No such thing as a small job at RC Cola

MANILA, Philippines - Every time you reach for a bottle of RC Cola at the neighborhood store and on the supermarket shelf, you have the pahinante or truck porter to thank for ensuring that your favorite drink arrived in good condition and on time.

Joshua Jude Oliveros from Potrero, Malabon is one such porter who goes to work at the Valenzuela plant of ARC Refreshments Corp., the licensed manufacturer and distributor of RC Cola products in the Philippines. The 26-year-old’s official designation in the company is Sales Assistant II, but for many, he may be ordinarily known as a pahinante who logs many hours on the road together with a delivery truck driver.

Their route covers District 3 of Quezon City all the way to Pandacan in Manila. One by one, Olivares meticulously inspects the bottles before being off-loaded to the dealer’s warehouse.

Prior to joining ARC about a year ago, Oliveros was unemployed after his stint as an assistant cameraman in a TV station ended. A certificate graduate of Information Technology, he was then encouraged by a neighbor, who was working at the ARC plant, to apply as pahinante. He took the advice and approached the manpower employment agency of ARC, and was accepted for the job in February this year.

“Yung mga unang araw, s’yempre kinakabahan [At first I was extremely nervous],” he recalls of the initial challenges he had to overcome in his work, which required him to unload case after case of soft drinks from a small Canter truck when delivering to sari-sari stores. Today, he is pahinante to a 12-pallet truck, from which products are hauled using the dealer’s forklift equipment.

“Sanayan na rin. Kasi sa buhay ngayon wala namang madaling trabaho. Talagang kung kailangan mong magpakapagod para sa pamilya mo, gagawin mo rin talaga kasi gusto mong makatulong [It just takes getting used to. These days, there is no such thing as an easy job. You should be willing to work hard if you want to help your family],” explains Oliveros.

Fortunately as well, Oliveros feels his job is less of a daily grind and more of a team effort. He emphasizes that rapport with his truck driver partner is crucial to the quality delivery of RC Cola products: “Kuwelang kasama ang driver ko kaya nawawala ang pagod kasi masaya sa truck. Maayos ninyo na magagawa ‘yung trabaho, maayos ninyo na mai-dedeliver ang mga products sa dealer.” [My driver is easy to be with so work becomes easier and we are able to deliver our products better and more efficiently.]

 Previously the type of guy who likes to keep to himself, Oliveros has learned to communicate well and interact with others. Most importantly, he finds dignity, pride and aspiration in his work. “Sa ngayon, Sales Assistant II ako pero marangal naman. Ito ‘yung bumubuhay sa amin (My designation as of now may be low, but my work is noble. This is what sustains our day to day living),” he says.

Stories such as those of Oliveros are commonplace in an organization like ARC Refreshments Corp. — itself no stranger to starting out small and humble, when it re-introduced RC Cola in the Philippines in 2002 against great odds and competition in the market. Twelve years since, the brand has become the soft drink of choice among millions of value-conscious Filipinos. The company continues to pay its success forward by nurturing entrepreneurship among its dealers and partners, as well as providing gainful employment to its staff.

A porter like Oliveros receives the mandated benefits of a regular worker, and even has opportunities for additional income through sales commissions per route or trip. Most importantly, the company engages employees in frequent programs and activities such as the company sportfest, where Oliveros is looking forward to playing chess for his team Orange Soda.

Oliveros’ immediate goals remain simple—to have enough food for the day—but he also dreams of owning a house for his parents, and getting married and starting his own family in the next couple of years. His work at ARC Refreshments Corp. arms him with enough confidence to declare, “May landas na”— that he has his future already set out for him.