SM Investments Corp., the parent company of the SM Group, in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seis-mology, marked a milestone as the first conglomerate to complete training on the use of GeoRiskPH. The suite of online tools is designed to identify location specific vulnerabilities and strengthen resilience against climate change and natural hazards.
The two-day training provided workshops guiding participants through the GeoRiskPH platform, fostering a shared understanding of how science-based tools can help safeguard communities, employees and stakeholders from seismic, volcanic and other hy-dro-meteorological hazards. The platform enables users to determine at risk areas and displays the percentage of land prone to hazards in terms of demography and infrastructure.
Nearly 60 executives and representatives from across the SM Group participated, in-cluding teams from SM Prime Holdings Inc., SM Retail Inc., SM Markets, BDO Unibank Inc., China Banking Corp., 2GO Group Inc. and Philippine Geothermal Production Co. Inc.
“As a group, we welcome this partnership as an important step in harnessing science-based tools to deepen our understanding of disaster and climate risks and in demonstrating how the public and private sectors can work together to protect our communities,” said Koleen Davila Palaganas, head of the SM Group Sustainability Office. Palaganas noted that the effective use of GeoRiskPH can also contribute to the safety of employees and communities while enabling faster and more informed disaster re-sponse and relief operations.
GeoRiskPH serves as the central source of information for accurate reportage on environmental hazards and risk assessment, allowing the public to perform assessments for free.
Since the program’s approval in 2019, the platform has developed several integrated tools, including HazardHunterPH for multi-hazard assessment services and GeoMapperPH, a multi-user platform for data collection and the development of a national exposure database. The suite also includes GeoAnalyticsPH, a web platform that presents maps and analyses for decision-making, and PlanSmart, a digital planning plat-form that supports automated disaster rehabilitation and recovery planning.
“This initiative is a proactive solution to better equip our stakeholders, such as local government units, national government agencies and now the private sector, to protect the livelihoods and lives of our communities,” DOST-PHIVOLCS director Teresito Ba-colcol said. He added that the partnership boosts trust within communities by having the support of a longstanding public partner such as SM.
Chinabank chief sustainability officer William Quesang said the partnership provides an avenue for the exchange of ideas between DOST and SM regarding disaster risk reduction. Quesang said the tools allow Chinabank to actively manage risk exposure rather than being reactive to events, which aids in the assessment of future branch sites.
GeoRiskPH is a multi-agency endeavor led by PHIVOLCS in 2018 and funded by the DOST in collaboration with the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development.
The effort is part of the group’s climate risk assessment for its business units and is an ongoing partnership with the DOST. In 2024, SM signed a memorandum of under-standing with the agency to identify areas of cooperation in plastics management and broader sustainability efforts.
The SM Group continues to work on sustainable building designs through its property arm, SM Prime. To date, seven SM properties have achieved LEED (Leadership in En-ergy and Environmental Design) Gold certification, a globally recognized green build-ing rating system. One of SM’s portfolio investments, NEO, also embeds climate and disaster resilience into its projects through the management of seven green-certified buildings in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.
