THE SHORTEST distance between rural rusticity and cosmopolitan sophistication is an SM City mall.
No more is this truer than in the coming of the Philippines’ premier mall to Central Luzon, instantly turning the landscape from rural to urban, promptly transforming the shopping, dressing, eating, leisuring habits of the people. Setting a new lifestyle aptly captured in the catch phrase: “Mag-SM tayo!” translating to “The SM mall is all.”
The pre-eminence of SM City malls in this once rice granary of the country upped and maxxed some more in 2012 with the opening of SM City Olongapo in February and SM City San Fernando Downtown in July, bringing to – count them: SM City Marilao and SM City Baliwag in Bulacan; SM City Pampanga and SM City Clark in the regional center; and SM City Tarlac – seven Henry Sy’s malls in this region, the greatest concentration outside Metro Manila.
Unarguably, SM Prime Holdings – with all its mainstay shops and tenants in its malls – is the single biggest job provider in the whole of Central Luzon.
Then there are SM’s Save More and Hyper Market branches in Apalit town, and in the cities of Angeles and Mabalacat, further impacting the SM lifestyle to the greater masses of the Kapampangan.
Pampanga has earned the distinct privilege of hosting the longest SM supermall in the Philippines – SM City Pampanga, spanning nearly one kilometer from end to end, and the smallest to date – SM City San Fernando Downtown, which exterior departs from the usual SM design, blending with its milieu – the city’s heritage district – as mandated by the city government.
In June, SM Prime Holdings commenced the P500-million expansion project of the SM City Clark mall, generating employment to some 2,000 construction workers.
The expansion, located at a 5.5-hectare area adjacent to the mall’s rear parking lot, will comprise a mix of business process outsourcing center, high-end fashion house, shops exclusive to international brands, food court, and a championship bowling center.
It is expected to open mid-2013, well pre-positioned with the projected increase of passenger traffic at the Clark International Airport.
Corporate citizenship
Good neighbourliness, the guiding spirit of community, makes one core value of SM Prime Holdings, finding most manifest in the SM Foundation Inc. and SM Cares.
SM Foundation champions four advocacies: i) education through scholarship programs and donations to schoolhouses; 2) mall-based outreach programs; 3) health oriented projects like medical missions, a mobile clinic, and hospital activity centers; and 4) religious community projects.
These, undertaken in underprivileged areas within the vicinity of SM malls.
SM Cares cover corporate social responsibility initiatives such as environmental conservation (energy, air and water), and care and assistance to customers of SM malls with special needs such as the disabled, special children, the elderly and nursing mothers.
The events centers in SM malls have become the favoured venues for both government and community affairs – from the local executives’ states of the LGU addresses to congresses of senior citizens, youth groups, persons with disabilities; from school graduations to physical fitness activities; from beauty pageants to religious services. All SM malls offer regular Sunday Masses.
The biggest trade and tourism exhibits and car shows north of Manila are held annually in SM City malls.
Of late, the SM malls have become the preferred venues too for art and photo exhibits.
Use of its venues by the LGUs and NGOs, SM gives generally gratis.
As SM gets, so it gives back to the host communities. More symbiosis there than mutuality, a most ideal modus vivendi.
All, indeed, is the SM mall.
