The Curious Mom

SM Supermalls brings back excitement in every visit, joy in every sight, and a magical connection in every experience that will make every Filipino’s Christmas happier and brighter.

SM officially ushered the holiday season with an out-of-this-world celebration at the Mega & Bright: Christmas in Space 2022 at the SM Megamall on October 20.

The mall’s mega Christmas Tree decked in stars and lights was lit, signaling the start of SM’s nationwide Happy Christmas campaign. And from October 20 until December, SM shoppers can glimpse the universe through SM Megamall’s Mega Space Odyssey. The 3D LED tunnel transports individuals into space and allows them to view it immersively.

If you missed the SM Megamall Christmas event, there are still more ways to celebrate the joys of the holidays. SM Supermalls has lined up exciting and festive activities for you and your loved ones! Check out the details below:

Apart from SM Megamall, other premier SM malls will light up their massive 50-foot Christmas trees to share hope, joy, and love with every SM shopper. Check out the dates below so you can drop by your favorite SM mall and watch the lighting of its dazzling trees full of lights, stars, and colorful ornaments.

Witness as your favorite SM mall opens a new world of Christmas with towering centerpieces, functional spaces, and sprawling activities at the Christmas Playpark. Explore the Christmas markets and play areas, and watch out for Santa appearances, character meet and greets, and other surprises! Plus, you also get to have a multisensory experience at the playpark’s light and sound shows, festive eats and holiday treat, and a whole lot more scents and feels that will embrace you in holiday warmth and ambiance.

Christmas won’t be festive without lights. Be in awe as you pass by hallways decked with twinkling lights, illuminated tunnels, beaming driveways, and parking spaces as they glow at their best.

SM Supermalls has also created outdoor attractions for that picture-perfect, memorable shopping, dining, and leisure activities for the whole family. At The Podium, shoppers are in for Joie De Vivre with its Holiday Night Cap on October 21-23 and 28-30 at the ADB Al Fresco, and the Food Lab on October 24-30 at the Atrium East Level 2 so everyone can discover new food

specials this Christmas. You can also enjoy special treats, promos, and exclusive deals from your favorite restaurants and food merchants at the SM mall near you!

Don’t miss out on a phygital Christmas experience as SM incorporates the festive season with Augmented Reality. In SM Megamall, four AR filters have been made available, including Santa Claus, Reindeer, Snowman, and Sparkle. You just need to scan the QR code at the SM mall near you and see the Christmas centerpiece and magical spots come alive!

SM installed various happiness stations where you can create lasting memories with family and friends. Spot the giant bears with lights at Bears of Joy corner, the happiness photo wall, the Christmas tree decors with your family photos, or the huge TV screen where you can watch your recently filmed Tiktok or IG video at your favorite mall.

Christmas is for the whole family including furbabies! Make them happy and feel loved by joining the Holiday Paw Play Dates and Costume PAWty. You can also flex them at the Christmas photo challenge and win amazing prizes, or shop for them at the Christmas markets. Also, SM Supermalls will be partnering again with organizations for a pet adoption drive so you can help the little ones find a home in time for the holiday.

SM will reopen its virtual Christmas Village to bring an exciting, engaging, and rewarding holiday experience to Filipinos. Check out https://gosm.link/ChristmasVillage2022 as it goes live from October 28 to January 5 for an awesome augmented reality shopping, dining, and leisure experience. Create your own avatar, e-meet fellow shoppers and SM ambassadors, and enjoy bonding time with your family and friends while playing fun games at the immersive virtual Christmas zones made for you.

Since it’s the season of giving, you can support cause-oriented advocacies of individuals and organizations by purchasing products that provide opportunities and livelihood to marginalized sectors. For this year’s 100 Days campaign, SM partnered with bag designer Zarah Juan, Spark PH, the Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP), the Association of Foot and Mouth Artists of the Philippines, and the Quezon City LGU for its Vote to Tote initiative.

“This Christmas, we are sending a message of happiness to every Filipino. With every activity we have for them, we hope to inspire everyone to spread sparks of happiness in their homes and communities as we celebrate this year’s holiday festivities,” said Steven T. Tan, president of SM Supermalls.

A new light of experiences will bring happiness and kindness to every Filipino as SM Supermalls create more magical memories and opportunities to touch other people’s lives this holiday season. Check out www.smsupermalls.com and follow @smsupermalls on all social media accounts to stay updated on the various holiday happenings.

Many people have become more aware of the importance of sustainability in everyday living during the two years that the world faced the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Environmental awareness has caught on through practices such as shifting to paperless, reducing plastic use, and planting more trees. For property developers, taking part in this movement means transitioning into green buildings and developments.

Such is the case for SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SM Prime), a publicly listed subsidiary of SM Investments Corporation (SMIC) that is committed to building innovative and sustainable lifestyle cities. SM Prime is future-proofing its developments to be more responsive and adaptive to community needs and the effects of climate change in line with comprehensive sustainability goals ranging from energy to ecology.

Over the years, SM Prime has continued to elevate its approach to the building and development of community spaces. All these green initiatives have been recognized by reputable and well-known organizations such as the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) which awarded Conrad Hotel Manila and SM Aura Premier the Gold certification for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

“When we build, we build with the community in mind. This is why it is important to integrate sustainability into our developments and operations. We remain committed as an environmentally-conscious and responsible integrated property developer ready to serve the ever-changing needs and aspirations of our communities and stakeholders,” said SM Prime President Jeffrey Lim.

SM’s Commercial Property Group is renowned for balancing green design features with operational and practical considerations, enabling more companies and locators to enjoy environmentally sound commercial developments.

The CPG’s flagship properties are its five E-com Centers – all future-forward buildings catering mainly to technological, business process outsourcing, and Fortune 500 companies. All five E-com Centers are located in the MOA Complex. Each building has a proportionate amount of green open spaces and communal areas where workers can socialize and decompress from work.

CPG further promotes sustainable practices with its LEED gold-certified office buildings, solidifying its foothold and commitment to building green offices and commercial developments. These certifications are a testament to SM Prime’s dedication to reducing its contribution to global climate change—all while enhancing the quality of life within its communities.

The three E-com Center boasts architectural wonders and green features that eventually earned its LEED Gold certification. These include water recycling for landscape and non-potable use. The building is fitted with glass windows that minimize heat from entering the building, allowing tenants to use less air conditioning. This 15-story, semi-circular twin-tower office building features function, and aesthetics complemented by state-of-the-art facilities. While it was the first office building in the Mall of Asia Complex to receive such an honor, the new FourE-com Center also recently achieved the same certification—designed with its tenants’ needs in mind, improving work-life balance and office culture accordingly.

Both designed by a globally renowned firm, Arquitectonica, the Three and Four E-coms are unique amongst business centers. “We designed the E-coms to functionally meet the BPO industry’s need for large, continuous floorplates, but also sculpted them in interesting ways so as to allow views and airflows between the buildings, while also, of course, giving them interesting architectural identities. At the same time, their landscaped podium decks create attractive communal green spaces for the tenants; they are envisaged to be interconnected via landscaped sky bridges in the future. The combination of all these factors, architectural design, and green spaces, have made the E-coms highly attractive to multinational companies and brands,” said David Zaballero, Arquitectonica Director.

 

Like his father before him, John Dizon, Jr. and his family have been long-time stewards of protected trees in their community in Tuba, Benguet. When the time came for him to take up the mantle, he did so willingly to honor his father’s legacy.

“My father passed away in 2012. It was then that we found out that the area he is managing in collaboration with the government was part of a community-based forest management program,” said Mr. Dizon.

A year later, Mr. Dizon heads the Benguet-based environmental conservation group, Nagawa, Manganese, Liw-Liw, Sadle Agroforestry Assoc. Inc. (NAMALISA), started working closely with the SM Foundation for an inaugural tree-planting campaign back in 2013 to pick up where his father had left off in his advocacy.

With the impact of climate change more felt in recent years, Mr. Dizon shared the importance of planting more trees in communities to thin out air pollutants in keeping the air fresh and people healthier. The trees which his father planted also helped prevent soil erosion and landslides caused by earthquakes.

He nurtures a dream that some of his children will take after him to help protect the environment. Getting closer to that dream, one of his sons is eyeing a career in forestry, a nod to his father’s chosen field.

To further this advocacy, Mr. Dizon supports the reforestation initiative of SM Foundation, Inc., the social good arm of SM, and the Fast Retailing Foundation (FR Foundation), a generally incorporated foundation in Japan through the Grow Trees Community campaign.

The project aims to plant and grow forest trees such as the Benguet pine, Alnus or Calliandra, and Coffee trees to help create livelihood opportunities for the community by working closely with People’s Organizations such as NAMALISA in Tuba, Benguet.

The proponents teamed up with SM Supermalls and government partners such as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Agriculture, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Science and Technology, Philippine National Police, Philippine Information Agency and the local government of Tuba.

It is in support of the SM Green Movement that seeks to improve the quality of life of communities through sustainable solutions to promote a green planet, green living, and a green culture.

FR Foundation promotes research designed to help make the world a better place, spurring technological development, nurturing human resources, and supporting socially vulnerable individuals or groups.

It is part of Fast Retailing Co. Ltd., the leading Japanese retail company that owns a well-loved casual wear brand, Uniqlo.

Adulthood is difficult. Many of us, if not all, are constantly struggling to manage our expenses, especially if you are a minimum wage earner like me. Even if we prioritize what we need first, it's not always enough for me, and I always struggle with our daily budget. Budgeting for bills, food, and other necessities is always a priority for me, but there are times when I overspend or fall short due to unexpected dues, expenses, or emergencies.

My primary responsibility as a parent is to ensure that my children have everything they require, but doing so can be prohibitively expensive. As a result, seizing control right away is critical. To be honest, it's difficult to provide because members of the family occasionally incur unexpected expenses. Knowing where you stand financially allows you to seek any necessary short-term relief or additional assistance. Money isn't everything, and no parent wants to incur additional debt.

When your income remains stable while the cost of living rises almost daily, it is almost certain that you will suffer a temporary financial setback as a result of this condition at some point in your life. Furthermore, the shock of discovering that you do not have enough cash to deal with an emergency or pay for unexpected expenses necessitates the use of loans.

Borrow money online without having to fax, it is one of the most convenient and simple ways to obtain cash. The procedure is quick and easy. You can finish filling out the form and get a decision in as little as 5 minutes! If approved, funds will be transferred to your bank account within 24 hours. We don't have time to send hard copies of documents to submit if an emergency occurs. When you are in this situation, applying for a loan solely online makes life easier. Personally, I prefer this type of borrowing money over lending money to someone I am unsure about. 

Even if we have a full-time job, we need to lend some extra cash for things like medical bills, emergency expenses, and other unexpected bills and payments. Loans can be beneficial or disastrous for you, so think twice before taking the first step toward borrowing. Make certain that the money was truly required at that time. Don't borrow for fun or to buy expensive items. To avoid a negative credit score, be aware of your obligations and pay your bills on time this is a payday loan so pay it on your next payday, not in months or years. Considering also to understand the terms of borrowing as well, read the contract before accepting it, make sure that you understand the conditions. It is intended to be used in emergency situations such as paying for medications or hospital service charges. As a result, only borrow what you need. 

There are a few things you should look into before taking out or considering a loan. But, if not today, perhaps you will need this site in the future, or someone you know may need of this kind assistance at this time.

SM Prime Holdings, together with SM Cares and SM By the Bay once again took part in the annual International Coastal Cleanup (ICC), bringing together thousands of volunteers into an event that underscored the importance of protecting the world's seas, oceans, and other bodies of water. The event was held last September 17 at the SM By the Bay Central Park, SM Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City.

A total of 2,438 volunteers joined this year's ICC, composed of students, professionals, and others from different private and public organizations. At the end of the activity, an estimated 12,158 kgs of trash, equivalent to a total of 1,613 trash bags filled, was successfully collected.

Among those who graced the event were Climate Change Commission Vice Chairperson Sec. Robert Borje, Department of Environment and Natural Resources - National Capital Region (DENR-NCR) Regional Executive Director Jacqueline A. Caancan, DENR-NCR Regional Executive Director for Technical Services Engr. Ignacio R. Almira, DENR-NCR Regional Strategic Communication and Initiatives Group Head Chris Villarin, DENR-NCR Communication Development Officer II Ariz Abad, SM Investments President and CEO and 2GO Group President and CEO Frederic DyBuncio, SM Prime Holdings Inc. SVP Glenn Ang, SM Supermalls SAVP for Operations Perkin So, SM By the BAY Mall Manager Marie Charlene Claire K. Canoy-Narvasa and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Philippines’ Markets and Assurance Executive Director Allan Cao.

The ICC is a yearly global event that encourages individuals to be part of the movement for cleaner seas and oceans. Every year, thousands of Filipino volunteers from various sectors and communities join the efforts to help ensure the cleanliness of the shorelines and waterways in the country.

“The International Coastal Clean Up is part of the overall SM Green Movement. As a proven responsible property developer and community partner, SM Prime’s various Sustainability programs across its malls, residences, hotels, and leisure properties promote resource conservation & environmental protection for an improved quality of life in the communities it serves,” said SM Supermalls SAVP for Operations Perkin So.

This year's event was made possible by SM Offices, 2GO, PwC, Maynilad, and International Coastal Clean Up Philippines. DENR-NCR, the Climate Change Commission, and the Philippine Coast Guard were also present to provide their support.

Aside from the annual observance of ICC, other sustainability projects of SM Cares include the Trash-To-Cash Recycling Market where individuals can drop off their recyclable waste in exchange for cash; the Plastic Waste and Electronic Waste Collection Programs which promotes responsible plastic and electronic waste management affecting our seas, just to name a few.

SM Cares is the corporate social responsibility arm of SM Prime Holdings, responsible for initiatives that promote sustainability and the development of the community. SM Cares’ advocacies include programs for Women and Breastfeeding Mothers, Persons with Disabilities, Senior Citizens, and Children and Youth, as well as the Bike-Friendly SM initiative, in addition to its Programs on Environment.

To learn more about these, visit www.smsupermalls.com/smcares.