MANILA, Philippines – A security guard assigned at SM Megamall has been “dismissed” and will no longer be assigned in any SM mall after the guard shooed away a young girl selling sampaguita outside the establishment in Mandaluyong City.

In a statement after the video of the incident made the rounds of social media, the Sy family-owned mall expressed “regret” and sympathy with the sampaguita vendor who was wearing her school uniform while selling flowers. SM Megamall did not say when the incident happened. The security guard and his agency have not been identified as of posting.

“We have called the attention of the security agency to conduct an immediate and thorough investigation. The Security Guard has been dismissed and will no longer be allowed to service any of our malls,” SM Megamall said in a social media post.

“As SM Supermalls always promotes inclusivity for all, we strongly condemn this act committed against her.”

In a video uploaded on a YouTube page, the security guard, carrying a long firearm, is seen trying to convince a young bespectacled girl, who was sitting on the steps outside SM Megamall’s west side (facing MRT 3), not to block the front steps. The apparently tired girl, however, decides to stay.

After failing to convince her not to sit on the steps, the guard tries to grab the sampaguita garlands being sold by the young girl.

Some of the garlands are destroyed, but the girl is able to keep some of flowers which she then uses to hit the face of the security guard. The guard tries to kick the girl on her left leg — it’s not clear if he connected — and tries to prevent her from hitting him again.

The girl, however, repeatedly hits the guard using the remaining garlands while the guard uses his hand to block the attempts. The guard decides to move away from the girl and walks towards a boy sitting on the pavement around 4 to 5 meters from SM Megamall’s steps to also shoo him away.

In the comments on a YouTube page that uploaded the video, many netizens commiserated with the young girl, although others appealed for understanding of the security guard’s actions.

“There are ways to shoo a vendor away, but what this guard did was horrendous enough and unhumane (sic). He didn’t just hurt the girl emotionally for destroying the sampaguita she was selling, he even physically assualted her by kicking her,” said Jackie-m3i. Others said there should be greater tolerance for vendors outside SM Megamall.

“Kabataan talaga ngayon iba na. Alam naman na bawal diyan eh. Tao lang din ang SG [security guard] at ilang oras na nakatayo sa duty napapagod at minsan nasasagad ang pasensya. Malamang hindi lang isang beses sinaway ang bata at pinaalalahanan. Sana huwag samantalahin ang eksenang ito ng magulang ng bata upang matanggal sa serbisyo ang SG at tuluyang makasohan. Sana madisiplina pa din,” said mototurismoph19.

(The youth are different now. They know that’s not allowed there. The security guard is also human and he has been standing there on duty, exhausted and out of patience. Most likely, he tried to convince the child several times and advised her. Hopefully, the parents of the child would not take advantage of the situation so that the guard would be removed from service and face a case. Hope he still gets disciplined.)

“While I appreciate the fact that SM Megamall have taken immediate action and dismissed the security guard concerned and apologised for this incident, I do wonder if more can be done around immediate training of all security guards employed by you in how to deal with such issues?” he said. “Also I agree with what others have said in helping this child and her family through your foundation? It was so sad to see this. Breaks my heart.”

Rein McFord disagreed with the decision to let go of the security guard. “Obviously the decision is just one sided and so unfair. What if the guard is just doing what he was told? And as far as I know, child labor is illegal,” he said on SM Supermall’s Facebook page.

Security guards in the Philippines are among the lowest paid contractual workers with few benefits, which is why there is also sympathy for them. Sampaguita vendors are common in many areas in wealthy urban areas in the country where they try to earn a living.

Self-rated poverty was 63% in December 2024, according to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, the highest percentage of self-rated poor families in 21 years.

DSWD to track down family

In an interview with radio DZBB on Thursday, Department of Social Wefare and Development (DSWD) spokesperson Irene Dumlao said Secretary Rex Gatchalian has ordered the agency’s National Capital Region office to track down the girl and her family so that she be given psycho-social support and other interventions needed.

Dumlao said they also want to find out in the home visitation why the child was selling flowers on the streets at night, as well as provide counseling to her parents.

She said children should be in school and their homes and should not be engaged in child labor, adding that DSWD can provide livelihood assistance to the family.

She also reiterated that the DSWD’s stand against abuse of children, and that the agency can also provide training to mall employees.