CAUAYAN CITY, Isabela (October 7)—In line with its efforts in promoting a greener and environment friendly community, the SM Cauayan City has embarked the first Green Retail Agenda on October 3, 2014 at its Cinema 1 here.

Krystal Gayle Agbulig, public relations officer, said SM’s Green Retail Agenda is an annual event where mall tenants and disaster response teams are involved in a symposium that tackles climate change and disaster risk management.

The symposium, she added, which highlighted the “Business Case for Disaster Risk Reduction”, will accentuate SM’s initiative as a steward of the environment and emphasizes social, economic and environmental benefits of green retail.

She said among the resource speakers during the event were Edmond Guzman, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer, who discussed the “Philippine Disasters: An Overview of the Country’s Vulnerability to Disaster”, City Councilor Marco Paolo Meris, chair of the City Council Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, who tackled the “Challenges and Opportunities in Disaster Risk Reduction” and Greg Diego, who also presented the “Disaster Preparedness Best Practices”.

Other topics included “Emergency Response”, discussed by Ronald Viloria, Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer of Cauayan City and Rescue Chief of Rescue 922 and the “Best Practices” of SM City during disasters.

“The forum provides a venue for the business sector to showcase their best practices to encourage business community, schools and government agencies to incorporate “green strategies or green retail agenda” in their daily operations,” Agbulig added.

She said that with this initiative, it is expected that retailers and business establishments will be able to transform to an eco-friendly, energy-efficient and disaster resilient entities. “As what the President of SM Supermalls, Mr. Hans T. Sy once said, “Working towards resilience is simply a good business. It’s a business survival kit in an increasingly unpredictable world,” she stressed.

Over 180 participants attended the first GRA of SM City Cauayan to include the Philippine National Police here, Philippine Air Force-Tactical Operations Group 2, Bureau of Fire, Rescue 922 of Cauayan City, Rescue 531 of Alicia and Rescue 831 of the Province of Isabela, different Student Body Organizations from Isabela State University, Our Lady of the Pillar College and University of Perpetual Help System, and SM City Cauayan’s mall tenants, security guards, utility and maintenance personnel.(ALM/MGE/PIA2/Isabela/ with reports from Krystal Gayle Agbulig, SM City Cauayan)