Coca-Cola ensures that sustainability is integral to its operations. With the goal of responsibly managing its environmental footprint, Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc. has been implementing energy savings initiatives and has been utilizing renewable energy to manufacture beverages.

In 2010, Coca-Cola set out to reduce the carbon footprint of “the drink in your hand” by 25 percent in ten years. This means reducing carbon emissions throughout its value chain—from the procurement of raw materials, to manufacturing and use of sustainable packaging, to fleet management, and to continuous innovations ensuring improved performance of refrigeration equipment.

In the Philippines, Coca-Cola is definitely on track to achieve its energy efficiency goals throughout its operations, with the end in view of further reducing its carbon footprint.

“We are very conscious of our environmental footprint as an organization, especially with our scale, which is why we have comprehensive strategies in place to manage our impact on the environment,” says Gareth McGeown, President and CEO of Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc. “Across the Philippines, we have 19 plants and over 70 distribution offices, and sustainability is an integral component to the way we operate. We believe that business growth and sustainability are complementary to each other.”

Through Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc. (CCBPI)’s energy saving initiatives, the Company is able to produce more refreshing beverages while using less power.

Less energy, more beverages

Through energy savings initiatives that aim to increase energy efficiency, Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc.—the bottling arm of Coca-Cola in the Philippines—has been able to reduce its energy consumption even as it expands its production capacity. This means that the company is producing more beverages while using less power.

CCBPI’s Energy Use Ratio (EUR), or the amount of energy used in manufacturing its beverages, has significantly improved over the years. To date, the company has been able to improve its EUR by 30% since 2014. Initiatives to achieve this goal include optimizing operating systems for leak and steam management, instituting standard operating procedures for machines and heavy equipment, and employing world-class technologies that are energy efficient.

Renewable energy used to manufacture beverages

To date, seven out of Coca-Cola’s 19 manufacturing sites have made renewable and clean sources of energy a crucial part of their operations—namely, Sta. Rosa, Canlubang, Ilocos, (Calasiao) Pangasinan, Cebu, San Fernando in Pampanga, and Meycauayan. As such, 65% of Coca-Cola’s total energy consumption in its Philippine operations is being sourced from renewable energy.

The benefits of environmental sustainability to the Company’s growth and to the industry are apparent. The Canlubang Plant, which is home to the fastest bottling line of Coca-Cola in the world, is run on 100% renewable energy (RE); RE was first integrated into the Canlubang operations on February 2018. Since 2010, the bottling plant in Calasiao, Pangasinan has been using a biomass boiler which utilizes rice hulls instead of petroleum for fuel, in order to address a significant portion of its power requirements.

These achievements are only the beginning of a wide-reaching transition to using clean energy more prevalently in its operations. McGeown says, “We are going beyond what we’ve already accomplished because sustainability is a continuous journey.”

Last November 2019, CCBPI announced that approximately 10,000 solar panels will be installed in its plants in Bacolod and Misamis Oriental—a similar project is currently underway in its Davao del Sur manufacturing facility.

Sustainable fleet management

Coca-Cola operates one of the largest fleets in the country, with almost 3,000 trucks and over 2,000 sales service vehicles. With its vast logistics capabilities, approximately 2,500 shipments per day are made, transporting Coca-Cola beverage products to over 20,000 doors across the country. For operations this massive in scale, the Company ensures delivery of quality products to consumers through safe and reliable vehicles. Its newly acquired trucks and employee service vehicles are all Euro IV- to V-compliant engines that produce cleaner emissions while providing more power and fuel efficiency.

“We are proud of everything we’ve achieved in the Philippines, and Filipinos have our full commitment that we will continue securing more milestones in our sustainability roadmap,” says McGeown. “We’ve been in the Philippines for 108 years, and we plan to continue to build off this rich heritage. To make this happen, we are making sure that we continue to evolve as a company—and staying true to our sustainability goals.”

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About Coca-Cola in the Philippines - Coca-Cola has been refreshing Filipinos and making a difference in the Philippines for 108 years. The Philippines was Coca-Cola’s first market in Asia to begin local bottling operations. Today, the Coca-Cola system in the Philippines has evolved into a total beverage company, offering 19 brands in its beverage portfolio and employing over 10,000 Filipinos in over 19 manufacturing facilities and more than 70 distribution centres nationwide. As part of its long-standing commitment to the country, Coca-Cola continues to #GOBEYONDGOOD as a business by continuously supporting water replenishment programs in over 180 communities, empowering over 200,000 women entrepreneurs through training and peer mentoring, and accelerating packaging collection and recycling under its global World Without Waste initiative

For decades, residents in far-flung areas in Visayas and Mindanao have been burdened by minimal, if not outright lack of access to banks. 

It’s not unusual for residents to travel many kilometers just to get cash from a bank or ATM. They need to spend half a day, or even an entire day in some cases, to transact with banks in distant urban areas. Some of them may need to travel by land and even by boat, spending hundreds of pesos in the process. 

That situation has been slowly changing for distant communities that now have the Cash Agad service.  Cash Agad, which has been operating in both far-flung and semi-urban communities for the past several years, is allowing residents to make cash withdrawals, receive remittances and government cash subsidies, make balance inquiries, and get access to calamity funds and loan releases. 

Essentially, Cash Agad is a service that turns community-based shops and similar establishments into  a neighborhood ATM.  It was BDO Unibank Inc. that first originated the idea for such a service and has been expanding the Cash Agad network in the countryside ever since. 

Cash Agad is one example of a bank’s faith in the resilience and resourcefulness of Filipinos in the countryside; it’s a vision realized into a service that has become crucial to the survival of communities during this pandemic.

Cash Agad and LGUs

The Cash Agad service transforms communities for the better when entrepreneurs and local government work together for the common good. The service accepts ATM cards, whether debit or prepaid cards from all banks in the Philippines. 

According to Cash Agad partner agent Elsa Pardo of Lantapan, a municipality in Bukidnon Province, Mindanao, until today there’s just one single bank operating in their community. 

When the bank’s ATM runs out of cash or is in need of repair, people will have to wait and endure a few days without cash. Those who can’t afford to wait would have to go to the nearest urban area which is some 14 kilometers away. Transport fares can get quite expensive. 

According to Elsa, sometimes even these other ATMs also run out of cash or go offline. In such cases, people would have to return home and go back the following day. This situation got even worse when quarantines were imposed due to COVID-19.

“Mahirap dito noong nagka-quarantine.  Hindi makalabas yung mga tao.  Kaya sabi nila, it’s a good thing there’s Cash Agad.  Kasi mas madali na sa kanila mag-withdraw ng pera.  Kung pupunta pa sila sa malayo, madami pang aasikasuhing requirements.  Kailangan pa ng quarantine pass. Travel pass. Very inconvenient. Pag dito sa Cash Agad, malapit lang tapos makukuha pa agad yung pera. Sandali lang ang queueing time,” Elsa explained. 

Elsa runs her Cash Agad service at her store in their municipality’s public market. When the pandemic hit and community quarantine was declared, she worked with the local government so that Cash Agad transactions could be done safely and in compliance with physical distancing regulations. 

“Kaming mga nasa public market, nag-meeting kami with DSWD, the municipal health office, and the mayor. We discussed and set how to process transactions so that we could still provide our services to the people during quarantine,” she said.

With the help of the LGU, protocols were set on how Cash Agad could provide services to its customers. Elsa’s customers include not only workers but also beneficiaries of 4Ps program (who receive monthly cash assistance from the government), and members of indigenous peoples (IPs) sector who also get cash assistance. 

“Yung LGU po, they already set a schedule for withdrawals for 4Ps and assistance to IPs. So, these people already have set days and times when they can queue for withdrawals. They are also informed on how much money they are set to receive. Kaya hindi na nila kailangan mag-balance inquiry. Withdraw na agad using their ATMs,” Elsa explained. 

The LGU with the help of policemen also established a protocol for those queueing to use Cash Agad. Since Elsa’s Cash Agad kiosk is in the public market, measures were taken to avoid crowding. 

“May (outdoor) gym po malapit sa public market. So that was the holding area for those waiting for their turn. Tumulong po yung mga pulis para mag-maintain ng physical distancing.  May mga traffic enforcers. May thermal scanning. 

“People were glad that we had this system because they felt safer and they were able to inquire about their balance, withdraw their salaries and remittances, and even get their loans and calamity assistance from the SSS and Pag-Ibig. Marami kasing nag-apply ng calamity loan during quarantine,” she said. 

Spark for growth

Another Cash Agad partner agent, Roselyn Abela of Pitogo municipality (now renamed officially as President Carlos P. Garcia municipality, although residents still use the old name informally), said that her Cash Agad kiosk has been contributing to the local economy. 

“Before I started the Cash Agad service in Pitogo, people had to go to the nearest city to transact with a bank or use and ATM. But the nearest city is so far; it’s at another island.  People have to ride the habal-habal (passenger motorcycles) and then cross the sea on a pump boat. After getting to the island, they have to ride another habal-habal.  A two-way trip costs 550 pesos. And each trip takes two hours to the island, and then two hours again for the ride back to Pitogo,” said Roselyn.

According to Roselyn, residents in Pitogo were used to spending half a day or even the entire day on a trip to the city. Due to the high cost of transport and the travel time consumed, people would maximize their city jaunts. They go the bank, transact at the ATM, and then buy essential goods but they also make it a leisure trip as well: they eat at fast food restaurants and bond over some shopping and other activities. 

When the pandemic hit and with community quarantine imposed in March, however, Pitogo residents were forced to stay put.  It was then that Roselyn got more customers for her Cash Agad service. As a result, people were spending their cash right there in Pitogo instead of at the city. 

“People had no choice but to buy goods here.  I noticed that during the months in quarantine, more small businesses were set up.  A lot of new eateries and stores cropped up,” she said. 

Roselyn’s experience is not unique. Other Cash Agad partners in other localities report the same thing. This shows that by giving more people in more communities ready access to cash, the local economy benefits from the increased spending and capital flow. 

“Financial inclusion in far-flung communities is a driver for economic growth. Some places are too far away or located in terrain that make it difficult, logistically, to build a bank branch. Take for example some islands or mountainous regions. That’s why innovative services like Cash Agad are a way to bridge the gap. As more spending occurs in a community, the better for residents and businesses,” said Jim Nasol, Head of Agency Banking, BDO. 

As we face a public health and economic crisis, it’s evident how crucial Cash Agad is for people’s survival. They would otherwise not be able to get money for their essential needs. Cash Agad provides convenience but it can be a literal lifeline to those who depend on it. We’ve seen that during quarantine but the truth is, Cash Agad has become essential to communities whether there’s a pandemic or not.

For more information about Cash Agad and how it benefits Cash Agad partner agents and their communities, visit www.bdo.com.ph/cash-agad  or email cashagad@bdo.com.ph.  ###.

2020 SEARCH FOR THE MOST CHILD-FRIENDLY BARANGAYS in CDO.

The CDO City Council for the Protection of Children just launched the 2020 SEARCH FOR THE MOST CHILD-FRIENDLY BARANGAYS in the City. In order to fullfill child's rights at the local levels where the voices, needs, priorities and rights of children are an integral part of public policies, programs and decisions.

This program has been done for 13 years already which was started back in 2007. Last October 8, 2020 a copy of the memorandum and the evaluation tool has been disseminated to all barangays by the office of the City Director of DILG.

The validation team will be evaluating 2019 documents on the following areas:

(1) Early Chilhood and Development Service

(2) Barangay Information and Resource Center

(3) Playground/Child-Friendly Spaces

(4) Community Support and Resource Mobilization

(5) Child Participation

(6) Barangay Council for the Protection of Children

(7) Barangay Health Centers and Nutrition Services

(8) Elementary and High School

In order to participate on the search, the barangays will submit to the CCPC Secretariat ANY OF THE FOLLOWING ON OR BEFORE October 23, 2020:

(1)  An audio visual presention or powerpoint presentation that documents  the eight areas being evaluated based on the evaluation tool. 

(2) Compiled documents of the eight areas being evaluated based on the evaluation tool. 

Prizes will be the following:

Rural/Non-numbered Barangays:

1st Place: P120,000

2nd Place: P100,000

3rd Place: P80,000

Urban/Numbered Barangays:

1st Place: P30,000

2nd Place: P20,000

3rd Place: P15,000

For more inquiries and information, you may get in touch with the CCPC Secretariat:

City Social Welfare Development Office c/o Jefferson Hamol-awon - 09172484766

City Planning and Development Office c/o Mariel Villapaz - 09066493712

Joesons Autoparts is giving FREE(1) FACESHIELD for a minimum net purchase of 1500 automotive parts (excluding tires, batteries and lubes) from their branches. So hurry up! and visit Joesons Autoparts now!

For more information, please LIKE their FACEBOOK PAGE AT https://web.facebook.com/joesons.cdo

or you may call them at the following numbers: Osmena Branch: 0917-1388-059; Lapasan Branch: 0917-7222-654