ARC helps grow Nayong Tsinoy community

MANILA, Philippines - Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has always been synonymous with the act of paying it forward or giving back.  At Asiawide Refreshments Corporation (ARC), it is bringing the act one step further — building on its genuine commitment to create actual positive impact to society and “giving back” using a framework of sustainability and long-term growth.

This has always been the spirit behind the CSR initiatives of the country’s licensed bottler of global soft-drink brand RC Cola.  Being a pioneering entrepreneurial company that started from humble beginnings, ARC has long held a consciousness to “pay it forward,” which has since been an ever-present guide in all of its projects and activities.

“We will always have a soft spot for endeavors that help people rise to their feet and teach them to fish, so to speak, because as a genuinely Filipino company we also started from the ground up and now, we are reaping the successes of our hard work,” says Gerry Garcia, ARC executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Garcia refers to the 10th anniversary of ARC this year as a company that brought RC Cola to the Philippines. The move not only proved to be a market success, but, more importantly, created a lot of entrepreneurial and business opportunities for partner dealers and distributors all over the country.

As part of its anniversary celebrations this year, ARC goes back to the roots of one of its important CSR projects, the Nayong Tsinoy resettlement area in San Simon, Pampanga, to reinforce its commitment to sustainable assistance and growth.

Nayong Tsinoy is a planned resettlement community that is funded and operated through financial assistance mostly from Filipino-Chinese enterprises and businesses, hence the moniker. ARC chairman Alfredo Yao is counted as one of its earliest and strongest supporters; he believed that the program would make a huge impact on the lives of many families.

Back in 2010, ARC helped plant the seeds of a better future for homeless families in Nayong Tsinoy through a generous financial donation, together with its parent company, Royal Crown Cola International (RCCI). Around 200 more houses were put up at Nayong Tsinoy to house more underserved Filipino families.  Top officials of both ARC and RCCI were present to personally visit the beneficiaries and tour the community. Officials of the Living for Christ Foundation (LFCF), which established and oversees Nayong Tsinoy, were also present for the landmark occasion.