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Richmond Mercurio - The Philippine Star
June 22, 2025 | 12:00am
The National Privacy Commission (NPC) has awarded SM Retail with the Privacy Management Program Award, a recognition given to organizations that demonstrate effective implementation of privacy policies, proactive risk management, and clear accountability structures in line with the Data Privacy Act of 2012.
BusinessWorld / File
MANILA, Philippines — SM Retail, the retail subsidiary of the Sy family’s SM Investments Corp., has been recognized for its consistent and structured efforts in upholding data privacy standards across its operations.
The National Privacy Commission (NPC) has awarded SM Retail with the Privacy Management Program Award, a recognition given to organizations that demonstrate effective implementation of privacy policies, proactive risk management, and clear accountability structures in line with the Data Privacy Act of 2012.
SM Retail was cited for its internal training initiatives, integration of privacy practices into day-to-day operations and for embedding data protection officers within its business units – measures which have contributed to building a strong data protection culture among employees and improving safeguards for customer information.
“We’re grateful for this recognition from the NPC and we share this accolade with everyone at the SM Group. An effective data privacy management program hinges on strong leadership, active stakeholder engagement, dedicated privacy champions in critical DPA (Data Privacy Act) areas, embedded DPOs (data protection officers) within the business and practical, layman-friendly training rooted in real-world scenarios,” SM Retail vice president Honeylin Castolo said.
Through its privacy management program, SM Retail said the company conducts data privacy awareness training on top of the continuous cybersecurity education for its employees.
It said the program translates to a more secure shopping experience for SM customers as it empowers employees to evaluate and assess security risks.
“SM Retail effectively implements its data privacy program, reflecting not only our compliance with the Data Privacy Act but also our proactive efforts to lead by example across the retail industry. By making data privacy a fundamental part of how we operate, we hope to reinforce our reputation as a brand that our customers can continue to trust,” Castolo said.
SM’s retail operations are the country’s largest and most diversified, consisting of grocery stores, department stores and specialty retail stores.
