Vocal Duterte supporter and blogger Rey Joseph Nieto, also known as Thinking Pinoy, slammed the credit grabbing a certain Jake Miranda did when he thanked Vice President Leni Robredo for the delivery of drinking water to Surigao City after the earthquake on the evening of February 10.
We can no longer find the post Miranda made but this is what he said:
“Morning after the earthquake, we got a hundred calls from friends. One call jolted me out of my seat, and the person just asked what we needed most – we answered ‘drinking water.’ Within that day, a mystery truck arrives at City Hall loaded with 420 cases of six-liter bottled water straight to the distribution center. No other labels. No fanfare and color. Swift, simply and quiet. On behalf of a grateful city, we give credit to where credit is due, so I just have to say thank you, VP Leni Robredo and to all of you who are helping Surigao in deed and in prayer. Salamat sa inyo.”
[ads1]
However, as what was shown in Thinking Pinoy’s graphics, Miranda’s credit should have gone to Coca-Cola Philippines.
TP’s photo included a Facebook post by Coca-Cola FEMSA Philippines, which posted this regarding the distribution of Wilkins Distilled water to the residents of Surigao City:
“Coca-Cola brings safe drinking water to earthquake-stricken communities.
As the people of Surigao recover from the devastation wrought by the 6.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Surigao Province last Friday, the Coca-Cola System immediately arranged to send aid in the form of a vital resource–safe and clean drinking water.
On February 11 – the day after the quake, over 7,500 liters of Wilkins Distilled water were unloaded at Surigao City Hall. The drinking water was distributed through the efforts of the local government, with the assistance of Coca-Cola FEMSA Philippines pre-sellers, 301B personnel of the Philippine Army, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.”
On top of that, TP hit the Office of the Vice President (OVP) for sharing the misleading post that Miranda made, seemingly agreeing with Miranda’s claim about the water.
[ads2]
We can no longer find that specific post by the OVP but it said:
“A truckload of bottled water arrived Saturday night for those affected by the earthquake in Surigao. This would not have been possible without the generous and immediate help of the Coca Cola Foundation. Thank you to our #AngatBuhay partners for helping our fellow Filipinos in times of disaster.”
TP compared how Coca-Cola credited DSWD, Philippine Army, Surigao LGU, and their pre-sellers for the distribution of the bottled drinking water and how the OVP credited Robredo for the effort.
If there are still questions as to the role of the OVP in Coca-Cola’s distribution of bottled water, it was answered by a certain Marianne Gale R. Romero-Compra, an HR Executive at Coca-Cola through her reply to another netizen. Another Duterte supporter and blogger, Sass Rogando Sassot, posted the exchange on Facebook.
Compra said that no one made a request to Coca-Cola since it is simply a part of their Incident Management and Crisis Resolution initiative.
Sassot also posted a screenshot of more of Compra’s comments on Miranda’s post, showing different photos of the Coca-Cola truck delivering the bottled water to Surigao.
Another Coca-Cola employee also said to have reached out to Sassot, telling her that the Coca-Cola Foundation does not directive from anyone. Reaching out to Filipinos in times of needs is simply a part of their social responsibility. Moreover, sending their donation through a politician is against Coca-Cola’s Code of Business Ethics (COBE).
Coca-Cola delivered the bottled drinking water without any coordination with the OVP or any politician. They did so on their own initiative to reach out to the victims of the Surigao earthquake.
Sources: (fb.com/TheThinkingPinoy, news.abs-cbn.com, fb.com/KOFPh, fb.com/forthemotherlandph)
Be Informed. Beat the Trolls, Share the Truth!
[ads3]
