CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Pampanga’s capital city is an enclave of heritage homes and historic buildings and SM City San Fernando on Monday honored their owners in the “My City, My SM” event.
SM Vice President for Marketing and Communications Millie Dizon, who launched the project in 2009, led the tribute to celebrate the best of the Kapampangan’s artistry, rich cultural tradition and vibrant spirit of entrepreneurship.
Dizon and Engr. Junias Eusebio, SM City San Fernando assistant mall manager, welcomed Mayor Oscar Rodriguez, Councilor Jimmy Lazatin and owners of old houses of prominent people in this city.
Lazatin’s family owns an historic house along Consunji St. where the third mall of SM in Pampanga is located.
In his speech, Eusebio lauded Dizon for starting the “My City, My SM” project to honor the “diversity of heritages and traditions” of the malls’ host cities.
The ancestral homes in Pampanga that were featured belong to families Hizon-Singian, Henson-Hizon, Lazatin, Dayrit-Cunanan, Consunji, Tabacalera, Hizon-Ocampo, Santos-Hizon and Dizon.
In a statement, SM said these heritage homes showcased the best examples of architecture during the Spanish and American colonial periods as well as the way of living of some of the prominent personalities.
SM launched the event in collaboration with the Department of Tourism (DOT).
The event also provided a glimpse of history and stepped back in the past. Through My City, My SM, the country’s premier mall developer paid tribute to Pampanga’s culture and thriving economy by featuring the brains behind the ground breaking Kapampangan brands, notably the Tiongson and Gutierrez families.
The Tiongsons are started with the iconic Cabalen which spawned a chain of 21 restaurants.
The Gutierrezes own the “Silverworks” jewelry store with 52 branches, mostly located in SM malls.
In 2009, the first “My City, My SM” was launched in SM City Pampanga themed “I Left MY heart in San Fernando” with internationally acclaimed director Brillante Mendoza and Mutya ng Kapampangan 2006 Nicollete Henson.
The second at the SM City Clark in February 2010, dubbed “Up, Up, and Away at Clark” with Angeles University Foundation’s Dr. Emmanuel Y. Angeles and celebrity chef Claude Tayag.
