SM City Rosales in Pangasinan reopened its doors to the public during the Thanksgiving weekend, highlighting hope and SM’s commitment to take an active part in the development of this municipality.

Last September, at the height of the onslaught of Typhoon Pepeng, much of Northern luzon, including Pangasinan, was devastated. The mall’s reopening after less than two months is a positive sign that business and employment opportunities are back in the area.

Ricardo Revita, the town mayor, said that one of the first calls he received during the typhoon was from SM Prime Holdings president Hans T. Sy, who assured him that ‘[SM] will continue to do business in Rosales. They were here all along, and with the reopening, they have fulfilled their commitment to us.’

Rosales acting tourism officer Aila Rose Z. Seradoy said that the reopening of SM City Rosales brings ‘a lot of positive impact to our town as it will be a catalyst for business and employment. It will also attract many people to our town as it is one of the tourist destinations of Pangasinan.’

Voltaire Siapno, owner of Siapno-Tada Optical, one of the mall’s home grown tenants, said that as a businessman, ‘I was impressed by SM’s commitment to tenants like me that we can start doing business again in 45 days after the devastating floods. SM officials even made sure we could open before the Christmas seasons we could immediately recover some of our losses.’

Siapno added that as tenant, ‘I look forward to a continuous and harmonious relationship with the SM management.’

Amie, an avid shopper who lives in Villasis, Pangasinan, said SM’s reopening was timely, just before Christmas, adding that SM is ‘a one-stop shop that has everything the family needs.’

Sy said in a disclosure that SM has ‘sped up the reopening so that employees who depend on it for their livelihood can go back to their work immediately.’

The reopening underscored the strong partnership between SM and Rosales officials. After a concelebrated Mass led by Bishop Jacinto Jose, Revita, Rep.Conrado M. Estrella III, former representative Conrado B. Estrella Sr., and Vice Mayor Romeo L. Sim joined SM founder and chairman Henry Sy Sr., Mrs. Felicidad Sy, Hans Sy, SM Supermarket president Herbert Sy, and SM Investments Corp.vice chairman Tessie Sy-Coson in a ribbon-cutting ceremony of a photo exhibit showcasing SM’s rescue, relief, and recovery efforts during the storm.

A program where heartwarming stories about the flood were narrated followed. Stories included the heroism of the five guards who rescued man hanging on to a pole. The guards were cited for their courage.

Located on a 121,685-square-meter (sq-m) property along MacArthur Hwy. in barangay Carmen East, the 60,898-sq-m mall brings SM’s shopping, leisure, and entertainment excitement to Rosales and neighboring towns like Villasis, Sta. Maria, Balungao, Urdaneta City, Sto.Tomas, and Umingan. lt also serves shoppers in Nueva Ecija and Tarlac, as well as travelers from Baguio City and the II0cosRegion.

The SM Department Store and SM Supermarket are the major anchors of SM City Rosales, which also has SM mainstays like the SM Appliance Center, Watsons, and ACE Hardware. It also has fashion boutiques, home stores, electronic shops, health and personal care stores, as well as restaurants, service stores, and amusement centers.

A food court and four deluxe cinemas with a seating capacity of 2,000 complete the shopping experience. For customer convenience, SM City. Rosales has parking facilities for 700 vehicles and is strategically located beside the main terminal for inter-town public buses and jeepneys.