Suicide at SM North EDSA

Wazzup Pilipinas!

We are here to bring you the news of another alleged suicide at one of the popular malls, if not the most, in the country.

It was not very long ago, sometime February of this year, that a person apparently jumped from a floor of SM Megamall where most have speculated to be suicide, but until now there was no confirmation about the incident. Sometime March, a foreigner, reportedly a German national, was also killed when he jumped from one of the floors, allegedly the 3rd floor, of SM Bacolod. We regret to inform you that it is another SM mall that's involved in another supposedly suicide, and this time, it's the SM North EDSA branch.

Yesterday at around 1:45 in the afternoon, there was a report of a suicide which immediately caught our attention and we can say that Wazzup Pilipinas was the first online media outfit to report the incident through our official Facebook fan page at http://www.Facebook.com/wazzuppilipinas. The post garnered thousands of shares from our followers which made it one of our most shared posts.

We are yet to get a statement from the SM Manageent regarding the details of the incident, and to get to know more about the identity of the victim. Until now, there has been nobody coming forth to personally claim knowledge of the victim.

We are deeply saddened by these news as we are equally shocked and horrified to even think of what could have driven these people to end their lives, if they truly committed suicide. Of course, we understand SM why they never try to expound on these stories as they are indeed not really good for business.

Art For Everyone: Appreciate the Works of Filipino Artists

Wazzup Pilipinas!

SM's Art For Everyone art fair is happening from February 27 to 28, 2016 simultaneously at 6 premier SM Malls. You'll see different works at every mall so that's one of the many reasons why you should visit all the malls participating. All works on display are for sale so you better see them before they all get sold.

SM plans to do this as an annual event to help Filipino artists get more exposure. It showcases a curated selection of paintings and artworks and includes SM Megamall, SM North EDSA, SM Aura Premier, SM Southmall, SM City Cebu, and SM Lanang Premier.

I've met with Jonjon San Agustin, the SVP of Marketing from SM Supermalls, and is seen here on a photo beside several paintings showing the old interiors of SM Megamall. He personally showed this to me as one of the works he truly appreciates as it depicts what SM megamall used to look like back then. I've learned that the paintings were created way back around 1995 by an artist during his student years and did these for his thesis.

Art for Everyone at SM Premier Malls Features Artworks by Upcoming and Established Filipino Artists

Wazzup Pilipinas!

It’s Art for Everyone as six SM Premier malls simultaneously showcase a curated selection of paintings and artworks from February 16 to 27, 2016. These include SM Megamall, SM North EDSA, SM Aura Premier, SM Southmall, SM City Cebu, and SM Lanang Premier from February 27 and 28, 2016.

The event is held in support of National Arts Month on its 25th year since it was first declared via Presidential Proclamation No. 683 in 1991.

While SM has been consistently supporting cultural and art events for years now, “Art for Everyone” is being held simultaneously in these six (6) SM malls for the first time. It features artworks created by upcoming and established Filipino artists of various backgrounds, featuring different styles and media.

Dr. Patrick Flores, Curatorial Consultant for “Art for Everyone” emphasizes how important the event is in providing shoppers a venue to enjoy and learn from art, a venue that is free and accessible for everyone, and for artists and galleries to showcase their masterpieces.

Valentines Day Suicide at SM Megamall: SM Officials Make More Effort to Hide Than to Clarify?

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Don't you feel that there's something fishy going on. How come I only see the online portal of the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper reporting about the "suicide" or "accident" in SM Megamall building B involving a female who fell to her death from a floor of the mall.

I was waiting for a popular early morning show to mention the incident, but it was baffling that they didn't. As I look on the social media feeds, only online publications or those Facebook groups are the only ones commenting or reporting about the incident.

Steven Tan, a high-ranking official of the mall said on his official statement that “A woman fell at Building B in SM Megamall. She was immediately rushed to the hospital by the mall personnel. The mall security and the local authorities are currently investigating the matter. We will cooperate for further inquiry.”

However, based from the photos posted in social media by netizens, the victim was not immediately rushed to the hospital. In fact, she was covered up by a tarpaulin.

The sad situation is that we are not really sure if the victim accidentally fell or if she really committed suicide. Some reports say she was just fooling around on top of the railings and even shouted "Walang Forever!" before she slipped and fell to her death.

Plush and Play: First Filipino Stuffed Toys Now at Toy Kingdom SM Megamall

Wazzup Pilipinas!

We are always proud to share the news about Filipino brands that have made it mainstream, and thus we are extremely happy that Plush and Play - those adorable fruits and vegetables stuffed toys with their own fun names - are now available for sale at Toy Kingdom of SM Megamall.

Fabien Courteille, a French man at Gawad Kalinga, was thrilled to share with us their product line as we interviewed him for WazzupPilipinas.com. He enumerated some of the many characters that make up the many fruits and vegetables stuffed toys partially handcrafted but whole-heartedly made by mothers at the Gawad Kalinga foundation at GK Enchanted Farm.

His partners, namely Howard Lorenzo, Ainee Idanan, and Coco Castro Cruz, were equally glad to tell their participation in the very first Filipino brand of stuffed toys that are indeed colorful and durable for all ages to play with, or even just display at home or even in the office.

We also interviewed Tony Meloto, the founder of Gawad Kalinga, and has his video message for everyone whom he encourages to support the Plush and Play brand. He said that it's ironic that it takes a French man to make this move in changing the mindset of our people in supporting Filipino brand of toys. We should be giving our kids something truly Filipino-made to play with so that it will eventually cascade to the betterment of both our people and economy. We should all be prioritizing in helping every Filipino endeavor so that we would all benefit from it.