SM CITY Mindpro has postponed its grand opening in Zamboanga City, the first supermall in Western Mindanao, and the first under the administration of Mayor Beng Climaco.
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| Mr. Hans T. Sy and Mayor Beng Climaco |
SM City Mindpro also postponed its VIP invitations on November 26, the eve of the grand opening. The mall’s public information officer, Arnel Manahan, said the postponement were both agreed by SM City Mindpro and the local government. “We will announce the formal opening soon,” he said.
Despite the postponement, mall executives thanked Climaco and the City Government for its strong support to the business sector.
SM City Mindpro is also the first in Zamboanga Peninsula and seventh in Mindanao, and the 76th Supermall in the country.
“Muchas gracias SM City for choosing Zamboanga City and this only prove that Zamboanga is a major trading hub, a regional center, and an industrial center that cater to everybody from the whole of Zamboanga Peninsula, Basilan, and Sulu and as far as Tawi-Tawi,” the mayor said.
Climaco personally thanked Hans Sy, Chairman of the Executive Committee of SM Prime, for investing in Zamboanga City.
The mayor said she was honored to meet Sy. “I was really excited debido a sabe kita, tiene ya propiedad ya compra el SM na Ciudad and I asked Mr. Hans Sy to really invest in Zamboanga,” she said. “This mall is a testament of wonderful miracle para dale empleyo, trabajo, negosyo con el de aton maga citizens this time of the pandemic. We ask everyone to support safe shopping na todo el de aton maga malls.”
Climaco said residents had been waiting and excited for SM City Mindpro to open soon.
“We would like to welcome a new member of our family, el SM City Mindpro. We are working very hard to enforce the safety of the mall and residents, but we would also like to ask the public to cooperate and welcome them in a way that we ensure that everyone must wear our protective device because we are now in the time of pandemic. So this is really a sign of hope for the people of Zamboanga that as we end the year, we celebrate God’s love continuously, but we will make it a more joyful celebration,” she said.
Strategically located in a 13,078-square meter site along La Purisima Street and Campaner Street in Barangay Zone III, the shopping mall follows strict implementation of minimum health standards using advanced, touch-free technology.
The mall uses Trace Together, which is an end-to-end contact tracing solution to fight the spread of coronavirus disease. Mall-goers are required to download the Trace Together application and must scan the QR code at all entrances using their mobile device and declare information like name, address, mobile phone number, and health condition status.
It also implements the “No Face Mask, No Face Shield, No Entry,” policy in line with the government’s health protocols and check body temperature using thermal scanners, and there are disinfectant mats and alcohol in all the mall’s entrances.
Business-friendly
Climaco said the local government is pursuing business-friendly strategies aimed at further improving business sector confidence.
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Zamboanga City continues to enjoy a strong economy as influx of trade and investments add to the already robust business climate in the area. Proof of this is the steady flow of investors to Zamboanga, a major trading hub in southern Philippines, owing to the efforts of the local government in making this southern port city business-friendly.
The ease of making business here — compared to the previous decades — is far better, according to traders, who cited local government’s efforts in attracting investors not only from other parts of the country, but overseas as well.
Best Mayor
In October 2018, a prominent lawyer, Linda Lim, who is also chief executive officer and president of the oldest and largest universities in Mindanao — the Universidad de Zamboanga — also cited the vigorous business climate and the leadership of Climaco that played a key role in the huge improvement and development of Zamboanga as a city.
In a speech during the 70th founding celebration the university which coincided with the Parade of Lights during the Zamboanga La Hermosa Festival, Lim said: “We will carry on, continue to move on and continue to serve our community, especially under the leadership of Mayor Beng.”
“It is only under her leadership that Zamboanga saw a flux of investments, we can see all investments coming in, we can feel it, not only see it. As of now, Zamboanga City ranks among the top cities with the largest accumulation of wealth in the whole Philippines and that can only happen under the leadership of Mayor Beng. Let us continue to elect people like her because it is only under this kind of leadership that Zamboanga can continue to move on,” she said.
Recognition
And in October last year, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) also cited Zamboanga City and recognized the efforts of the local government in streamlining business processes.
PCCI awarded the City Government with a “special citation” during the 45th Philippine Business Conference and Expo held at the Manila Hotel.
The PCCI also noted the efforts of the local government which resulted to a significant increase in new business enterprises in Zamboanga. From 2018-2019, Zamboanga City posted a 74% increase in the number of approved business permits for new business applications and also recorded a 182% increase in the number of approved business renewals.
City Administrator Apple Go represented the local government during the awarding ceremony. She said the special recognition exemplifies the commendable initiatives of the Climaco administration towards good governance reforms that promote trade and investments and significantly contribute to local economic development.
Also in 2019, the local government was also nominated to the Most Business-Friendly LGU award by the Southern Philippines Deep Sea Fishing Association headed by its President Jaydrick Yap.
And Commissioner Aileen Lourdes Lizada, of the Civil Service Commission, praised Climaco during an unannounced inspection last year to check on compliance of civil service rules in government offices.
Lizada, who visited other regions in the country, noted a number of “best practices” at Zamboanga City Hall during her group’s inspection. One of them is the wearing of identification cards by civil workers with Climaco as the best example. She said the Public Assistance Desk at the main entrance of City Hall is very responsive to the public and the presence of an institutionalized human resource department at City Hall, among others. (Zamboanga Post)
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