The SM Group has allocated up to P100 million to help the Philippine government’s efforts to fight the health scare caused by the corona virus (COVID-19) outbreak.
SM indicated that the funds will be used specifically for the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) which is a health research facility based in Muntinlupa and other government hospitals.
SM, a Philippine company with diverse business interests in retail, banking and property, with blue-chip listed assets such as SM Prime Holdings, China Banking Corporation and BDO Unibank.
“To ensure the safety of medical frontliners, SM is bringing in personal protective equipment (PPE) - face masks, gowns, visors, hoods, gloves, and shoe covers, as well as urgent medical supplies to help government hospitals who badly need them,” SM Prime Chairman of the Executive Committee Hans Sy said.
Sy said assistance has also been extended to PGH and the RITM for their urgent needs and for improving their laboratory testing capacity. SM has also allocated PPEs and medical supplies to the UP Medical Foundation Inc. to reach a wider network of hospitals.
“To improve availability of tests, SM has reached out to Manila Healthtek Inc. to distribute 20,000 tests for free to government hospitals, once approved for use,” the statement read.
While the city has been placed under a “community quarantine” which means Dabawenyos are strongly urged to stay inside their homes except when they need to work, buy food or medicine, go to the hospital or take out garbage, SM stores in the city have remained open.
However, both SM Ecoland and SM Lanang Premier have adjusted mall hours to 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. from the previous 10 a.m. to 9 p.m..
“SM Cinema, bingo, and playrooms have temporarily stopped their operations following the directive of the City Government of Davao,” the mall advisory read.
On the other hand, the Ayala Malls Abreeza also issued an advisory which adjusted its operating hours effective March 16, in line with the management’s thrust of prioritizing the health and safety of everyone.
Abreeza Mall has also adjusted its hours effective March 18: Monday to Sunday 11AM to 7PM.
