By Jerome S. Galunan, Jr.

In response to yesterday’s rally held outside the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Barangay Mansilingan, an event endorsed by both Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon, Jr., who has since banned the beverage company from sponsoring the upcoming Panaad sa Negros Festival, and Vice Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, the soft drink manufacturer characterized the calls for a boycott “misguided.”
“We believe in responsibly participating in processes that promote reasonable policies which allow every stakeholder to compete on a level playing field,” the company said in a statement. “A misguided boycott will only cause harm to the communities we serve.”
They also noted the opportunities provided to the local community from establishing a plant in the province, saying, “We have always sought to provide opportunities for productive lives through employment and livelihood, including comprehensive programs that seek to nourish the communities we proudly serve.”
The beverage company also recalled a University of the Philippines study, which was also cited by the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), that found, with the company’s use of 40 percent of all sugar production in the Philippines, Coca-Cola is a “main driver” of growth in the local sugar industry.
They noted a boycott of their products would also be detrimental to the local community, hitting sugar farmers, sari-sari store owners, and local businesses the hardest.
“The call to boycott our products, anchored on unfounded allegations made regarding the use of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), affects many more workers and consumers along the economic value chain than some of our partners in the sugar industry realize,” the statement read.
Yesterday’s protest also targeted Department of Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, who called for the suspension of Sugar Order No. 3, enacted by the SRA, in order to regulate the importation of HFCS./WDJ