Celebrities share sari-saring happiness with communities

MANILA, Philippines - Coca-Cola officially welcomed Christmas with simultaneous parol lighting in several key areas across the country last Nov. 8, with ceremonies held in Taguig, Tacloban, Pampanga, Batangas, Bacolod, and Davao.

With the theme #SariSaringHappiness, this year Coca-Cola is making Christmas more accessible to Filipinos by bringing the celebrations back to the communities.

Coca-Cola Happiness Ambassadors Enchong Dee, Joseph Marco, and Julia Montes shared sari-saring happiness with the communities by joining the ceremonies in Pampanga, Tacloban, and Taguig, respectively. The three share each of their memorable experiences in sharing sari-saring happiness:

ENCHONG DEE

I was very privileged to see and be part of the Coca-Cola parol lighting in Pampanga. Parols signify hope and happiness, just what we need during the Christmas season. And I really think it was a great idea to put up these parols in sari-sari stores, knowing that every street in the country has at least one sari-sari store. Add to that the cleverness of “upcycling” used Coca-Cola bottles for the parols. I am truly amazed by this concept of sharing sari-saring happiness. I believe in the saying “smile and the whole world will smile back at you.” This Christmas, I plan to share smiles to as much people as I can, and hope that they would also do the same to others. How can we not share happiness when we see all these parols, reminding us all that it is the birthday of Jesus Christ, the season to be happy and be grateful for all the blessings.

JOSEPH MARCO

Being in Tacloban a year after typhoon Yolanda was already an experience in itself. It was very palpable that it was a really important day for the people. But more than sadness, what I felt was an overwhelming feeling of hope. As we lit up the recycled Coca-Cola parols in Tacloban, I couldn’t help but pay more attention to the people instead of the beautiful lanterns. I watched them with their big smiles and eyes full of hope, as they see all those parols come to life. I will never forget the look in their eyes when they first saw me, like I made them feel special by simply going there. And that gives me great joy, the opportunity to share happiness with some really deserving people. Kudos to Coca-Cola for bringing Christmas closer to the communities and for making Tacloban a part of it. Those parols are the perfect guiding lights after they’ve been through so much darkness.

JULIA MONTES

Like most people, Christmas is my most-awaited time of the year. I am always so excited to put up our Christmas tree and decorate our house with parols and Christmas lights. This year, I am really grateful that I was able to share this experience with the community of Taguig. What I only usually do with my small family, I was able to do with an entire barangay! As they say, the more the merrier! It also felt great seeing all those women sari-sari storeowners who were the stars of the event. It is with their help, as well as their sari-sari stores, that we were able to put up so much parols. I had goose bumps just watching them all light up! And it was a really amazing feeling to be able to share that moment with all of them. I can only hope that my being there was able to share joy with the people too. Because that’s what Christmas is to me — sharing blessings, sharing happiness.