Coca-Cola Philippines bags two Asia Pacific Enterprise Leadership Awards

Coca-Cola Philippines recently received two awards in the Asia Pacific Enterprise Leadership Awards (APELA).

The award is given as a recognition to enterprise leaders for exemplary work in the areas of sustainable development and corporate social responsibility. Guillermo Aponte, president and general manager of Coca-Cola Philippines was given the Commitment to Philanthropy Award for his contributions in the Little Red Schoolhouse (LRS) initiative, which provides classrooms for communities in far flung areas of the country. Additionally, he received the Eco-Advocate Award for the Agos Ram Pump initiative, through the Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, which is a project that provides water to upland communities.   The Little Red Schoolhouse (LRS) is the flagship education program of Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, Inc. (CCFPI) that was launched in 1998 to support the Department of Education's Multi-Grade Program for public elementary schools in remote areas of the Philippine countryside. It is designed to improve access to elementary education by constructing three-classroom buildings fully equipped with chairs, tables, blackboards and comfort rooms. To date, Coca-Cola Philippines has built 101 schoolhouses across the country.   The Agos Ram Pump Project was launched in partnership with Earth Day Network Philippines and the Alternative Indigenous Foundation (AIDFI) to transport fresh water to upland communities without the use of electricity or fossil fuel.   For the two awards, the award giving body places a special emphasis on case studies with emotional resonance, and focuses on charitable programs that can serve as stepping-stones for other companies to model. The APELA was handed out in conjunction with the Asia Pacific Enterprise Cooperation Sustainability Summit 2013 with the theme “Strategies for Corporate Sustainability in Asia Pacific.”   Atty. Adel Tamano, Vice-President for Public Affairs and Communications of Coca-Cola Philippines, together with Cecile Alcantara, President for Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, received the awards in behalf Mr. Aponte in a ceremony held at Singapore.   “We at Coca-Cola Philippines are committed to refresh the world, to inspire moments of optimism and happiness, and to create value and make a difference. Through the leadership of Mr. Aponte, we were able to maximize the impact of our two leading CSR projects, Little Red Schoolhouse and Agos Ram Pump—both of which are heavily reflective of our global commitment towards well-being, women empowerment, and sustainability,” said Atty. Tamano.   The conference brought together over 40 speakers and 500 delegates who discussed case studies in sustainable development from Asia Pacific. More than 2,000 renowned enterprise leaders from across the region, including publicly listed company CEOs and general managers, were surveyed to receive the APELA awards. Winners were selected through a rigorous process of assessment and evaluation including site visits. Press release and photo from Coca-Cola Philippines