#smcares

This March 30, 2025, thousands of families, advocates, and supporters will come together to celebrate Happy Walk 2025, a nationwide movement dedicated to fostering awareness, inclusion, and empowerment for individuals with Down Syndrome.

Hosted by SM Cares in partnership with the Down Syndrome Association of the Philippines, Inc. (DSAPI), this year’s event will take place at SMX Convention Center – Manila with simultaneous celebrations at SM City Cebu, SM City Bacolod, and SM CDO Downtown Premier, making it a truly nationwide effort to highlight the abilities and aspirations of individuals with Down Syndrome.

Two Happy Walkers take small, but meaningful steps with support and fanfare from the SM community.

The iconic SM Mall of Asia Globe lights up in purple to celebrate gender equality, together with SM Cares, United Nations Philippines, and the Philippine Commission for Women.

In recognition of National Women’s Month and Fire Prevention Month, SM Cares launched Women on Fire, a celebration of the remarkable leadership, strength, courage, and resilience of women in fire prevention, disaster response, and community safety. Through collaboration with key government agencies and private organizations, Women on Fire served as a platform for education, awareness, and empowerment, reaching over 25,000 participants across all initiatives.

Over 12 million kilos of recyclables collected in 2024.

Every first Friday and Saturday of the month, SM Supermalls transforms into a hub of sustainability through its nationwide ‘Trash to Cash’ (TTC) recycling market, where individuals can exchange recyclable waste for cash. This initiative, part of SM Supermalls’ Waste-Free Future campaign, has been a long-running program since 2007 that encourages waste segregation, recycling, and environmental awareness while also benefiting communities financially.

Typhoon Aghon spurs SM South Luzon relief efforts

In response to the damage caused by Typhoon Aghon in South Luzon, SM Supermalls and SM Foundation’s Operation Tulong Express (OPTE) turned over 1,000 Kalinga Packs to affected areas.

SM City Calamba distributed essential Kalinga Packs to 110 families in Barangays Real and Uno in Calamba City. The distribution was led by Mall Management Team and other employee volunteers.

Meanwhile, the SM City San Pablo team reached more than 500 families in Barangays San Roque and San Rafael in San Pablo City, with the entire management team and volunteers ensuring the smooth distribution of the relief packs.

Additionally, SM City Lucena provided 655 relief packs to residents of Purok 7, Barangay Dalahican in Lucena City. This effort was led by Jason Terrenal, Senior Assistant Vice President for Operations. The affected families were grateful to receive support in these challenging times.

These initiatives exemplify the collaborative spirit of SM Foundation’s OPTE, highlighting the dedicated efforts of SM Supermalls and SM Markets employees and volunteers. By coming together during trying times, they demonstrate that collective action can make a significant difference. SM’s commitment to rebuilding lives and communities reaffirms its role as a caring ally to the community.

SM’s Biggest Haul at the 38th International Coastal Clean Up: 

75,000 Kilos of Trash Collected By over 17,000 Volunteers Across 15 SM Malls

SM Cares continues to drive active participation in ocean conservation by taking part once again in this year’s International Coastal Cleanup Day last September 16, 2023, Saturday.

SM’s goal was to gather the biggest haul of trash and marine debris. This year’s efforts amounted to 75,033kg collected with the support of SM’s biggest participation since 2015 – 15 SM malls in 12 locations in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. This enabled more volunteers, totaling 17,026 SM employees and members of various sectors to join more clean-ups throughout the country.

Photo caption as The shores of Cagayan River get cleaned by volunteers from SM City Tuguegarao &SM Center Tuguegarao Downtown

SM spearheads numerous cleanup drives throughout the year in support of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030). In line with this year’s UN Ocean Decade Challenge, Sustainably Feed the Global Population, SM’s projects on water conservation, including the recycling and treatment of water from handwashing and rainwater harvesting, highlights the importance of community initiative in minimizing pollution, protecting fisheries and helping maintain potable water sources for everyone. 

“We all have a responsibility to help protect and safeguard our marine environment, its resources, and the communities it serves,” said SM Supermalls Vice President for Corporate Compliance and SM Cares Program Director for the Environment Engr. Liza B. Silerio. “A cleaner ocean means a better future for generations to come.”

SM MALLS IN LAGUNA JOINS BRIGADA ESKWELA 2023

SM Malls in Laguna once again demonstrated its steadfast commitment in supporting The Department of Education‘s Brigada Eskwela with the theme “Bayanihan Para sa Matatag na Paaralan,” through its participation in the annual school cleanup campaign.

“Brigada Eskwela [or] Schools Maintenance Week is an appeal to the bayanihan spirit of every Filipino to help prepare our schools for the opening of classes,” Vice President and Secretary of Education Sara Z. Duterte recently  noted during her speech during the National Kick off held at Tarclac National Highschool.

SM Malls in Laguna –all 4 malls, SM City Santa Rosa, SM City Calamba, SM City San Pablo and SM Center San Pedro have embarked on a remarkable endeavor to refurbish and revitalize schools within their respective areas. At San Pablo, Prudencia Fule Memorial Elementary School was  this year’s school partner beneficiary.  SM San Pablo’s Assistant Mall Manager Edesa Sibug together with Mall Admin employees and mall security team refurbished gardens and donated cleaning and painting materials to the school. In Santa Rosa and Calamba, classrooms walls were repainted and refurbished, tidied up the surroundings to create a vibrant and conducive atmosphere for students.

The annual program of SM partnered with DepEd has been the traditional activity where SM employees devote their time to help clean, repaint and repair the classrooms for the improvement of school facilities. Brigada Eskwela serves as a platform for collaboration between public and private sector, allowing them to work hand in hand to create a positive impact on the community.

SM Cares launched Emergency Preparedness Forum, making PWDs, Seniors disaster-ready

Photo highlights during the Emergency Preparedness Forum on July 5, 2023

In celebration of National Disaster Resilience Month, SM Cares recently launched this year’s Emergency Preparedness Forum for senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs). The first of eight forums was held last July 5, Wednesday, at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall in Pasay City.

(L-R) SM Markets AVP Rey Del Valle, UPRI Executive Director Dr. Mahar Lagmay, NCDA Executive Director Don Fradejas, NCSC Chairperson Atty. Frank Quijano, OCD Administrator and NDRRMC Executive Director Ariel Nepomuceno, SM Supermalls SVP and SM Cares Director of Program for Persons with Disabilities Engr. Bien C. Mateo, MMDA Acting Asst. General Manager Atty Vic Trinidad, PHIVOLCS Supervising Science Research Specialist Jeffrey Perez, and PAGASA OIC Administrator Esperanza Cayanan, during the Pledge of Commitment signing.

Prior to the forum, a pledge of commitment signing was held between SM Supermalls and its partner organizations. Present at the signing were SM Supermalls Senior Vice President Engr. Bien C. Mateo, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Administrator Usec. Ariel Nepomuceno, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Acting Asst. General Manager Atty. Victor Trinidad, National Commission of Senior Citizens Chairperson Atty. Franklin M. Quijano, and National Council on Disability Affairs Executive Director Joniro F. Fredejas.

Meanwhile, Senators Risa Hontiveros and Loren Legarda, as well as Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Renato Solidum, gave special video messages addressed to the forum’s attendees.

Aside from being signatories, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) OIC Administrator Dr. Esperanza O. Cayanan, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) Senior Supervising Science Research Specialist Jeffrey S. Perez, and University of the Philippines Resilience Institute Executive Director Dr. Mahar Lagmay shared their insights and observations in a panel discussion on understanding natural hazards, such as earthquakes, floods, and volcanic eruptions, and how to prepare for such situations.

Disaster Management Specialist, Emergency Medical Technician, and Wilderness Search and Rescue Philippines Instructor Gerard “Doki” Natividad was also invited to share survival tips and tricks tailored to the needs of the attendees.

Disaster Management Specialist Doki Natividad teaching a PWD delegate the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) technique without using mouth-to-mouth breathing

Participants in the forum were provided an SM Emergency Pack, which consists of an emergency string bag, a 4mm rope, an emergency blanket, a whistle with lanyard, a mini-flashlight, and a survival tool card. Earthquake and flood simulators were also prepared by PAGASA and DOST to add to the participants’ learning experience.

Delegates from Tahanang Walang Hagdan, Inc.

Senior citizen attendees pose for a photo op with their SM Cares emergency go-bags

“In preparing for emergencies and calamities, SM Cares believes that no one should be left behind. That is what inspires us to continue mounting this Emergency Preparedness Forum,” said Mateo. “Our goal is to empower our senior citizens and PWDs with the essential survival skills and know-how so that they will be ready for any circumstance.”

Since the forum first began in 2015, SM Cares has been able to provide training to 7,417 senior citizens and PWDs across the country since the forum’s conception, and was awarded Gold in 2020 and Silver in 2023 at the Public Relations Society of the Philippines’ annual Anvil Awards.

This initiative shows SM Cares’ support for the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly “SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being”, “SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities”, and “SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities”.

SM Cares is the corporate social responsibility arm of SM Supermalls, supporting initiatives focused on communities and the environment. Its advocacies include Programs for the Environment, Persons with Disabilities, Women & Breastfeeding Mothers, Children & Youth, Senior Citizens, and the SM Bike-friendly initiative.

BAGUIO CITY – SM City Baguio launched today the first of its kind in a mall-setting facility that will convert rainwater to potable water and help contribute to the city’s water conservation and recycling efforts.

While SM has been recycling water for decades since the 1990’s, the water-saving innovation is part of SM Prime’s sustainability program towards responsible consumption and carbon footprint reduction, according to Mr.  Mateo. “We invest in water conservation technology to eliminate water wastage and adopt stricter measures to reduce consumption. More innovations are being done to recycle more water and filter more rainwater across the properties and estates of SM Prime.”

In 2022, the real estate developer has recycled a total of 3.58 million cubic meters of water across its properties in the Philippines.

The rainwater catchment system installed in SM City Baguio can draw and store a total of 51 million liters of rainwater in a year, based on 2022 PAGASA rainfall volume for Baguio City. This is equivalent to 20 Olympic-size swimming pools, 13.4M gallons of drinking water, 373,510 full baths and 672,318 10-minute showers.

During rain fall, rainwater is collected in the tank and treated for reuse within the mall. To make rainwater safe for use, the harvested water goes through a 6-step treatment processes – Multimedia Filtration, Water Softener, Activated Carbon, Ultra Filtration, Reverse Osmosis and Ozonization – the treated rainwater from the tank will be re-distributed as supply for the mall tenants for various uses including washing, cleaning and safe for drinking.

“We are grateful for your attention to the predicament on water scarcity in Baguio City,” DENR Regional Director of CAR Engineer Jean Borromeo in a message to SM Prime. “Water scarcity is one of the biggest issues that Baguio is facing today because deep wells have already dried up the city’s water table. It is good to see how SM Prime is taking its responsibility to the environment seriously, practically addressing the biggest environmental threat to Baguio City.”

“This will greatly help reduce sourcing from the city’s water table and more water supply for the community to use. Not only does SM considers what’s best for its shopping customers, but also take into consideration the importance of water security as one of its priorities,” RD Borromeo added.

The Rainwater Filtration facility is one of SM Prime Holding’s initiatives to its commitment towards sustainable development in the communities it serves.