Coke’s GM talks about what can and should be done
business@inquirer.com.ph www.inquirer.net/business IN 1912, American businessman M.A. Clarke decided to distribute Coca-Cola in the Philippines, the company’s first venture in Asia.
One hundred years on, the soda company still dominates a significant share of the market not only for its flagship brand, but also with its diverse product portfolio.
According to Guillermo Aponte, president and general manager of The Coca-Cola Export Corp., the Philippines is among the Top 10 countries in the world when it comes to Coca-Cola volume sales.
“It used to be the largest but China and Japan have overtaken it,” he says.
Aponte became Coca-Cola Philippines’ general manager and president in January 2010.
Coke has launched a number of activities to mark its 100 years celebration in the country. It recently held the Coke ng Bayan concert, introduced the President of Happiness Project, and launched various corporate social responsibility projects.
“Corporate social responsibility is one of the most important elements of this celebration,” Aponte says. “I take it very personally because I believe that we have a mission as a company-worldwide and in the Philippines.”
Aponte enumerates the four pillars or “core” of their projects that best signify the company’s philosophies: education, entrepreneurship, environment and nutrition.
“Our company connects with the needs of the consumers and society,” Aponte says. “We do these projects for the society to be better. We say thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve consumers in many ways and for making the brand what it is today.”
Caring for the youth
Coke, through the Coca-Cola Foundation, is one of the first companies to address the country’s classroom shortage with its Little Red Schoolhouse Project. It recently turned over its 90th school to the local government of Bukidnon in Mindanao. The company is looking at completing 100 classrooms by the end of this year, also as part of its centenary celebrations.
The Coca-Cola Foundation launched the Little Red Schoolhouse project in 1997, in part- nership with the Department of Education and the Philippine Business for Social Progress, one of the largest social responsibility networks in the country.
“We choose (far-flung) areas where there is the most need for classrooms,” says Gilda Maquilan, The Coca-Cola Export Corp. corporate communications manager.
About 60,000 schoolchildren and more than 3,100 teachers have benefited from the endeavor. A total of 240 classrooms in 88 schools nationwide, products of the Little Red Schoolhouse project, come complete with electricity, running water, furniture and basic necessities.
Aponte also relates how CocaCola has partnered with DepEd with the TEN (The Entire Nation) Moves project, which aims at completing 10,000 classrooms in 10 months.
For the NutriJuice Intervention program, Coca-Cola partnered again with DepEd, the Department of Health, and the Department of Science and Technology Food and Nutrition