SM Foundation scholar alumna’s story of courage amidst COVID-19

(Loida Ongteco – de Vera (in blue shirt), an SM Foundation scholar alumna, with her colleagues, ensuring that their stores have adequate stocks of products for their customers during the ECQ.)

Amidst the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis, frontliners are considered modern-day heroes. While everybody else is staying at home to protect themselves, they selflessly dedicate their time and effort to fight the disease and to help bring normalcy to the lives of Filipinos.

This includes our courageous grocery workers who make sure that Filipinos have access to basic supplies in order to survive during the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ).

One example of this is an SM Foundation scholar alumna, Loida Ongteco - de Vera, who currently works as Operations Manager for SM Markets handling South Luzon operations. As Operations Manager, Loida ensures that all SM Markets branches under her watch are all operational and ready to serve all customers.

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(Loida Ongteco – de Vera (in blue shirt), an SM Foundation scholar alumna, with her colleagues, ensuring that their stores have adequate stocks of products for their customers during the ECQ.)

According to Loida, the SM Markets team knows the danger and challenges that they will be facing. But their dedication to help and serve is bigger than COVID-19. Everyone tries to pitch in what they can to make sure that they have enough provisions and that the customers are safe.

“I am proud to work side by side with my dedicated colleagues. It is not an easy task, but our team is committed to do it. What drives us is the fact that our customers need our service, especially during these trying times. And I know that by serving our customers wholeheartedly, we are also serving God,” she said.

“We will continue to brave and beat the odds to help the people that need our service because we believe that it is our mission. We will continue to work hard to provide the basic goods needed by consumers in these difficult times” Loida further shared.

Loida graduated cum laude with the course of BSE Mathematics at Philippine Normal University. Loida rose from the ranks and has been with SM for 19 years already.