Skip to main content

Ilonggos celebrate a MerrySMChristmas!

'Tis the time of the year when excitement builds up as everyone prepares to "deck the halls with boughs of holly", or waiting for someone who "is coming to town". While some are getting ready to "rock the night away" or just do some "pa rum pum pum pum", other just prefer a "silent night". No matter what the choices are, it only means one thing - Christmas is really just around the corner!
And so SM City Iloilo brought the Yuletide cheers by sharing A Christmas Moment with the Ilonggos  as it unveiled its MerrySMChristmas centerpiece with musical spectacle.
SM City Iloilo mall manager Gilbert Domingo welcomed guests and while Iloilo City Mayor delivered a cheerful message of thanks to SM for its support to the development of the city.
The event also launched SM Cares' Bears of Joy project that will bring cheers to the less fortunate children this Christmas. For PhP200, donors will get two stuffed bears - one for themselves and the other for the child beneficiary. This Bears of Joy drive will run from Nov. 10, 2014 up to Jan. 6, 2015 with the booth placed in strategic areas around the mall.
Also part of SM City Iloilo's outreach is the 1Meal Program. The project aims to make a difference in the lives of the Filipino Youth through the collection of funds at participating restaurants in Iloilo. The 1Meal Program aims to improve facilities in less privileged public schools across the country. Specially marked cans serving as "piggy banks" are placed in booths and places around the mall for donations.
A musical extravaganza perked up the afternoon participated in SM Little Stars finalists including the 2014 (national) Grand Winner JC Gumacal (rightmost) wearing various international costumes.
It was a production of songs and ballet dances across the world featuring those inspired by China and Spain.
It set up the mood high as finally the MerrySMChristmas centerpiece was unveiled with special guest Markki Stroem performing Joy to the World with the U.S.A. Troubadours.


Spectators had then another early Christmas treat - listening to an award-winning performance by the internationally acclaimed ensemble frm the University of San Agustin.
Markki Stroem once again jazzed up the afternoon singing his signature tunes and moves...
... exciting the crowd across the mall.
He was joined again by the SM kids as he closed his performance with a jazz version of Pharell Williams' Happy.
"Because I'm happy ...Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I'm happy ... Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth

Because I'm happy ... Clap along if you know what happiness is to you

Because I'm happy ... Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do"

Finally, what's Christmas without Santa Claus? For the kids and those kids-at-heart, seeing a bearded man in red and white always makes a perfect Christmas. 
And everybody then rushed to have their pictures taken with the man of the season!
It was a fun-filled afternoon that ushered the coming of Christmas at SM City Iloilo. And as always, the mall will bring more fun and surprises to the Ilonggos as the Yuletide Season comes near. 
And finally, as an on-going treat, SM is giving away prizes to the social media savvy Ilonggos. Just have your pictures taken in the SM Bears of Joy booth or the Christmas display at the event center and tag it #MerrySMChristmas for a chance to win special prizes in their weekly raffle.

Indeed, Christmas is merrier at SM Supermalls!

Popular posts from this blog

Travelers guide to Iloilo transport terminals (Airport, Jeepneys, Buses, RORO. etc)

Being the biggest city on Panay Island and the center of Western Visayas region, Iloilo City is a transportation hub whether by land, sea or air. These numerous transportation terminals facilitate day to day commerce, light & heavy industries, and tourism, among others. As this is a travel blog, this guide is aimed to tourists who want to experience and explore Iloilo and perhaps even beyond. Iloilo International Airport A little more than five years old, the Iloilo International Airpor t is among the most modern and beautiful in the country today. It is situated around 20 kilometers from Iloilo City , straddling the towns of Cabatuan, San Miguel and Sta. Barbara . It has direct links to Manila, Cebu, Clark, Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro  and Puerto Princesa plus international destinations Hong Kong and Singapore . Among the first hurdles tourists will have to contend is the distance that translates to expensive fare when traveling to and from this airport.
Read more

Connie Carillo Diversified Farm in Bingawan: Helping Sustaining a Healthy Community Through Farm Schools

The area around the town of Bingawan, the edge of the central portion of the province is where it ends and the town of Tapaz, Capiz province begins and is very much another unsung corner of Iloilo with warm, friendly, welcoming people. Bingawan has some rich farming land and farming is at the heart of its village life. The landscapes are gorgeous here; with gentle pastures, to the high mountains. The area offers some beautiful hikes and bike trails across its lovely rolling meadows, woodland and a few working farms. The town would be less touristic than its neighboring towns but is well worth exploring. If you are concerned about how organic can contribute to benefit our shared environment, promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved, then a trip to Connie Carillo Diversified Farm is for you. With the governments’ efforts to improve the knowledge and technical skills of the farmers, the Connie Carillo Diversified Fa
Read more

Iloilo Ancestral Houses: The Lizares Mansion in Jaro

One the most elegant reminders of Iloilo's rich and noble past is the imposing Lizares Mansion in Tabuc Suba, Jaro. Situated in an almost 2-hectare lot, this mansion was built in 1937 by Don Emiliano Lizares for his wife Conchita Gamboa. The mansion has three floors, a basement and an attic. It has a winding wooden staircase and big bedrooms with floor and doors made of hardwood. It has 59 doors which indicate the intricacy of its layout.  When World War II broke out, the family left for a safe hiding place in Pototan, Iloilo. The mansion was then used as headquarters of the Japanese army. It was believed that the basement became a dumping ground for tortured Filipinos. After the war, the family went back to live in the mansion, but life was never the same. In 1950, Don Emiliano Lizares died and his widow left for Manila, leasing the mansion to a businessman who turned it into a casino.  The city mayor later ordered that the casino be closed, claimi
Read more