Sustainability: At the Forefront of Coca-Cola FEMSA Philippines’ Community Building Efforts

The Coca-Cola FEMSA Team, led by Jose Ramon De Jesus
Martinez Alonso, poses with the Teach for the Philippines team,
led by Margarita Delgado.

Coca-Cola FEMSA (KOF) corporate affairs director Jose Ramon De Jesus Martinez Alonzo recently, made his first visit to the Philippines on official business. One advocacy took center stage in his itinerary— sustainability, which he believes is an integral aspect in KOF’s shared journey with the communities in which they operate.

“Our advocacies in the Philippines have to do with education and environmental consciousness,” said Martinez. “Coca-Cola FEMSA is always thinking of how we can help nurture generations of kids that take care of water, that recycle, that know about proper nutrition. And the best vehicle to do this is education. This, we believe, is a natural part of the journey to progress, which we share with the communities with whom we work.”

Coca-Cola partners with Congressman Nograles for STAR Program in Davao City

Coca-Cola Philippines and Davao City 1st District Representative, Congressman Karlo Nograles, entered into a Memorandum of Agreement to expand the implementation of the Sari-sari Store Training and Access to Resources (STAR) Program to the women small business owners in the area.

The Coca-Cola 5by20 STAR Program is designed for women micro-entrepreneurs who own and manage sari-sari stores or carinderias, with the goal of addressing the barriers they face by providing an enabling environment for business success. The STAR Program has three components: access to training, access to resources, and access to peer mentoring. The STAR Program is implemented in partnership with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and reputable microfinance institutions and cooperatives operating at the regional level.