Finding a ‘fit’ leads Jollibee to the Volcanoes
SEEING the same vision it has to represent the Philippines and celebrate Filipino pride, Jollibee Foods Corp. has decided to rally behind the Philippine national men’s rugby team, or the “Volcanoes,” and partner with the latter’s mother group, the Philippine Rugby Football Union (PRFU).
In ceremonies held at the Jollibee Plaza Building at Ortigas Center in Pasig City on Monday, the country’s leading fastfood chain formally put ink to its partnership with the PRFU with the signing of the memorandum of agreement ( MoA) between officials of the two groups.
Both parties hope that with the agreement, the sport of rugby in the country would further grow across the board while at the same time enhancing themselves as organizations.
“This collaboration between the two groups represents a celebration of the best that Filipinos can be. This is a long- term partnership as we see a fit with the Volcanoes as an organization with the way they are for representing the country well and Filipino pride,” said Arline Adeva, Brand Communications and PR Director for Jollibee, in the press conference that followed the MoA signing.
“It’s also our way to show our support for rugby, a sport that we believe Filipinos can excel in, to expand awareness for the sport through our many branches in the country,” she added.
Under the agreement as a sponsor, Jollibee will support the PRFU not only during games but also the sport body’s numerous programs, including the Get Into Rugby ( GIR) Program, which aims to draw more kids into the sport, some of whom could well be future representatives for the Philippines.
In return, the PRFU will include the Jollibee brand on the GIR Program kit, participate in Jollibee corporate activities, recognize the fastfood chain as a sponsor of the PRFU leagues through collateral exposure and announcements, and announce Jollibee on the PRFU Web site and other digital assets.
A BIG HELP
Getting the backing of a big corporation like Jollibee, the PRFU said it would help their cause immensely in more ways than one.
“The Philippine Sports Commissions has been good to the PRFU throughout the years and continues to do so but to get support from the private sector, in this case a huge name like Jollibee, is really a big help to us. Without private sector support, what we do in the PRFU would be limited. This agreement is very much welcomed by our group and only inspires more to continue our work as an organization,” said William Bailey, Treasurer and Board of Trustee member of the PRFU, at the agreement signing.
Meanwhile, later this week the Philippine Volcanoes will take part in the Southeast Asia 7s (SEA 7s) tournament in Singapore.
Fresh from its conquest of the 2017 Asia Trophy Series title last month in Qatar, the Philippine team will try to sustain its solid form in the SEA 7s which will feature the top teams in the region.
The Volcanoes are lumped in Pool A along with Singapore 1, Brunei, Indonesia while Pool B has Malaysia Thailand, Laos and Singapore 2.
“We like our chances in the SEA 7s. We are sending mostly young players to the tournament as we feel it’s a good opportunity for them to get exposure. But the team is training hard and we intend to win the title,” said Jake Letts, National Teams Head of the PRFU, on the sidelines of the MoA signing between Jollibee and the PRFU.
The Volcanoes seeing action in the SEA 7s are Justin Coveney, Edlen Hernandez, Timothy Bweheni, Joe Dawson, Alex Aronson, Gareth Holgate, Jonel Madrona, Jovan Maslunga, Manuel Olondriz, Chris Everingham, Christian Vitug and Joshua Aragon.