The collection drive, carried out across 21 barangays in Brooke’s Point and Narra, raised the program’s total nationwide bottle recovery to more than 240,000 bottles. Barangay Tubtub in Brooke’s Point posted the highest collection among participating communities, gathering 11,489 bottles.

Under the program, used bottles are turned over to GSMI and reintegrated into the company’s production system for reuse or recycling into new bottles. Residents and barangays are encouraged to retrieve empty bottles from homes, public spaces, and collection points to help reduce glass waste in landfills, waterways, and coastal areas.

GSMI said wider community participation remains crucial in ensuring that discarded bottles are properly recovered and recycled instead of ending up as waste.

The initiative forms part of the sustainability efforts of San Miguel Corporation and the San Miguel Foundation, which promote practical community-based programs focused on waste reduction, recycling, and resource recovery.

BOTEful Philippines was first launched in Aparri in October 2017, where more than 6,000 bottles were collected. The initiative has since expanded to Batanes, Pangasinan, Negros Occidental, Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, and Palawan.

The Palawan leg of the program, launched in September 2025, was implemented with the support of local government units, partner organizations, and participating barangays.

“The Palawan experience showed us how much more we can do when communities fully support the program,” said Ramon S. Ang, chairman and CEO of SMC, GSMI’s parent company.

“A bottle that is returned can still be reused or recycled. A bottle that is thrown away becomes waste. That is why we want to bring this initiative to more areas and encourage more people to take part,” he added.

Participating barangays and residents received incentives for the bottles they collected, including redeemable points for selected San Miguel Food and Beverage products.

GSMI said the BOTEful Philippines program also supports government solid waste management initiatives by encouraging recycling and greater community participation in waste reduction efforts.