SM pursues Ecija mall project

CABANATUAN CITY—Nearly 10 years after its plan to put up a shopping mall in this Nueva Ecija city was announced, SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SMPHI) has finally applied for a zoning permit for a four-story mall along the national road in Brgy. Hermogenes Concepcion here.

Mayor Julius Cesar Vergara said the company had filed the application with the city planning development office (CPDO) after he met with SM’s top officials.

SMPHI will build SM City Cabanatuan on a property acquired from the Macapagal and Perdigon families.

Vergara said SM’s entry into this city would boost local employment. He said SMPHI had promised to hire at least 80 percent of its expected 7,000 employees from the city and the province.

CPDO chief Virginia Busog said that based on the proposed construction plan, the mall will have a gross floor area of 2.4 hectares. Another 2.4 ha had been set aside for a transport terminal and bus bay.

Construction is expected to start this year and will be completed in six months.

Cabanatuan, about 120 kilometers north of Metro Manila, is the commercial, trade and educational center of Nueva Ecija.