharper decisions faster.

“In that kind of environment, one thing stayed true: the businesses that executed well, with the right partners, kept moving forward,” she said.

“Which is why we’re here tonight. This business still rewards the basics: availability, value and trust. Keep shelves full. Keep offers relevant. Keep standards tight. When we do that, together, customers come back. Not because of hype. Because it works,” Robina said.

The daughter of the late retail tycoon John Gokongwei Jr. said that the difference between ordinary and unforgettable is not magic.

“It’s audacity. The willingness to stay sharp, move decisively and keep raising the bar when the environment gets tough,” she said.

Robina also pointed out that milestones will not be possible without partnerships that stay strong when things get complicated, teams that execute with discipline as well as standards that do not magically loosen just because everyone’s tired.

In the end, Robina, in true villain fashion, sent a chilling message to her audience: “As Valentina, I have one important reminder, said with love, but also with consequences: please take care of your SSSG (same-store sales growth).”

“Because I may not turn people into stone, but Valentina has other talents. Suppliers who don’t watch their SSSG, ginagawang patuka  –  you end up as a snack for my snakes,” she said with her trademark humor.

The Valentina costume is Robina’s latest wink at the long enduring urban myth about her half-human-half-snake twin hidden in the department store of one of their malls.

Last year, Robina already humored netizens by posting a photo in Facebook, wherein she posed with toy snakes in a Robinsons Department Store, describing them as “my shining, shimmering golden twin.”

Robina has gamely played the role over the years, although it’s hard to see the retail tycoon as a villain, especially given her sense of humor.

Will she try a superheroine role like Darna  –  Valentina’s archenemy  –  next time?