Metro Manila malls to shut down early ahead of quarantine

MANILA — Mall operators on Saturday announced that their branches within Metro Manila will be closed earlier than usual as the region braces for a government-imposed quarantine.

Metro Manila will be under community quarantine beginning Sunday, March 15, to Tuesday, April 14 in a bid to arrest the spread of COVID-19, now considered pandemic by the World Health Organization.

Local chief executives in Metro Manila have also agreed to impose curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. as the quarantine takes effect.

The country's mall chains SM Supermalls, Robinsons Malls, Ayala Malls and Vista Malls said they would have shorter operating hours from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

SM Supermalls, Robinsons Malls and Vista Malls said they will impose their new schedule on Sunday, while Ayala Malls' will be effective today.

The Philippines has recorded 64 cases of the new coronavirus strain, mostly in Metro Manila. Among them, 8 have died.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Malls embrace Pokemon Go craze

MANILA – Malls in Metro Manila are welcoming the Pokemon Go craze with open arms.

The game, which launched in the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries over the weekend, has caused people to flock to public places as they attempt to catch as many fictional creatures as they can.


At least two mall chains in the country are capitalizing on the wildly popular phenomenon, giving away prizes to players who share their Pokemon in-store run-ins on social media.

Robinsons Malls, for instance, is awarding up to P1,000 worth of gift certificates to those who upload a screenshot of the Pokemon they catch in its retail spaces, provided that they use the company’s suggested hashtags.

“We have been anticipating the arrival of Pokemon Go in the Philippines. We are very excited to share that our customers and Pokemon Go fans can expect a lot of treats and freebies in the coming days. Popular Robinsons Malls such as Robinsons Galleria, Robinsons Magnolia and Forum Robinsons, and Robinsons Place Iloilo and Robinsons Place Butuan are just some of the identified Gyms and Poke Stops where you can train or battle with other gamers,” said Eunice Gonzalez, marketing director for Robinsons Malls.

SM Supermalls, on the other hand, is giving out P3,000 worth of shopping money daily from August 8 to 12. Players are required to tag SM’s social media pages in their Pokemon Go posts to join the promo.

The Philippine mall giant has also released its list of Poke Stops and Gyms in its over 50 malls nationwide.



Ayala Malls, meanwhile, continues to give tips to Pokemon Go players and encouraging them to visit their establishments.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Martilyo Gang attacks SM Mall of Asia

MANILA -- An employee of an ice cream kiosk was reported hurt in the shooting incident inside the SM Mall of Asia Complex at past 7 p.m. on Sunday.

The victim, who sustained a grazing wound, was brought to the hospital for treatment, Director Erwin Villacorte of the Southern Police District said.

One of the suspects, identified as Ryan Wansiawan, 23, from Cotabato, was arrested inside the mall. A caliber .45 was recovered from him.

According to Villacorte, the suspects targeted the jewelry counter of the SM department store, which is located at the ground floor of the mall. One of the suspects fired his gun, which caused the commotion.

Villacorte believes that there were around four to six suspects involved in the incident but that the other suspects have already left the building..

But the police have yet to confirm whether they are members of the Martilyo Gang.

However, a mall executive pointed to the notorious gang as behind the incident.

Steven Tan, senior vice president for mall operations of SM Supermalls, identified the Martilyo Gang in a tweet message. "At 7:14pm this evening the martilyo gang had struck a jewelry counter at The SM Store in MOA. The police are already present in the area to conduct a thorough investigation. The mall is working closely with the pnp to resolve this," Tan posted on the SM Supermalls official Twitter account,

Amor Virata, a shopper, said in a radio interview that she was inside a store near the mall's south wing when people suddenly panicked and ran towards the exit at around 7:30 p.m.

Virata also said she saw a man running while holding a gun, prompting them to hide.

"At about 7:30 p.m., kasalukuyang nasa bilihan ako ng blouse ng biglang nag-panic, nagtaklbuhan o nag-stampede sa kinalalagayan ko may nakita kami lalaki na tumatakbo may hawak na baril," she said in an interview over radio dzMM.

Security guards have prohibited people from going near the perimeter of the mall's main building.

Police have cordoned off Pacific Drive at MOA Complex following the shooting incident.

As of this posting, there were no reported hurt or injured in the incident -- report from Eric Dastas, Ricky Velasco, and Junry Hidalgo, DZMM

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Part of SM MOA ceiling collapses, injures boy

MANILA, Philippines - A portion of the ceiling at the SM Mall of Asia's South Arcade collapsed on Sunday, injuring an 11-year-old boy.

In a statement, SM Supermalls vice president for operations Steve Tan confirmed that part of the mall's ceiling was "damaged" by the heavy rains and strong winds.

"Due to the rains and strong winds yesterday, a portion of the Mall of Asia's South Arcade ceiling was damaged. The damage was minimal but an 11-year-old boy was slightly injured. Full assistance was given to him by the SM team," Tan said. The boy is said to be doing fine now.

SM also apologized to its customers for the incident.

"We apologize for whatever inconvenience this may have caused our customers and are repairing now the ceiling in the area," Tan said.

A YouTube video, which was said to have been taken on Sunday (September 15) at the SM Mall of Asia, showed a portion of a collapsed ceiling and debris on the floor. The video also showed an unconscious boy lying on the floor surrounded by debris from the ceiling.

"This apparent incident happened on Sunday, September 15, where SM Mall of Asia's ceiling in the South Wing area, collapsed. One casualty, a young boy, was reportedly hurt badly and went unconscious for several minutes," the description of the video read.

The incident occurred while SM Mall of Asia had higher than usual crowds on Sunday due to a mall-wide sale, the UAAP Cheerdance Competition at the SM Arena and the 38th Manila International Book Fair at the SMX Convention Center.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Mall operations resume after heist - SM

Parts of the SM Megamall were shut down following what has been reported to be a shooting incident inside the mall on Saturday evening.

Security guards have closed the entrance and exit doors to SM Building B while waiting for the police to complete its investigation.

Some witnesses told dzMM they heard successive gunshots near a jewelry store in the mall.

Mandaluyong Mayor Behur Abalos said nobody was hurt in the incident.

SM Supermalls President Annie Garcia gave a statement following the incident. Headlines, ANC, January 26, 2013

source: abs-cbnnews.com