MANILA, Philippines - Underdogs no more. Living up to its name, the Corporate Warriors emerged victorious in the recently concluded “Great ARClympics 2012,” the annual sports fest of Asiawide Refreshments Corporation (ARC), the exclusive distributor of RC Cola products in the Philippines. Employees competed to “Aim, Reach and Conquer” the crown in matches held simultaneously in Luzon and Davao.
In Luzon, six teams competed at the Marikina Sports Complex, while four competing teams were pitted against each other at Dover Lane in Davao City. Emerging as the overall champion, the Corporate Warriors unseated former two-time champs and this year’s first runner-up, the Antipolo Giants; with the Metro North Kings bagging second runner-up. In Davao, the overall championship trophy was brought home by the Green Dragons.
At the Marikina Sports Complex, signaling the start of the day’s events was a procession of participating teams in the Parade of Colors. Inviting all team captains on stage, Arnulfo Cabading, plant manager of the Antipolo plant, led the Oath of Sportsmanship for all athletes.
One of the opening highlights had eight pioneer employees run the torch relay, with ARC national sales manager Felicito Sebastian running the last leg before finally passing the torch to Ochie Lim, AVP for Finance for the lighting of torch and the declaration of the opening of The Great ARClympics 2012.
The day’s wins kicked off early with Nicolas Familleza of the Metro North Kings breezing through the 5k marathon for men and Niña Decena of Corporate Warriors for the 1k walkathon for women. The main events immediately followed, with teams playing back-to-back in 21 separate matches for 12 different sports. Defending their titles, two teams remained undefeated for the second year in a row: the Pampanga Dragons for basketball and Antipolo Giants for volleyball (men and women’s division).
Undaunted by the sun’s heat, all employees showcased their athletic streaks. There were also rounds of more lighthearted “fun games” and a Kids Hour, where children of employees let their creativity run free in a PET bottle-designing contest.
This annual sports fest is but one of ARC’s many activities for building up not just team spirit but also reinforcing values among its employees. In addition to this, the company also holds outreach programs, First Friday Mass, and just recently, it concluded one of its most ambitious corporate social responsibility projects, the ARC Young Leaders Camp, a long-term program that aims to give free, hands-on, real-life leadership training to the country’s most promising but underserved members of the youth. Together, these programs exemplify the five great values of ARC, forming the foundation of the company’s culture and determining its relationship with people and the communities around them.