The SM Store donates P4.5 M to Loboc choir, parish church

MANILA, Philippines - The country’s top retailer, The SM Store, recently donated a total of P4.5 million to Bohol during a thanksgiving concert at SM City Cebu Northwing.

The thanksgiving concert is part of SM City Cebu’s 20th anniversary celebration, which appropriately has the theme “Celebrating 20 and Help Rebuild Communities.”

Of the amount, P4 million has been allocated for the rehabilitation of the St. Peter the Apostle Parish Church in Loboc, Bohol, which is considered one of the country’s “National Cultural Treasures.”

The church was heavily damaged when the 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit Cebu and Bohol last Oct. 15.

The amount is the biggest donation received from the private sector to date for the rehabilitation of Bohol churches severely damaged during the earthquake. 

At the same event, The SM Store also handed a donation of P500,000 to the Loboc Children’s Choir to assist in the choir’s scholarship programs, allowances, and other needs. 

The Loboc Church is the “home” of the Loboc Children’s Choir which was founded in 1980. Under the baton of Alma Fernando Taldo, the choir, whose members are students of the Loboc Central Elementary School, has won numerous awards. 

In 2001 the choir was the National Champion in the category of Children’s Choirs during the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA).  In 2003, the choir was presented by the Metropolitan Museum of Manila in a series of concert tours in Europe dubbed “TUBO: A Musical Journey for Heritage and Peace.”

The choir has also garnered two major awards at the 6th International Folksong Choir Festival and the Europe and Its Sings 2003 Cup held in Barcelona, Spain in September 2003. 

The amounts donated came from a nationwide fund-raising campaign of The SM Store held from Oct. 21 to 31 to assist earthquake victims and the rehabilitation work required. For every P1,000 purchase, P10 went to the campaign. 

Earlier, SM Prime Holdings president Hans Sy handed over a check for P5 million each to the city and province of Cebu to help in the rehabilitation efforts after the earthquake, bringing to P14.5 million the total amount donated by the SM Group to Cebu and Bohol in the aftermath of the Oct. 15 earthquake.