“When it rains, everyone is drenched,” says 68-year old Leonila Lamigo from San Simon, Dasmariñas City as she recalls how the roofs of the old Kadiwa public market in Dasmariñas City looked like. Now known as SM Marketmall, that old Kadiwa sets a standard of how public markets will look like in the future.

Leonila has been selling fish to Dasmariñenos since 1980 and claims to be the oldest living tenant of the old Kadiwa public market. She outlasted the old palengke and continues to sell her wares in its replacement: a modern, multi-storey “mallengke” called the SM Marketmall.

“The Marketmall has wider corridors and it is cleaner. We are able to work better,” said Leonila. “Our customers also feel secured because of the Marketmall’s security.”

SM Marketmall opened in October 2011 on the site of the torn-down palengke. It is the first mall with Hypermarket, wet and dry market and bagsakan.

On the top floor, SM Marketmall offers a spacious unloading area, also known as a bagsakan, for viajeros, or wholesalers of fruits and vegetables from other provinces. Moreover, thematic and seasonal events and promos popularly done in SM malls throughout the country are regularly held inside Marketmall and participated in by both vendors and customers.