On the occasion of the 14th Anniversary of the Magna Carta of Women (MCW), SM Supermalls joined the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) in holding its annual Gender and Development Transformation and Institutionalization through Mainstreaming of Programs, Agenda, Linkages, and Advocacies (GADtimpala) Awards, held recently at the SM Aura Samsung Hall.
SM Supermalls’ Senior Vice President for Operations Engr. Bien Mateo (4th from left) and Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) Executive Director Atty. Kristine Chaves (4th from right) lead the signing of the memorandum of understanding between SM Supermalls and PCW to further advocate gender equality. They are joined by (L-R): SM Supermalls’ Assistant Vice President (AVP) for Customer Relations Services Marjorie Orellano, PCW Deputy Executive Director Khay Ann Borlado, SM Supermalls’ AVP for Corporate Compliance and SM Cares for Women Program Director Atty. Pearl Jayagan Turley, PCW Chief Gender and Development Specialist Anita Baleda, SM Supermalls’ Vice President for Corporate Marketing Grace Magno, and PCW Deputy Executive Director Kristine Balmes
One of the highlights of the event was the ceremonial signing of a memorandum of understanding between SM Supermalls and the PCW. Led by SM Supermalls’ Senior Vice President for Operations Engr. Bien Mateo and PCW Executive Director Atty. Kristine Chaves, the partnership symbolizes a joint commitment to upholding gender equality and empowering women’s rights.
“Notable advancements towards gender mainstreaming have been realized across sectors. More prominently, the gender gap in education is nearly bridged and the civil service sector has been meeting the 50/50 quota in second-level positions. Other sectors have also seen women’s increased involvement, thanks to more inclusive and gender-responsive programs and policies,” shared PCW Executive Director Atty. Kristine Chaves.
PCW Executive Director Atty. Kristine Chaves
SM is the largest homegrown company to sign the United Nations Women's Empowerment Principles (UN WEPs). “Since 2021, we have shown our commitment to the gender equality dimensions of the 2030 agenda and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. With the help of SM Cares, our corporate social responsibility arm, we’re able to successfully incorporate women empowerment activities internally and externally throughout our malls,” said SM Supermalls’ President Steven Tan.
SM Supermalls' Vice President for Corporate Marketing Grace Magno delivers the welcome message on behalf of SM Supermalls' President Steven Tan
SM Supermalls was a proud venue partner of PCW in this year’s GADtimpala Awards as part of sustaining efforts to promote the SM Cares advocacy on women.
The GADtimpala Awards recognizes government agencies for their outstanding achievement and/or performance in upholding the rights of women and the effective implementation of gender-responsive programs. This year’s theme was "Strengthening and Recognizing Gender Mainstreaming Initiatives towards Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and Girls." GADtimpala is the official GAD incentives and awards system of the PCW, as mandated under the MCW.
As an advocate for women’s rights and empowerment, SM has been creating programs to engage with and support its women stakeholders. SM, through SM Cares, pioneered women's initiatives such as the installation of 80 breastfeeding stations across its malls which have welcomed over 1 Million mothers to date. Its programs for breastfeeding mothers and women promote their good health and well-being such as “Hakab Na!’” and “Free to Feed” held every August in celebration of Breastfeeding Awareness Month, the Pink Ribbon Day held every October in observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the creation of the Philippine chapter of the Women’s International Network for Disaster Risk Reduction (WIN DRR), and sponsorship of the WIN DRR Leadership Awards for Asia-Pacific with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UN DRR).
Further, SM has supported the welfare and upbringing of girls by helping the Girl Scouts of the Philippines through several partnerships such as COVID-19 vaccinations and members’ sponsorship. And, SM continues its commitment to empowering women by providing technology upskilling and meaningful income generation opportunities through the Elevate Artificial Intelligence and Data Annotation (AIDA) program.
“SM is a community of and for women. It is no wonder that every day, in everything we do, we strive to do right by women,” Mr. Tan closed.
