Globe will start enforcing late payment fees stipulated in the subscription agreement for mobile and broadband postpaid customers starting December 1, 2023, to encourage on-time payment of monthly dues and ensure uninterrupted services.  The late payment fee is not a new fee but has been part of the Globe subscription agreement with its customers.

 A minimal late payment fee of PHP50 will apply to Mobile Postpaid, Platinum and Globe At Home Broadband Postpaid accounts.

 Charging a late payment fee is standard practice for services with monthly recurring bills including banks and credit card companies. Telco companies abroad also charge late payment fees.

 “For the longest time, Globe had deferred charging the late payment fee even though this is included in the terms and conditions of our postpaid subscription agreement. With today’s business environment when other sectors and even the government are charging late payment fees, an example is the LTO, we believe that the telco sector may follow suit.  In our case, only postpaid customers who comprise less than 5% of our total mobile customer base will be charged,” said Darius Delgado, Vice President and Head of Consumer Mobile Business of Globe.

 Those who believe they were charged late payment fees by mistake or have questions on their billing may also contact our customer service team via our official Globe Facebook Messenger channel, and Globe will rectify confirmed errors.

 In case payment due dates fall on a holiday or a weekend, Globe encourages customers to pay their bills before the due date using same-day payment posting channels.

 To ensure on-time payments, Globe offers online payment platforms such as the GlobeOne app and GCash to make it more convenient for customers to settle their bills. Customers may also enroll their accounts to auto-debit arrangements through their respective banks.

 “Our customers don’t have to worry about the late payment fee if they pay on time. This fee is not meant to burden them but to encourage them to make prompt payments for uninterrupted connectivity services. We want to veer away from the usual practice of disconnecting services over unpaid balances,” added Delgado.

To learn how to pay bills via the GlobeOne app, go to https://www.globe.com.ph/apps-content/globeone.html#gref.  To know more about Globe, visit  https://www.globe.com.ph/.

For more information, please contact:

 Yoly C. Crisanto

Chief Sustainability and Corporate Communications Officer

Globe Group

Email Address: gtcorpcomm@globe.com.ph

Globe Press Room: https:/ www.globe.com.ph/about-us/newsroom.html

Twitter: @talk2GLOBE │ Facebook: http:/ www.facebook.com/globeph

17 couples tie the knot at Shrine of Jesus – the Way, the Truth, and the Life last Oct. 23, 2023 through the Felicidad T. Sy Foundation’s 7^th Kasalan sa SM.

 Felicidad T. Sy Foundation (FSTFI), an affiliate of the SM Foundation, hosted a mass wedding for 17 couples at the Shrine of Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, located within the Mall of Asia (MOA) complex.

 The seventh Kasalan sa SM offered a platform for couples from the SM group to solemnize their love and commitment within the sanctified confines of the Catholic Church.

 The event also stood as a testament to the FTSFI’s commitment to enriching the Catholic faith of Filipinos and promoting the value of beginning family life centered on faith.

 The mass wedding was followed by a reception at the shrine’s St. John Paul Hall where the newlyweds and their guests gathered to celebrate their new beginnings.

 FTSFI’s commitment to the Filipino people extends beyond the mass wedding, as they continue to create opportunities for Filipinos to embrace their faith and create meaningful, faith-centered family lives.

Wedding offiiciants Rev. Fr. Reynaldo Reyes, Rev. Fr. Danilo A. Cenceran, Rev. Fr. Joel Jason, Rev. Fr. Roberto Custodio, Jr. Rev. Fr. Boogie Tacdoro, and Rev. Fr. Bryan Tayag with FTSFI Executive Director Mel Elido and the newly weds.

The couples celebrate their special day with their families and loved ones.

Blessing the union of the couples are wedding offiiciants Rev. Fr. Reynaldo Reyes, Rev. Fr. Danilo Cenceran, Rev. Fr. Joel Jason, Rev. Fr. Roberto Custodio, Jr. Rev. Fr. Boogie Tacdoro, and Rev. Fr. Brian Paul Tayag.

Caption: SM employees joined the company’s Super Fun Run event held at the Mall of Asia complex last October 22 to celebrate SM’s 65th anniversary.

PASAY CITY, PHILIPPINES, October 24, 2023–In celebration of SM’s 65th anniversary, employees from the SM Group of Companies, including SM Investments Corporation, SM Retail, Inc. and its affiliates, SM Store, SM Markets, SM Prime Holdings, SM Development Corporation, and SM Supermalls joined the Super Fun Run held last October 22.

Over 13,000 employees consisting of around 6,895 employees from Metro Manila and 6,369 employees from the provinces simultaneously ran the 3K and the 6.5K distances at the Mall of Asia grounds and in 32 different venues nationwide including Pampanga, Bacolod, Cebu, and Davao to name a few.

“Along with our employees, this SM Super Fun Run is a commemorative event to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the company. This event also brought the SM employees closer together,” shared Regina Naguit, Senior Assistant Vice President for SM Retail and lead organizer of the Super Fun Run.

The event, which was conducted in partnership with Runrio Events, Inc., also aimed to promote a fun and healthy lifestyle among SM employees and their families.

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About SM Investments Corporation

SM Investments Corporation is a leading Philippine company that is invested in market-leading businesses in retail, banking, and property. It also invests in ventures that capture high growth opportunities in the emerging Philippine economy.

SM’s retail operations are the country’s largest and most diversified with its food, non-food, and specialty retail stores. SM’s property arm, SM Prime Holdings, Inc., is the largest integrated property developer in the Philippines with interests in malls, residences, offices, hotels, and convention centers as well as tourism-related property developments. SM’s interests in banking are in BDO Unibank, Inc., the country’s largest bank, and China Banking Corporation, the fourth largest bank by total assets among private banks.

For more information, please visit www.sminvestments.com

 For inquiries, please contact:

 Timothy Daniels

Consultant, Investor Relations & Sustainability

SM Investments Corporation Email: smic_corpcomm@sminvestments.com

PASAY CITY, Philippines, October 20, 2023–The commitment to helping micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) is a culture every business unit embodies across the ecosystem of SM Investments Corporation (SM Investments). As SM celebrates its 65th year, its unwavering commitment to supporting this sector remains at the heart of its operations.

This dedication to supporting MSMEs is rooted in SM’s history, initiated by its founder, Mr. Henry Sy Sr., who began as a small enterprise with ShoeMart in 1958. In its commitment to serving Filipino communities, SM upholds this legacy as it marks the celebration of 65 years in the industry, highlighting its journey with local businesses by holding the SM Supermalls’ Tenant-Partners Summit.

“MSMEs are often regarded as the backbone of the economy,” said SM Supermalls President Steven Tan. “To us, our MSME partners are the heartbeat of our malls. We are honored to be their partners and we always strive to serve them better in our shared path to modernizing the retail landscape.”

One of SM’s many partners is Ms. Diannel Go. Her love for the art of weaving led to the creation of BinibiniCo, a modern take on traditional Filipino handicrafts.

Her brand became one of the partners of the SM StartUp Market, one of the MSME support programs of SM that offers to help online businesses set up shops at SM malls.

In SM’s StartUp Market, budding businesses are assisted in opening their very first physical stores at select SM mall branches. The package comes with start-up-friendly rates and the use of kiosks or carts free of charge.

“Actually, before, online lang kami,” she said. “Nagkaroon kami ng chance ma-ishowcase yung mga products namin like yung bayong sa mall setting dahil sa SM.”

(Actually, we only had a presence online back then. We were able to have the chance to showcase our products like the bayong in the mall setting because of SM.)

A passion that started with seven bayongs (Filipino bags made of woven leaves) that she sold to her neighbors is now located at SM City Santa Rosa, proudly representing Laguna with the motto, “Gawang Pinay para sa Pinoy. (Made by Filipina for Filipinos)

SM’s support to MSMEs

In addition to support programs, SM also helps in backing community-based businesses through partnerships with Kultura, an affiliate of the SM Group through its retailing arm, SM Retail Inc.

Ms. Ma. Evelina ‘Beng’ Atienza co-founder of the Kababaihan ng Maynila Foundation, Inc., shared how SM has helped their group of women entrepreneurs realize their talents in creating their products that are close to every Filipinos’ heart—the Christmas parol, distributed at different branches of Kultura.

Not only do they liven the festive season, but these parols are sustainable since these are designed to be foldable and washable, which can be easily used every year, all of which are conceptualized by the women creating the parols.

“SM has really helped our women greatly,” she said. “Yung iba kasi hirap sa buhay, di nila nare-realize that they have talents. And SM has been such a cooperative and generous partner to our women.

(For some of them because of life’s challenges they don’t realize their talents.)

She expressed their group’s gratitude to SM, emphasizing the support they received from their loyal customer base and the established market.

“The partnership is a huge help to their families,” she added. “As we grow with them, more of our members become generous and ask how they can support others.

Positive community impact and commitment 

At present, 68 percent of SM Supermalls’ tenants belong to the MSME sector. SM serves as a marketplace for over 90,000 MSMEs nationwide.

Earlier this year, SM Investments Vice Chairperson Teresita Sy-Coson reiterated SM’s commitment to continue initiatives in support of MSMEs.

“Starting as a small enterprise ourselves, we recognize MSMEs as a driving force for innovation,” she said. They are the ones who bring new ideas, new concepts, and new offerings to the consumers. That’s why we remain committed to supporting the growth and empowerment of MSMEs.”

From its support to MSMEs, to listening to the needs of the community, SM has always advocated the philosophy of paying it forward. This practice lives on not only within SM’s 65^th year festivities, but also in the decades to come and beyond.

###

About SM Investments Corporation

SM Investments Corporation is a leading Philippine company that is invested in market-leading businesses in retail, banking, and property. It also invests in ventures that capture high growth opportunities in the emerging Philippine economy.

SM’s retail operations are the country’s largest and most diversified with its food, non-food, and specialty retail stores. SM’s property arm, SM Prime Holdings, Inc., is the largest integrated property developer in the Philippines with interests in malls, residences, offices, hotels, and convention centers as well as tourism-related property developments. SM’s interests in banking are in BDO Unibank, Inc., the country’s largest bank, and China Banking Corporation, the fourth largest bank by total assets among private banks.

For more information, please visit www.sminvestments.com

For inquiries, please contact:

 Timothy Daniels

Consultant, Investor Relations & Sustainability

SM Investments Corporation

Email: smic_corpcomm@sminvestments.com

If you told Johans Juruena that he’d be working at SM 12 years after he met its founder Henry Sy, Sr., he probably wouldn’t have believed you.

 It was 1978, and the nine-year-old Johans was just looking forward to his yearly summer visit to Manila. Summers from his childhood were filled with memories of hanging around at what was then Shoemart along Carriedo Street in Quiapo, Manila, where his mother, Erlinda, worked as a sales clerk.

He still vividly remembers what the shoe store looked like. “Ang ibinebenta d’un, may men’s shoes, may ladies’ shoes, may pambata na rin talaga. May glass showcase sa gitna kung saan nand’un yung mga naka-display na sapatos,” he said.
(“It sold shoes for men, ladies, and children. There was a glass display in the middle where all the shoes were showcased.”)

However, there was a particular encounter that would shape his future career. During that same summer, Johans unexpectedly met the shoe store owner—Henry, whom SM employees fondly called “Tatang.”

A close encounter with Tatang

Johans shared that his mother immediately reminded him to pay his respects through pagmamano, the traditional gesture of respect toward the elderly by touching one’s forehead to the back of their hand as an act of “blessing.”

“N’ung bumisita si Tatang sa Carriedo para i-check yung display and items, nagkataon na nand’un ako. Isa ako sa mapalad na nakapagmano kay Tatang,” he recalled. “Nakangiti siya. Inabot niya kamay niya para makapagmano ako.”

(When Tatang visited the store along Carriedo to check the display and items, it just so happened that I was there. I was one of those lucky enough to approach him and pay my respects,” he recalled. “He was smiling. He even held out his hand for me to ‘bless.’)

While observing the store owner, Johans overheard how Tatang constantly quizzed his employees about what the customers needed. “Ano ba ang hinahanap ng customer na wala tayo?” Tatang would ask. “Ano ba ang kailangan ng customer na wala tayo?”

(What are customers looking for that we don’t have?” Tatang would ask. “What do our customers need that we don’t have?)

In that brief encounter, Johans caught what mattered most to Tatang – giving his customers what they need.

Working for SM

It was 1990, and Johans, fresh out of college, officially became part of SM. He first worked as a sales utility clerk, facing customers day in and day out.

“North EDSA ang first Supermall ni SM. N’ung panahon namin n’un, pag-open pa lang nang 10 o’clock, pag-roll up, yung mga customers nasa may entrance na sila. Grabe ang foot traffic ni North EDSA,” Johans recounted.

(North EDSA is the first Supermall of SM. During our time, customers would line up as soon as the mall opened before 10 a.m. The foot traffic at North EDSA was really something else.)

His next encounter with Tatang happened while handling the Men’s Shoes section at the SM Store North EDSA. “Nakita ko siyang bumisita. Supervisor na ako noon sa Men’s Shoes—1996 or 1997. Yung araw na ‘yun, wala ‘yung Manager, naka day-off. Usually, ‘yung una niyang pinupuntahan yung Men’s Shoes. Naka- ready kami lahat,” Johans shared.

(I saw him visit. I was already a Men’s Shoes Department supervisor—1996 or 1997. My manager wasn’t around that day; he had the day off. Usually, he [Tatang] would drop by the Men’s Shoes [section] first. We were all ready.)

Johans distinctly remembers how Tatang reminded him to keep the sandals and other footwear clean. That way, the customers could appreciate their products better. It was a simple but important lesson that Johans would carry with him even in the decades to come.

Salute to a continuing legacy

Fast forward to 2023. Many things have changed, but some things have remained constant. SM is celebrating its 65th year in the industry.

Johans’s experience working at SM is a testament to not only the company’s decades-long commitment to top-notch customer service, but also to Tatang’s enduring legacy. Johans is now a manager at SM Store Quiapo, with people working under him and following his guidance.