ROXAS City – SM City Roxas, the newest shopping destination here, officially opens today and welcomes excited mall-goers after the blessing and inauguration yesterday.
According to Mayor Ronnie Dadivas, the presence of SM City here will have a great impact on the city’s local economy, tourism and trade.
In employment generation alone, the city mayor said more or less a thousand Roxasnons including those from different towns of Capiz, SM stores affiliates, locators, tenants down to janitors have the chance to be employed.
SM City Roxas is SM Prime Holding, Inc.’s (SMPHI) 79th supermall and the third in Western Visayas after SM City Iloilo and SM City Bacolod.
Aside from driving the local economy and providing employment, Dadivas said, the presence of SM City Roxas will also benefit the underground economy, including boardinghouses and local small and medium enterprises.
“Daku gid ang impact. Nalipay gid kita kag gapasalamat gid ako sa SM City officials, kay Mrs. Tessie Sy-Coson, kay Herbert Sy, Hans Sy and the rest of SM officials,” said Dadivas.
Dadivas, together with Capiz’s Gov. Esteban Evan Contreras joined key SM officials during yesterday’s blessing and inauguration.
He said the presence of SM City and businesses inside the mall is a strong manifestation of the confidence of investors in Roxas as a business-friendly city.
Strategically located in a 102,309-square meter site on Arnaldo Boulevard, Barangay Baybay, the two-level 41,000-square meter SM City Roxas will serve customers in Capiz as well as nearby provinces like Aklan and Antique.
“There is really a market not only for Roxas City and Capiz but also northern Iloilo, the western part of Aklan and southern part of Romblon and Masbate,” said Dadivas.
Roxas City is the capital of the province of Capiz, which is known as the Seafood Capital of the Philippines for its rich bounty of crabs, fish, shrimps, mussels and the famous diwal or angel wings clams./PN
