In photo: CCBPI President and CEO Gareth McGeown, Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno and Vice-Mayor Honey Lacuna, lead the inauguration of Coca-Cola’s Mega Manila Hub in Tondo, Manila (Photo courtesy of Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc.)
Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc. (CCBPI), the bottling arm of Coca-Cola in the country, opened its Mega Manila Hub in Manila Port, Tondo last June 28, 2021.
The Mega Manila Hub—in partnership with Container Bridge Philippines, Inc. and Manila North Harbor Point, Inc.—is a strategic convergence point for the Company’s shipping operations, giving it an opportunity to synergize transport movements and generate cost savings to serve more people all over the Philippines. The site is the beverage brand’s first in the country, a new milestone in its 109-year journey with Filipinos.
“On an annual basis, we ship around 6,000 containers across the country,” shared McGeown. “We source them from Sta. Rosa in the North and then we ship them to Visayas and Mindanao through the Manila Bay. Therefore, we decided that this would be a wonderful time and a wonderful opportunity to launch this Mega Manila Hub for CCBPI.”
McGeown adds, “In our 109-year stay in the Philippines, nothing like this has ever happened.”
The inauguration was attended by Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno, Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna, Postmaster General Norman Fulgencio, and Philippine Ports Authority Manager Annie Lee Manese.
Also in attendance were top officials of CCBPI’s partner companies in the Mega Manila Hub project: Container Bridge Philippines, Inc. (CBPI) President & CEO Patrick G. Ronas, CBPI VP & General Manager Melissa Matienzo, CBPI Group Co-Founder James Bonzon, CBPI Group Director Eric Fulgencio, and Manila North Harbor Point, Inc. (NorthPort) General Manager Romeo Salvador.
CBPI’s Patrick Ronas lauded the Mega Manila Hub for its sustainable solutions via the projected reduction of carbon footprint, and for the overall operational efficiencies that can set an example in the industry: “Indeed, this is the beginning of the evolution of efficient logistics,” he said, expressing his company’s eagerness to be a part of the initiative and the journey.
North Port’s Romeo Salvador, meanwhile, expressed his organization’s enthusiasm for the partnership: “We are grateful for the opportunity to be able to offer our value-added service to one of the country’s largest companies. At the same time, we are excited to demonstrate the synergies and competencies to be had from inter-terminal transfer of cargo.”
Commitment to further strengthen investments in the PH
Coca-Cola’s Mega Manila Hub is part of CCBPI’s commitment to further invest and expand its operations—and contribute to the health of the Philippine economy—despite the economic difficulties and social challenges brought about by the pandemic. “For 2021, we have invested around PHP 3 billion so far into the country,” said McGeown. “And we will continue investing because we believe in the Philippines—we believe in its people; we believe in their spirit.”
The Mega Manila Hub, which has approximately 100 employees, is a tangible manifestation of the company’s commitment to investing in the Filipino people—since for every one direct job with Coca-Cola, seven more are projected to be created downstream in the value chain.
Said McGeown: “We told ourselves that no matter what, we’ll remain true to our commitments: Protect each other, support our customers, support our business, and protect our business.”
CCBPI’s Manila Journey
CCPBI’s Mega Manila Hub opened just six months after the inauguration of Coca-Cola’s distribution center in Paco—which itself was considered a homecoming by stakeholders; Coca-Cola’s return to the city from the establishment of its first bottling facility in the Philippines a hundred years ago.
McGeown shared, “During the Paco Distribution Center’s inauguration, Mayor Isko Moreno made commitments that working with Manila would be easy—that we would break through barriers and challenges together. He also said that we would be back in Manila soon.”
McGeown pointed out that Mayor Isko Moreno’s promise to cultivate a welcoming atmosphere for entrepreneurs has already been realized by the inauguration of two Coca-Cola facilities in just under a year.
Mayor Isko, in turn, reaffirmed the city’s pledge to increase job generation and the quality of livelihoods by pushing for and maintaining a business-friendly status for the City of Manila—and thanked Coca-Cola for responding so quickly to the local government’s call and invitation.
“To Coca-Cola and its subsidiaries, welcome kayo sa Manila [you are welcome in Manila],” said the Mayor. “To my fellow Manileños, let’s show business owners that it’s good to do business here in Manila—that we are a business-friendly city.”
Of Coca-Cola’s homecoming to the nation’s capital, the Mayor assured the company, “You have a receptive city, an open policy, and an aggressive city government of Manila” to help pursue business expansions and contribute to the welfare of the local communities.