The Resilience Revolution: How SM Supermalls Is Rewriting the Future for Small Businesses
The Resilience Revolution: How SM Supermalls Is Rewriting the Future for Small Businesses
By HappyRichTV
In a world where the big players often hog the spotlight, it’s the small yet mighty Filipino businesses—the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs)—that keep our economy truly alive and beating. These are the family-run boutiques, the weekend market stalls, the food carts, and hole-in-the-wall restos that pour passion, sacrifice, and love into every sale.
But let’s be real: when disaster strikes, it’s these very dreamers who suffer first and worst. One typhoon. One earthquake. One fire. And it’s not just inventory or income lost—it’s years of blood, sweat, and hope washed away.
What if we could flip the script? What if resilience wasn’t a privilege, but a right—for everyone chasing their entrepreneurial dream?
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Small Businesses, Big Battles
Filipino MSMEs are more than just businesses. They’re generational dreams. They employ millions, feed families, and build communities. But when calamities come (as they often do), they’re the first to crumble—and sadly, often the last to recover.
Picture this: Ate Maria’s clothing shop—gone overnight because of a flood. Kuya Roberto’s restaurant—shuttered because of a nearby fire. These aren’t just statistics. They’re lives interrupted. Communities shaken.
SM Supermalls Steps In: From Landlord to Lifesaver
Now here’s the twist. Instead of just watching from the sidelines, SM Supermalls made a bold move. They saw the writing on the wall—nearly 70% of their tenants are MSMEs. That’s thousands of stories, thousands of families.
So they said, “Let’s not just rent space to them. Let’s help them thrive—even survive.”
“We realized our success depends on theirs,” one SM rep shared. “If our MSME partners fall, the whole ecosystem suffers. But when they rise, the entire community flourishes.”
And that’s how a game-changing idea was born.
The Big Shift: A Business Continuity Revolution
In 2024, SM launched what might be the boldest private-sector move for MSMEs in recent memory—a Business Continuity Planning (BCP) program designed not just to teach survival, but to completely transform how small businesses prepare for the unexpected.
This isn’t your typical corporate CSR project. This is next-level.
The program gives MSMEs access to the same tools big businesses use—risk assessments, recovery plans, continuity strategies. Plus, each participant gets 5GB of free cloud storage to back up permits, insurance docs, and yes, their BCPs. So if physical files are lost, the digital lifeline remains.
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Government + Private Sector = Power Move
Things really kicked off when SM partnered with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) through a Memorandum of Agreement. Their shared mission? Help 6,000 MSMEs become BCP-ready by 2027.
Leading the charge: DTI Usec. Blesila Lantayona, Director Emma Asusano, and SM’s Corporate Resilience Team. They’re not just pushing papers—they’re reshaping mindsets.
And part of that? The SM-DTI CARE Booths—mobile stations that appear like hope in times of crisis. When MSMEs are down, these booths roll in to give guidance, support, and tangible help.
Workshops That Work
The BCP workshops held at SM locations are powerful. They’re not lectures—they’re real sessions where entrepreneurs dive deep into risk analysis, crisis planning, and step-by-step survival strategies.
Business owners walk away not just with a plan, but with clarity and confidence. After the training, they have a month to finalize and submit their BCPs—making the process urgent but actionable.
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More Than Numbers—Real Impact
Since its launch in September 2024, over 1,500 MSMEs have already completed the training. And each number isn’t just a participant—it’s a family, a dream, a story that now stands a better chance of surviving the next crisis.
One resilient business lifts others. It keeps jobs intact. It supports local suppliers. It keeps communities stable even when the world feels unstable.
Steven Tan’s Vision: Stronger Together
“Resilience isn’t built overnight. It takes education, collaboration, and commitment,” says SM Supermalls President Steven Tan.
This isn’t about “checking the box” on corporate responsibility. This is a culture shift—where preparedness becomes part of business DNA.
Beyond Survival—Thriving in Crisis
This program isn’t just about bouncing back. It’s about bouncing forward.
MSMEs are learning how to spot opportunity in adversity. They’re innovating under pressure. They’re growing stronger through challenges.
This isn’t just disaster training—it’s future-proofing Filipino businesses for the long haul.
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Imagine the Ripple Effect
A small café survives a flood. It keeps paying workers. It continues sourcing ingredients. It remains open, feeding people and inspiring hope.
Now imagine that same ripple, multiplied by 6,000.
That’s what this is about. Not just recovery, but transformation.
Final Word: A Revolution, Quietly Happening
This isn’t a one-time project. It’s a movement—changing how we view MSMEs, disaster risk, and sustainable success.
And here’s the beautiful truth: resilience is not a luxury for the privileged. It’s a basic need for anyone brave enough to build something from scratch.
SM Supermalls is proving that big corporations can choose to empower the small guys. That private and public can partner up for real change. That together, we’re stronger.
Because when MSMEs rise, the whole country rises with them.
Let the resilience revolution roll on.
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