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Friday, March 29, 2024

SM Supermalls wins Anvil Awards grand slam

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The public expects companies, especially profitable or high profile ones, to give something back to the community where these operate. People may or may not understand how a corporate social responsibility program works in this context, but they do own that sense of entitlement: profit should be shared with people who are helping companies succeed. 

However, wealth in the CSR sense does not always mean monetary. People have to understand that it makes better business sense to apply the proverbial concept of teaching people how to fish instead of merely giving food for the table. This is why the “S” in CSR has to work harder. The “social” in CSR is represented by the customers, the business partners, the employees, and the general public. All these come together for a mutual benefit out of CSR programs.

After the harrowing experience from Typhoon Yolanda, the children of Concepcion, Iloilo can now go home in their new disaster-resilient houses after a fun day by the wide paved streets, thanks to SM Cares.

Some experts explain that the consumer market responds well to companies that are visible and active in their communities through social or civic projects. These companies earn the public’s trust, leading to higher demand for their products and services. As a result, the companies are able to acquire more resources to further improve their output, open more job opportunities, establish stronger relationships with suppliers, and seek better opportunities. While this easily translates into healthier financial value for the companies in the long run, it also bodes well for the surrounding communities and to a certain extent, the entire nation. 

Take, for example, the recent recognition that mall giant SM Supermalls received for its efforts in making its malls accessible to any and all customers in all 56 branches nationwide. The Public Relations Society of the Philippines’ 51st Anvil Awards gave the company a grand slam for all of its three entries: the Special Movie Screening for the Blind and Deaf; Casual Employment Program for Senior Citizens; and the Housing Project for the Survivors of Typhoon Yolanda. All three programs were implemented under the company’s CSR arm, SM Cares.

A first of its kind in the Philippines, the Special Movie Screening for the Blind and Deaf was created in collaboration with the Deaf Blind Support Philippines and the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board. SM Cinemas features films that are retrofitted with audio-description and closed captioning to enable the visually impaired and hard at hearing to fully enjoy the movie. Because of the tremendous response from the blind and deaf sector of society, the MTRCB is now looking at making this program a model for other cinemas in the country to follow suit. 

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The senior citizens in communities where an SM mall operates get a chance to regain their self-worth by giving them the chance to become productive members of society as mall employees. A program coordinated with the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs, the part-time work assignments are tailored after the elderly’s skills and abilities. They work as mall greeters, cinema ticket ushers, or food court assistants. They work in four-hour shifts during weekends for a period of six months.  

The Housing Project for the Survivors of Typhoon Yolanda is not like other housing programs. A brainchild of SM Prime President Hans Sy, SM malls around the country pooled together donations from customers, partners, tenants, and other groups and individuals to build 1,000 disaster-resilient houses in the Visayas region where Yolanda made the most devastating damage.

These three projects involved not just the company, but also all stakeholders who have stakes in how life should be lived: with dignity, honor, and productivity. To ensure that all CSR programs work seamlessly, SM stayed true to its philosophy of being “the mall for all.” By empowering all stakeholders in society through its community-related projects, the mall company has truly found a way to make sure the “S” in its CSR programs actually works for everyone.

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