It felt like fiesta season all over again for the people of San Pedro, Laguna, as Robinsons Galleria South opened to the public on July 19, 2019.
The installation by the Filipino-American artist Jefre Manuel was inspired by the book of St. Peter, said to contain the names of those granted access into heaven.
All roads in the city led to the mall that Friday morning, as the San Pedro’s residents flocked to Robinsons Galleria South to witness its grand opening. The mall’s front doors swung open at 10 a.m. and almost immediately people filled all the available spaces in the main atrium, eager to witness the program featuring DJ Tom Taus, and showbiz idols Alden Richards and Maja Salvador, the latter a long-time ambassador of Robinsons Land.
The atrium was packed to the rafters with San Pedronians eager to catch the opening program.
To formally open the mall, Robinsons Land President and CEO Frederick D. Go, San Pedro City Mayor Lourdes Cataquiz, RLC Executive Vice President Faraday D. Go, RLC Senior Vice President and Business Unit General Manager for Commercial Centers Division Arlene G. Magtibay, and Maja Salvador took part in the customary ribbon cutting ceremony.
Robinsons Land Ambassador Maja Salvador, RLC President and CEO Frederick D. Go, San Pedro City Mayor Lourdes Cataquiz, RLC Executive Vice President Faraday D. Go, and RLC Senior Vice President and Business Unit General Manager for Commercial Centers Division Arlene G. Magtibay.
During the program’s opening remarks, Mayor Cataquiz and RLC officers repeated several times a line that brings the city of San Pedro great pride. Most famous for its Sampaguita Festival, San Pedro now has the distinct honor of being the site of just the third “Galleria” – a title reserved for Robinsons’ premier malls – after the original Robinsons Galleria along Ortigas Avenue and Robinsons Galleria Cebu.
Alden Richards putting on a show for the crowd.
RLC’s Frederick D. Go explained the significance of the mall’s location in his opening remarks. “The reason for this is, we see [San Pedro] as a huge gateway to Southern Luzon. San Pedro is situated right here in between Metro Manila and the rest of Calabarzon. We think this is a very important location on the map and we spared no expense to make this mall very beautiful and very functional.”
Robinsons Land brand ambassador Maja Salvador gives a high energy performance.
In her speech, Mayor Cataquiz expressed her gratitude to Robinsons Land and the Gokongwei family for recognizing the city’s great potential. “With this opening, Robinsons Galleria South has secured a place in our [city’s] history… it is an affirmation the city’s economic dynamism and attractiveness as a haven for new businesses. The policies of the local government have been retrofitted and customized to suit the need of enterprises and new businesses,” said the mayor. She continued, “You have not only made a landmark in the city of San Pedro, but you have also carved a place in the hearts of the people of San Pedro, who had long ago wished for a mall that they could call their own.”
The entrance to Robinsons Movieworld, which boasts the latest in cinematic technology.
RLC SVP & BU General Manager Arlene G. Magtibay, a resident of San Pedro herself, spoke about some of the mall’s many features, from the public art installations to the high-tech cinemas, and especially the Robinsons Pinoy Lingkod Center, which she referred to as the flagship public service program of Robinsons Land. She concluded her speech with a promise: “We will do our best to make this, Robinsons Galleria South, your favorite place here in San Pedro.”
After the speeches and the energetic performances by Richards and Salvador, San Pedronians spent much of the day checking out their city’s first full-service mall.
Whimsical ceilings create a fun vibe in the mall.
Built on the former site of a soda bottling plant, Robinsons Galleria South occupies a 3.8 hectare lot and has approximately 48,000 sq. meters of leasable commercial space. Along the main entrance is a public art installation by the Filipino-American artist Jefre Manuel. Inspired by the fabled book of St. Peter, the patron saint of the city, the large-scale metal sculpture contains Filipinized versions of many people’s names.
From this point, it becomes clear that art is a big feature of the mall. Robinsons Land collaborated with the well-known artist Robert Alejandro to curate many of the public spaces and tapped a few other creative minds, including Happy Navarro and Anina Rubio, to create the murals on the mall’s walls and columns.
Artist Robert Alejandro was responsible for curating much of the public spaces, including these fun sculptures in the Amusement Zone.
Inside, the mall’s architecture deviates from the typical box-like structure by way of curving paths and walkways. High ceilings everywhere also enhance the mall’s grandeur, while whimsical details, such as the Japanese-inspired art on some portions of the ceiling, bring about a sense of wonder.
Robinsons Galleria South’s intuitive layout makes going around a pleasure. On Level 1 are a host of restaurants, fashion and lifestyle boutiques, plus the anchor locators Robinsons Supermarket and Robinsons Department Store (which occupies around 7,000 sq. meters over three floors) taking up the rest of the space.
San Pedronians enjoying the Central Garden of the new Robinsons Galleria South.
More retailers occupy the second level, including sporting goods shops, fashion boutiques, and more restaurants. Kids will surely make their way to the Toys R Us section inside the department store, while the adults will enjoy the convenience of having banks and the SSS branch office on this level.
More government-related services are offered on the next floor, with the Land Transportation Office, PhilHealth satellite office and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration Regional Office on Level 3. Also on this floor is JK (JK (Japan-Korea) Town, which boasts a selection of Korean and Japanese-themed shops and restaurants. A strip of wellness and pampering shops is on the opposite wing, plus Robinsons Digiworld, the one-stop hub for all your tech solutions. Other signature Robinsons Malls locators, such as Daiso, Handyman, and Robinsons Appliances, each have a significant presence around the mall.
This train goes around the mall's colorful Japan-Korea Town.
Families with children will enjoy riding the train that goes around an entire wing and playing around the cute sculptures by Robert Alejandro, but there are other attractions too, including Kidzooona (an indoor park originally from Japan), Tom’s World, and PlayLab, which opens later this year. This Japanese-themed phygital (physical and digital) playground will have 13 thirteen interactive zones to explore.
On the mall’s top level are the six state-of-the-art cinemas of Robinsons Movieworld, which all come equipped with the latest Laser Projection System paired with Dolby Digital 7.1 surround sound for your viewing pleasure. For the ultimate viewing experience, visit the Elite VIP Cinema, which has its own luxurious lounge where you can relax before catching a film.
A peek inside the VIP cinema with its plush reclining leather seats.
After the movie, grab a bite at Eat Street, which seeks to recreate the outdoor food park experience indoors. Diners have an ample selection of cuisines to try while dining in a fun, whimsical dining area made cozier with fancy dangling lamps.
The St. Teresa of Calcutta Chapel provides an oasis of calm.
It is also on this level where the mall pays homage to the city’s religious roots. Unlike other shopping centers, where the addition of a chapel is treated as an afterthought, the 250-seat chapel on Robinsons Galleria South’s top level was built as one of its main draws. Named after Saint Teresa of Calcutta by the diocese of San Pablo, the chapel is accessible even before normal mall operating hours. As a mall built for the citizens of San Pedro to call their own, Robinsons Galleria South is not just a shopping and entertainment haven, it is a spiritual sanctuary, too. Regular masses will be held every Saturday at 6 pm and on Sundays at 9:00 am and 5:30 pm starting August 3.
