Cola-maker welcomes 2015 leadership camp delegates

MANILA, Philippines - Forty students who successfully made it to this year’s batch of participants in the ARC Young Leaders Camp (ARCYLC) were presented to the media recently with Gerry Garcia, executive vice president and chief operating officer of ARC Refreshments Corporation (ARC), formally welcoming them to the camp. During the event, some of the camp’s past graduates, led by Janine Ledesma, Mark Japhet Marquez, Curt Cruz and Ericka Macarayan also lent their support to the new batch. The ARCYLC is an advocacy program of ARC, the exclusive licensed bottler of RC Cola in the Philippines, which aims to develop the youth as future leaders of the country. 

Picking up from where it left off last year with its rallying call, “Lead, Create, Change,” the ARCYLC will again have as participants first- and second- year college students from government-funded universities as well as scholars of private colleges. This year’s successful participants, who were selected from a pool of over 200 student-aspirants, underwent a rigorous selection process that not only tested their leadership qualities but also their commitment to serve their school and the community.

Now on its fourth year, the camp was held at CCT Tagaytay Retreat and Training Center from Feb. 11 to 13. Seven speakers considered change-makers shared valuable examples from their own lives and leadership experiences. Some of the more notable speakers at past camps were CNN Awardee Efren Peñaflorida, 2010 Young Laureate Awardee Reese Fernandez-Ruiz, Rappler.com CEO Maria Ressa, and Senator Bam Aquino. 

Himself a product of youth camp in college, Garcia noted that one of the company’s objectives for putting up the ARCYLC is to be able to help nurture an underserved demographic — young people who otherwise might have never gotten the opportunity to train as leaders. “We have been planting a seed,” he told the students. “We know we can’t make leaders overnight but we can only hope that the seeds will grow in you.”

Delegates to the 2015 ARC Young Leaders Camp showing off their commitment pledge during the Meet and Greet event. Angie dela Cruz(inset) Batongbacal of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila and her pledge of support to this year’s ARC Young Leaders Camp. STAR

During the camp, the participants attended a three-day workshop where they underwent self-assessment as a starting point of leadership, followed by exploring concepts in servant leadership and practical exercises that challenged them to apply the lessons within their respective spheres.

Aside from these exercises, the training workshop also featured former ARCYLC delegates as speakers and moderators continuing an initiative that the program enacted last year in keeping with its vision of inspiring youths to inspire other youths.

The same founders who have guided camp participants since 2012 are the same industry shakers who established the local distributorship of RC Cola 10 years before ARCLYC. Accountability is a cornerstone of the cola company’s business, integral to its strategy of providing Filipino consumers with beverages of the best quality and value. Across its operations, ARC has also shown tremendous commitment in environmental stewardship, management, and amelioration of workers’ and youths’ conditions.

“We believe that you don’t always have to be in public service In order to be a leader,” Garcia said. “Through the youth camp, we are actually hoping to be able to build up on the company’s past successes and continue building future leaders for the country. This is what we want at ARC; it’s a passion that we hope will bear fruit in the future. Who knows, 10 more camps from now we’ll probably see some of our graduates leading the country.”