09 November 2014
The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) joined Coca-Cola Philippines in an ingenious Christmas campaign of brightening up every corner of the country to spread the holiday cheer.
The first Coke parol was lit on November 8, coinciding with the first year anniversary of typhoon Yolanda, which damaged several areas in the Visayas region.
Simultaneously, the streets of Metro Manila to downtown Bacolod, all the way up to Tacloban in Leyte, Pampanga, Batangas and Davao were illuminated with the Coke parol, which came from recycled materials.
TESDA Director General Joel Villanueva took part in the parol lighting at Col. Ballicer Street corner Miranda Street, Central Signal Village in Taguig City. He was joined by Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano and Coca-Cola Vice President for Marketing Jasmin Vinculado.
The activity was part of the beverage firm's Sari-Saring Happiness Day, which tapped the sari-sari store owners as new icons of Coca-Cola Christmas.
TESDA and Coca-Cola are together in a project that provides women sari-sari store and carinderia owners access to training and financial services to help grow their business.
The STAR (Sari-Sari Store Access to Training and Resources) project is part of the global program of Coca-Cola to empower 5 million women entrepreneurs all over the world by the year 2020.
Villanueva said Coca-Cola's choice of the sari-sari store owners as Christmas ambassadors was very apt, being the public's every day companion.
"Our neighborhood sari-sari store is a one-stop-shop for almost everything that the household needs. We are esteemed to be in partnership with Coca-Cola Philippines in helping empower these women," Villanueva said.
For his part, Adel Tamano, Coca-Cola Vice President for Public Affairs and Communications, said that helping women beautify their sari-sari stores through merchandising and other forms of support can significantly increase their sales.
"Christmas is a high-volume season, so there is no time more suitable to make it happen that now," he said.
"That said, transforming their stores into Christmas hubs and having our recycled Coca-Cola parol in their stores is like an open invitation for the community to go, enjoy the refreshing taste of Coca-Cola and celebrate there," Tamano added.
Share this page
