Weaving SM’s Mindanaoan tapestry

“My Story, My SM” continues its journey around the Philippines, weaving an exquisite tapestry of stories from Mindanao. This time, it celebrates the joys of family, art and food in beautiful Davao, Cagayan de Oro and General Santos City.

These are stories from customers, business partners and prominent personalities from cities where SM has malls and serves the community. Along with their stories, get to know more about our country’s rich history, diverse culture and its many talented and inspiring people who have brought much honor to the Philippines.

First stop is Davao, whose beauty and bounty have brought together a diversity of cultures — the indigenous people, the Muslims, as well as Christian settlers — that live harmoniously. As part of beautiful Mindanao, Davao attracted many Christian migrants from the Visayas and Luzon who were drawn to its impressive tropical rainforests, fertile valleys and great biodiversity.

While there were Christian settlers as early as 1848, it was during the American rule in the late 19th century that more settlers came to Davao. Many were lured by the prosperity offered by Davao’s beauty and fertile lands. Today, Davao and the rest of Mindanao are home to some of the world’s largest pineapple, banana and pomelo plantations.

Meet Jackie Dizon and Vincent Garcia, who, as officers of Hijos de Davao, take the lead in preserving culture and traditions, nurturing relationships and making a difference in the community. The group has philanthropic endeavors like fundraisers that focus on education and development.

In Davao, meet the Puentespina family, whose parents Roberto and Charita migrated from Iloilo to Davao to seek a better life for their growing family in the 1960s. The Puentespinas have been in agriculture for over five decades in businesses that have always worked with nature. They construct wells, raise goats to make artisanal cheeses, produce and sell cut flowers and foliage, grow potted plants, run a nature-themed resort and are behind the award-winning Malagos chocolates, including the first chocolate museum in the country. Angel is managing director of Puentespina Orchids and Tropical Plants, which has become among the biggest producers of cut flowers in the country today, along with his wife Arlene, a floral stylist.

Foodies will love the inspiring stories of Olive, founder and cheesemaker of Malagos Farmhouse, which is known for its artisanal cheeses like the blue goat cheese and feta; and Rex who is behind the single-origin Malagos chocolates that have already earned 19 prestigious international and two local awards.

As a family of varied interests, each Puentespina family member became interested in and managed its own business unit, yet collectively shared the same values and beliefs which their parents imparted — faith in God, hard work, honesty and the value of relationships.

Next stop is Cagayan de Oro, the City of Golden Friendship, which offers golden opportunities for the arts to flourish in the region. Its natural attractions and rich heritage that brings together its indigenous communities and Maranao Muslims lay the ground for an exciting cultural exchange.

Learn how visual artist Toym Imao developed a greater appreciation of how his father National Artist Abdulmari Imao touched the lives of Mindanaoan artists, during the “My City, My SM, My Art” run at SM City Cagayan de Oro.

This week’s journey makes a final stop in General Santos, the Tuna Capital of the Philippines, southernmost port city and the site of an SM mall. It is also the gateway for tourism and culture in the region, with its proximity to Lake Sebu, the home of the T’boli people famous for their exquisite t’nalak woven fabrics, beadwork and brass ornaments.

A native of GenSan, Shamcey Supsup-Lee, beauty queen, architect and television host, who together with her husband Lloyd, is making her mark in their restaurant business, Pedro ‘n Coi, which has an outlet in her hometown.

The Puentespinas — Jackie and Vincent, Toym and Shamcey — join in SM’s 60th anniversary celebrations by sharing their inspiring stories in the “My Story, My SM” series featuring 60 lives touched by 60 years of SM.

With its roots in retailing, SM has over the years become part of the lives of millions of Filipinos — customers, business partners, employees — each with a wonderful story to tell.

Learn more about their inspiring stories at https:// mystorymysm.com and get a glimpse of how SM has been part of the Hijos de Davao celebrations for the past five years, how the Puentespinas’ different businesses have grown with SM, how exhibiting at SM brought Toym closer to his roots, and how the SM story serves as an inspiration for Shamcey at https://www.youtube. com/MyStoryMySM.

The Puentespina Family: Angel and Arlene: “We have many fond memories of spending time with family at SM — sometimes shopping, watching movies and watching activities of our children like our daughter’s ballet participation and the taekwando competition of our son Paolo.” Olive: “Participating in SM’s weekend markets helped me touch base with customers, and being part of ‘My City, My SM’ was a nice platform to be noticed in the market SM holds.” Rex: “SM through Kultura was the first one to put Malagos chocolates on its shelves and is our number one retailer.”

Jackie Dizon and Vincent Garcia: “For the past five years, SM has been part of Hijos’ celebrations through its balls at SMX and through the coffee table book which was part of our 50th anniversary.”

Toym Imao: “Exhibitions in SM are a form of outreach. We are bridging the galleries and the fine arts to people from all walks of life.”

Shamcey Supsup-Lee: “My husband Lloyd and I have always been inspired by the SM story and through our business, we look forward to growing with the company and serving more customers in years to come.”