Monterey highlights employee volunteerism in anniversary rites

The turnover of proceeds from Monterey’s "Buy for Bicol" program was the focus of the meat company’s 38th anniversary celebration held recently. The gesture underscored the brand’s commitment to corporate responsibility under retail giant San Miguel Corp. (SMC). The event was attended by Serafin Peralta Jr., Monterey Foods Corp. general manager; Arthur Juan, president of San Miguel Foods, Inc. and Ramon Santiago, chairman of the San Miguel Foundation.

Buy for Bicol was a two-week campaign organized by Monterey and Magnolia Chicken that served as a conduit for Filipinos to help fellow Filipinos devastated by typhoon Reming last year. For every purchase of a kilo of Monterey ground beef or pork and Magnolia Chicken siomai or chicken burger at any Monterey Meatshop and Magnolia Chicken Station in supermarkets nationwide, P5 was donated for the relief and rehabilitation of the Bicol region through the San Miguel Foundation.

Jose Alberto Arellano, AVP for Marketing, said that the program not only encouraged "employees’ volunteerism but also offered consumers an opportunity to help out those in need… This made our 38th year a lot more meaningful." According to Santiago, San Miguel was among the first private companies that "extended assistance…this gesture is after all an important aspect of the SMC corporate social responsibility program."

Traditionally, the company hosts a special meal to celebrate each milestone year. This time, employees and executives shared a simple breakfast, opting to donate the rest of the money to fund a feeding program for elementary school children in Angat, Bulacan, which hosts Monterey’s biggest farm.

Monterey began in 1969 in a cattle farm in Isabela. Through Filipino entrepreneurship and industriousness, the business grew and was eventually acquired by SMC in 1980 as a strategic subsidiary. Monterey sustained the "farm to market" concept so it can provide fresh, high-quality meat products to consumers. It pioneered various value-added services like free delivery service to loyal customers, and also offers complementary food products alongside its beef, pork, lamb, and chicken meats, while ensuring a wide network of meatshop franchises.

Monterey’s Angat, Bulacan feeding program is the third Monterey-supported initiative under the San Miguel Foundation’s "Malusog na Katawan, Matalas na Isipan" supplemental feeding program. Two more such projects are lined up for Monterey’s host communities in Ibaan, Batangas. Emphasizing employee volunteerism and passion for the meat brand, Peralta said that the celebration was being shared not only among the Monterey staff or with its consumers, but also with Filipinos who need help the most.