Coca-Cola is once again honored to play a significant part in the hosting of the Dinagyang Festival—a grand celebration of Iloilo’s cultural identity and rich history, which welcomes thousands of festival-goers from all over the country and from around the world. Iloilo has been home to Coca-Cola for more than fifty years and the Company is proud to take on roles that give back to the community
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| During the Dinagyang Festival, Coca-Cola set up a STAR Suki Store which became a PET bottle collection hub. |
This year, Coca-Cola partnered with the local government to help advocate a cleaner and greener observance of the Dinagyang Festival. This is in support of the Company’s World Without Waste vision, under which the Company has set a goal of collecting and recycling the equivalent of every single bottle or can it sells by 2030.
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Working toward its World Without Waste goal, Coca-Cola associates regularly volunteer during coastal clean-ups.
Locals and tourists alike were empowered to become “eco-warriors” and were encouraged to segregate and dispose their waste properly. Collection bins for plastic bottles and cans were set up in festival locations around Iloilo City, including the Coke Studio venue that brought in OPM performers for the festivities. With the help of the local government unit of Iloilo City, more than 100 kilograms of PET plastic bottles were collected and turned over to the Iloilo General Services Office (GSO) for recycling.
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| Coca-Cola interactive booths showcasing the Company’s sustainability initiatives were set up for the festival goers. |
The festival itself served as a platform to display the benefits of pursuing a green advocacy. Specially-designed booths were installed, which featured benches made from recycled bottles. There were also creative activations for consumers that showcased the different sustainability programs of the Company, encompassing projects that support their advocacies on women, water, and waste.
Throughout the Dinagyang Festival, Coca-Cola worked hand-in-hand with the city government and its constituents and guests, demonstrating a collective commitment toward proper waste collection and recycling.
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| The Coke Juke-box and a special Coke Studio photo booth gave attendees the perfect souvenirs for the festival – a personalized Coke Bottle and fun photos |
Across the Philippines, Coca-Cola has shared its various advocacies with local communities – uplifting those in need and empowering those with the capabilities to make a difference.
In line with its global goal of 100% water replenishment, Coca-Cola has given back water to Ilonggo communities through AGOS – a program that provides access to water to far-flung areas through simple technologies. While through its Little Red Schoolhouse program, Coca-Cola has pushed for improving the quality of education in the province by putting up classrooms and buildings and providing equipment to schools in the city.
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| Coca-Cola has been in Iloilo for more than 50 years and has gone beyond the walls of its facility by extending its support to the local community through their sustainability initiatives. |
Instilling this culture of malasakit among its employees, the Company’s associates in the Iloilo plant volunteer in different community programs and provide support for many local social development projects—which include environmental protection initiatives such as tree planting and mangrove tree-planting, coastal and estero clean-ups; as well as other outreach programs like Brigada Eskwela and donation drives in times of calamity. Coca-Cola has also been working closely with the local government unit of Pavia in Iloilo to help strengthen solid waste management practices in Barangay Ungka-2, the host community of Coca-Cola’s manufacturing plan in Iloilo.