Coca-Cola partners with Congressman Nograles for STAR Program in Davao City

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Coca-Cola Philippines and Davao City 1st District Representative, Congressman Karlo Nograles, entered into a Memorandum of Agreement to expand the implementation of the Sari-sari Store Training and Access to Resources (STAR) Program to the women small business owners in the area.

The Coca-Cola 5by20 STAR Program is designed for women micro-entrepreneurs who own and manage sari-sari stores or carinderias, with the goal of addressing the barriers they face by providing an enabling environment for business success. 

The STAR Program has three components: access to training, access to resources, and access to peer mentoring. The STAR Program is implemented in partnership with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and reputable microfinance institutions and cooperatives operating at the regional level.

“We are continuously expanding the coverage of the program by partnering with key government officials and offices. The first district of Davao has one of the largest populations of women micro-entrepreneurs. Together with Congressman Karlo Nograles, we will reach a larger audience and bring the program to those who can benefit from it the most,” said Gilda Maquilan, 5by20 Lead, Sustainability Manager of Coca-Cola Philippines.

The 1st District of Davao City covers the central business district and neighboring suburbs, where a great concentration of micro and small enterprises are located. The office of Congressman Nograles will identify the qualified women for the program and provide the training venue, among others.

“The empowerment of women is at the core of our platform. Over the years, we have helped women in our district through our various livelihood programs. The Coca-Cola STAR Program is a great opportunity to enhance the capabilities of our women micro-entrepreneurs and help them provide more for their families,” said Nograles.

The Coca-Cola STAR Program is part of the 5by20 global initiative of The Coca-Cola Company, which aims to empower 5 million women within its value chain by 2020. The program initially targeted Filipino women engaged in micro-retail enterprise such as sari-sari stores but has expanded to include women in other marginalized sectors since its launch in 2011.

Today, the Coca-Cola STAR Program is implemented in over 54 locations nationwide and has impacted more than 80,000 women. The program has continuously embraced other sectors including distressed female overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) through a partnership with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and the National Reintegration Center for OFWs of the Department of Labor and Employment, beneficiaries of the government’s conditional cash transfer program or the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development–National Capital Region, Artisan Women of Tondo, and women who are in disaster-stricken areas.

The Coca-Cola STAR Program is also supported by Coca-Cola FEMSA Philippines, Alay sa Kaunlaran, Inc. (ASKI), First Community Cooperative (FICCO), Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation, Inc. (NWTF), ASA Philippines, and National Confederation of Cooperatives (NATCCO).

Sari-sari stores in the Philippines see a refreshing future with Coca-Cola

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It has been two years since Carmencita Aspiras turned around her home-based business – a sari-sari store that she used to help augment her family’s daily finances, including the allowances and requirements of her children who were earning their college degrees.

The Coca-Cola Company Asia Pacific Group president, John Murphy, joined the graduates of the Coca-Cola STAR Program in a toast to celebrate the success of the program in enabling women entrepreneurs increase their profit. Murphy is joined by TESDA Deputy Director General Rebecca Calzado, Coca-Cola Philippines President Diego Granizo, and Coca-Cola Philippines Sustainability Manager Gilda Maquilan.

Like most sari-sari stores in the country, Aspiras ran it for the first two years based on her own perception of how the business ought to be managed. But joining and completing the Coca-Cola 5by20 Sari-sari Store Training and Access to Resources (STAR) program in 2014 changed the course of her business, and her life.

“From earning P2,500 to P3,000 daily, by implementing what I learned from the program, my store now earns an average of P5,000 daily.

More than doubling her store’s daily earnings, Aspiras said that what struck her most in the Coca-Cola STAR program was how it helped her become a better wife, mother, and person. “I am what I am today because of the (Coca-Cola STAR) program. I was able to let my children finish school, business is thriving, and if not for the program, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to be here in front of you,” Aspiras said during a roundtable meeting with John Murphy, the president of the Asia Pacific Group of The Coca-Cola Company.

Coca-Cola STAR Program graduate Carmencita Aspiras welcomed The Coca-Cola Company Asia Pacific Group President John Murphy to her Baby’s Store in Taguig City. More than doubling her income, the program helped Aspiras achieve the dreams she had for her family, particularly for her children to finish their school.

Coca-Cola, with its 19 manufacturing facilities in the Philippines, and over 10,000 strong labor force, is proactive in promoting women empowerment through 5by20, a global initiative that aims to empower 5 million women worldwide by the year 2020. Locally, the 5by20 initiative targets the empowerment of 200,000 women through the STAR Program.

“It’s an honor for us to be here with you today. When the program was started, people inside and outside the company were wondering if it was possible to empower five million women around the world. Sitting here with you today shows that vision is being fulfilled by people like you. And your stories will continue to inspire us at Coca-Cola to continue with these programs,” said Murphy who was in the country along with other top executives of Coca-Cola for a three-day visit.

Murphy visited the various sustainability programs of Coca-Cola Philippines, particularly the Coca-Cola STAR Program. Earlier in the day, he visited Aspiras’ store in Barangay Wawa, Taguig City.

In that meeting, Murphy was joined by 10 women micro-entrepreneurs who have completed the Coca-Cola STAR Program as well as officials from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), led by Deputy Director General Rebecca Calzado.

The Coca-Cola STAR Program is implemented in partnership with TESDA, where women around the country can enroll and undergo the Basic Entrepreneurship and Gender Sensitivity Training at the STAR Center for Excellence operated and managed at the TESDA Women’s Center in Taguig City and other STAR Program trainings conducted in the regions.