SM continues to champion social and economic inclusion

The SM group is staying true to its commitment of partnering with host communities and being a catalyst for responsible growth through sustainable enterprise development and livelihood programs.

“All business units within the SM group are expected to develop their respective sustainability commitment, policies, and initiatives. Aligned with our commitment to equal opportunity for all, we continuously engage with external stakeholders, including host communities, to advocate for social and economic inclusion and development,” shared SM Group Diversity Officer Lizanne Uychaco.

SM’s group-wide initiative on diversity and inclusion goes hand in hand with environmental stewardship and SM through SM Hotels is taking a bigger step on these advocacies through concrete programs and initiatives.

“How do we make sustainability tangible – something that our customers and stakeholders can touch?”

This was the question that Chef Leah Magallanes, Vice-President for Sustainability and Quality Assurance of SM Hotels and Conventions Corp. (SMHCC), asked.

The answer that came to her was Tela Tales. This is an initiative that aims to convert pre-loved linens of SM Hotels and Convention Centers into beautiful bags with handwoven patterns through the communities of Brgy. Bulihan in Batangas and Kalingap Casa de Sueno in Tagaytay with the guidance of designer and social entrepreneur Zarah Juan.

“The Tela Tales program’s stakeholders are SMHCC, a group of women from Brgy. Bulihan which is near Pico Sands Hotel. The other one is Kalingap, a place for abandoned senior citizens in Tagaytay near Taal Vista Hotel. We also partnered with Zarah Juan whose values of social entrepreneurship closely align with ours,” shared Magallanes.

According to Magallanes, the program was named Tela Tales since the community members shared their stories while weaving the patterns for the bags.

Going to Kalingap Casa de Sueno from Taal Vista Hotel takes 11 minutes when traveling by car. Kalingap is one of the community partners of the Tela Tales program, which aligns with the SM group’s value of entrepreneurship and supporting the areas they are a part of.

For Dolores de la Cruz, community representative of Kalingap, the Tela Tales program is “very promising sya dahil medyo mataas yung offer na bayad sa pagbuburda kaya siguro kung tuloy tuloy po ang program na ito, maganda po.”

SMHCC provided the preloved linens and other materials for the bags while Zarah Juan paid the community members who weaved the patterns on the bags. Juan was the one who designed and put together the bags.

More members are also being encouraged to join the community of women at Brgy Bulihan as one of its representatives shared that “Mas gamay na po namin ang pagbuburda. Dahil po nakita ng iba namin kapitbahay na kumikita kami, may mga gusto pong sumali sa Tela Tales.”

Community members from Brgy. Bulihan showcase the handwoven patterns they created for the Tela Tales campaign.

Magallanes believes that Tela Tales is a sustainable initiative saying, “We have something here. Develop that trust. It’s a very personal engagement with the communities. Our properties, Taal and Pico, will also be involved since the finished bags will be sold within their premises.”

More than a month was devoted to production monitoring and quality checking to ensure that the merchandise would be of top-notch quality. Available in two-toned blue, two-toned pink, and aqua-orange, the bags were made to highlight functionality and design.

True to what is printed on the bag, Tela Tales is definitely “Transforming lives one linen at a time.” This year, more Tela Tales stories are coming from Iloilo and Bacolod.