“Coca-Cola’s expansion in the Philippines is very encouraging.”
Ito ang sinabi ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. matapos i-welcome ang plano ng multinational company na maglagak ng US$1 billion para sa susunod na limang taon para itaas ang operasyon sa bansa.
Sinunggaban ang oportunidad sa domestic market at “large and young consumer pool” ng bansa.
“Of course, it’s very encouraging that you have decided to expand your operations here. I can, I am sure to the success simply because we have the markets here, growing, the people are, our population is relatively young, and so they are still very much in your market and I can see how the expansion could work,” ang sinabi ni Pangulong Marcos sa isinagawang pagpupulong sa Palasyo ng Malakanyang kasama ang mga top executives ng Coca-Cola.
Kabilang sa mga nakapulong ng Pangulo sa courtesy call ay sina Sabin Aboitiz, Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. (AEV) President at CEO at sina Sol Daurella Comadrán, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners’ (CCEP) Chairperson at Carles Villarubi Carrio.
Inihayag ang kumpiyansa ng Kumpanya sa business climate sa bansa, sinabi ni Comadrán na ang CCEP ay mamumuhunan sa Pilipinas sa susunod na limang taon, tinuran nito na ang kompanya ay mayroong 9,000 direct employees, at tinatayang 100,000 indirect employees.
“We generate 100,000 plus (employees) throughout the distribution, through our supplies, etc., etc. And we’re very enthusiastic and we see, we need to invest in the Philippines, invest to grow the business. And in the next five years, we’re planning for US$1 billion investment, and in fact, we’ve even doing a new plant, which we are building in Tarlac,” ang sinabi ni Comadran sa Pangulo.
Bilang bahagi ng corporate social responsibility ng Coca-Cola, binigyang diin ni Comadrán ang “inisyatiba ng kompanya tungo sa “koleksyon at recycling ng mga plastic. ”
“But the good thing about its operation in the Philippines is that it already has a very significant returnable glass bottle business,” dagdag na wika nito. (Daris Jose)