If there is one change that we have all noticed in the past year, it’s delivery motorbikes zipping through our roads all hours of the day and night. Delivery riders have become valuable frontliners in this time of pandemic, bringing much needed essentials to the community so others can stay safe at home.
Recognizing the value of the work they do, SM Supermalls has put up wait lounges for riders, where they can relax safely and charge their phones for a few minutes while waiting for a dispatch. For many delivery riders who are also on bikes, SM offers bike-friendly parking, bike-vending machines with locks, snacks, drinks and more.
But beyond the necessary waiting lounges, a valuable role that SM has played in this time is provider of new job opportunities for many repatriated and furloughed Filipinos who were displaced or lost their jobs, here and abroad due to the downturn in the economy. As riders for different companies servicing 76 SM malls nationwide, these often-times breadwinners can benefit from a ready means of income and a way to support their families.
“SM Supermalls has always been committed to help not only our customers, but those who service the community, initially struggling from job displacement but now continuing to work hard to deliver goods and services to those at home,” said Steven Tan, SM Supermalls president.
The SM Riders Program has helped more than 180,000 riders nationwide. SM has partnered with more than 36 leading delivery and third-party fulfillment companies. Magicians, event hosts, basketball leagues and construction workers are just some of the many who have shifted to jobs in delivery services since March 2020. The program, which operates in various SM malls across the country, recently won the Award of Excellence at the 18th Philippine Quill Awards and a Silver at the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards.
But more than the awards it has reaped, the program gives hope and dignity to those who deliver goods from the SM Malls to its customers. Mark Nelson Marcial, a rider for SM City Trece Martires, said that being part of the SM Riders Program has given him a proper job and helped him earn extra income. “Malaking tulong po ang SM Trece Martires sa amin sa panahon ng pandemya. Nagkaroon po ako ng maayos na trabaho para tustusan ang pang araw-araw na kailangan ng aking pamilya,” he said.
Another driver, Rayquel Santiago, who services SM Pampanga as part of Atad Patrol, one of SM’s partner delivery companies, said that the process of ordering for customers is so much easier when there are multiple requests, thanks to the wide array of options that SM provides. “Masaya ako dahil napapadali at mabilis ang service namin. Dahil nasa SM na lahat ng pwedeng bilhin at orderin ng customer,” Santiago said.
Hanz Tagabucba, founder of Errands Davao, Davao’s first on-demand assistant, said that the partnership with SM Davao has been a big help for many Davaeños, who have been relying on delivery services now more than ever. “Amidst all these changes and challenges we are facing, it is a great pleasure to be part of a system that is able to serve, help, and make the Davao communities’ lives easier,” Tagabucba said.
Through the SM Riders Program which provides job opportunities for those who had lost hope and who need a steady income in these difficult times, SM continues in its mission to serve its communities from Cauayan, Isabela in North Luzon to Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao.
For more information, visit www.smsupermalls.com or follow @smsupermalls on all social media accounts.
