Share a Coke with P-Noy

If your President’s favorite beverage is Coca-Cola Regular, it is just as well that the world’s fastest Coke bottling plant is in your country.

It was a refreshing occasion, even if most of the women in the sprawling Coca-Cola plant in Canlubang, Laguna were furiously fanning themselves. After all, ice-cold bottles of Coca-Cola were being shared and the CEO of Coca-Cola FEMSA Asia division Juan Ramón Felix unleashed very refreshing news from inside the (Coke) bottle: The beverages produced by this facility refresh and bring happiness to around 80 million consumers nationwide.

“The three new lines that were installed are considered to be the fastest in the world, utilizing the most advanced German and Italian technology in beverage manufacturing,” Felix said.

The Coca-Cola FEMSA Philippines Canlubang Plant now has a total of nine bottling lines and has increased its annual capacity to 265 million physical cases from a previous annual capacity of 170 million. A total of 225,000 bottles are produced an hour in this plant.

President Aquino, an unabashed Coke drinker, led the inauguration of the three new lines in the plant and even donned a hard hat to inspect them.

Perhaps he secretly wished his love life were buzzing as busily as the plant.

“It is well known that I drink a lot of your product, and since you are probably wondering, I will preempt the question and say, for the record: yes, my love life is still like Coke Zero,” the President quipped. “I hope that when I step down from the Presidency, it will at least go back to being like Coke Light.”

Coca-Cola officials led by Felix and Juan Carlos Dominguez presented to President Aquino a Coke bottle made of obsidian volcanic rock from Mexico and a red T-shirt with the inscription: “Share-a-Coke with P-Noy.”

Hmmm, I wonder what else P-Noy is willing to let someone share with him…

Shop around the world in a day

You don’t need a passport for this trip around the world!

The yearly International Bazaar offers an opportunity to shop for unique and authentic products from various places the world over in a one-stop-shop.

The 48th International Bazaar is one of the biggest and most diverse holiday bazaars organized by the International Bazaar Foundation Inc. (IBF), Ladies of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Spouses of Heads of Mission (SHOM) and members of the diplomatic and consular corps.

Set on Nov. 16 at the PICC Forums 1, 2 and 3 CCP Complex, Pasay City, the bazaar is open to shoppers from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. 

Around 35 embassies and six  consulates will showcase the best of their local goods.  Over 100 booths will also sell Pinoy products.

Proceeds of the one-day event will be donated to the IBF, which will then use them for various projects such as scholarship grants to deserving students from indigent families, financial support for the elderly, abused and abandoned children, as well as victims of calamities.

Apart from the International Bazaar’s array of goods, guests will also get a chance to win a grand raffle prize of Hyundai Eon car courtesy of HARI Foundation Inc. (Hyundai Asia Resources Inc.) through its president and CEO Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo and IBF Inc. There will also be airline tickets, kitchen appliances, hotel weekend packages and many more interesting prizes when you buy a raffle ticket.

Shoppers and their families can also get a chance to have a “taste of the world” because there will be different food tables at the food court that will sell authentic dishes from various countries.

IBF is headed by chairperson Gretchen del Rosario, wife of Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, together with IBF board of trustees president Sylvia Farolan, vice president Bambina Buenaventura, secretary Rose Villamor and treasurer Alice Guerrero, Olivia Romulo, Margarita Tambunting, Marion Coscolluela, Monaco Consul General Fortune Ledesma and executive director Nora Salazar with DFA special projects unit coordinator Blessie Cabrera.

Entrance tickets are available at P100 and raffle tickets at P200 in Tesoro’s outlets on Arnaiz Avenue, Makati City and Mabini St., Ermita Manila and at 6th floor, Special Projects Unit, 2330 Department of Foreign Affairs Building, Roxas Blvd., Pasay City.

(For inquiries, call IBF Secretariat at 833-1320.)

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