Speech of Tony Del Rosario - CEO of Coca-Cola in Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei
Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen.
What a wonderful day and a half it has been. Having listened to the many major partnerships during Plenary 1 with Fr. Ben Nebres of Ateneo, Ms. Chong Siak Ching CEO of Ascendas, Congressman Freddie Tinga, Governor Lray of CamSur, Jeremy Rowe of Aksonobel, John Miller of Nestle and the heart-warming story of courage of Ms. Jainab AbdulMajid of Sulu, I am honored to be asked to speak before you this morning. The brief to me was to share, not about the Company I work for and its involvement with Gk, but more about my own personal journey and the work I now do with GKHi Singapore. Allow me then to dispense with the powerpoints and videos and share simply from the heart.
I look into the audience and I see old friends, brothers and sisters, and new acquaintances that I have met across my journey with GK. I see mentors from my past (my ex-boss Tony Gonzalez is here and a great mentor Tito Tony Meloto). I see heroes who have volunteered and dedicated their lives to this cause. Allow me to name a few, Tito Tony and his entire family, Luis and Mari Oquinena, Issa Santos, Mark Lawrence, Ailin Ong of GKHi, my favorite Paolo Domondon, and most of all the care-taker teams in the audience. All I can say is that I admire you and I am humbled in your company. In the small contribution that Annette and I do for GK, we stand on the shoulders of giants and we are proud to carry on your work.
My journey (and my family’s journey) in GK began with many of you and we are forever in your debt. You have shared with us a most wonderful gift; one that has re-defined my world.
My journey with GK began, oddly enough not in the Philippines but in Indonesia where my family and I lived for 7 ½ years. I work for Coca-Cola, one of, if not the most Global Company in the world. Back then, my life revolved around my job, and it defined me. I spent all my time at work. I defined success primarily in material terms, and in the advancement of my career, until one day, that “small voice” within me grew restless for something more. Out of nowhere a friend and brother, who is among us today, and I must honor, Ed Macesar, invited Annette and I to join Couples for Christ. Ed became our “Household Head”, and he was also Head of GK Indonesia, and by default, we met GK. Annette and I found ourselves immersed in our faith journey. And as our participation in the work of Gk in Indonesia increased, (mine helping Ed with Resource Generation and Annette as teacher in one of the three GK Indonesia sites) we found our faith journey taking on a different dimension. Somehow it was deeper and more meaningful. In GK, I can live out my Faith, not only in prayer, but in service, action and love for my neighbor. I now come to look at those early days as the birth of my Faith journey that continues today.
Soon after getting involved in Indonesia, I met Tito Tony Meloto, and anyone who has ever met him will say the same thing, “Tito Tony rocks your world”. This is a great man. Among the many things I have learned from you, the one that is most enduring is the “Inspiration to love my country, and love the poor”. Back then, living in Indonesia, we yearned to stay connected to our country of birth, and through a simple talk, you inspired us to simply “give back”. My family and close friends got involved and stayed committed. What started with 1 home in honor of my mom has ended with our family and friend’s support of 1 village with 94 homes (and counting) in Paranaque. And this service has come full circle with the greatest gift we have received as a family. When my father had his by-pass and needed blood, all our family blood was being rejected. Having heard this, the beneficiaries of the village, unprompted, came forward and donated blood for my dad. None of it rejected, their blood literally running in my Father’s veins and saving him. This has taught me a number of very valuable lessons. The first is that when you “Give Care” without expecting anything in return, you truly get it back seven-fold. Second, in the service of one another, brother to brother (our family, the beneficiaries and care-taker team), we redefine who we consider Family. And third, it has led to my realization that (simply put) when the chips are down, your fellow Filipino will come through. I now realize we need each other and can rely on each other. GK has given me this connection back home. GK has allowed me to give back to my country and my fellow countrymen (as they give back to me and my family). GK has spawned my re-birth as a Filipino.
And now here I am in Singapore, having been posted here by Coke for the past 2 years. I continue here my journey through GKHi, and it has been a most unexpected one. I find myself in a most amazing city; a true hub of excellence that reaches across Asia. We have much to learn and tap from Singapore. Singapore stands for Good Governance, Excellence, Hard Work, a “Can do attitude”. At the heart of its success, were forefathers and pioneers who loved and cared for their country, just like the pioneers of GK. Singapore is a hub for Corporations, NGOs, Academe, Philanthropy, Research, a melting pot of cultures and ethnicities and multiple Faith-based institutions. There are many potential partnerships for GK. And as GK gains from these partnerships, Singapore will gain too. There are many hearts to be opened. This is the work of GKHi.
At GKHi, I find myself in a truly multi-cultural group of volunteers, serving with Ailin and no less than 6 other nationalities in the team and multiple student volunteers. I also travel across the Asian Region for work and I am excited for I see the potential for GK spreading its wings beyond the Philippines. There are many poor in a large number of these countries and they too need our help. I know the Gk model will work. Why not honor then the good work that all you volunteers have accomplished. Why not give the rest of Asia the Gift that is GK. This is the work of GKHi too. And in this work I feel another re-awakening in me. This time not only that of being a Filipino but a sense of belonging beyond it. I am identifying much more to my Asian roots.
As I get more and more involved in GKHi, I am happy too that my wife Annette and my children Maiki and Xavi are likewise involved. Annette and her army of close friends and volunteers have worked tirelessly on the logistics for this Summit and Maiki has just set up the GK club at SAS with her closest friends. In GK we all share a common family work.
In my work life at Coke, excellence is demanded. The Coke Company is a marketing and distribution giant. Imagine the ability to serve billions of consumers everyday and repeat that feat everyday for the last 124 years. Extreme hard work and excellence is what I must give to succeed, and I will demand that same excellence from myself in this work of GK because the poor deserve the best. The other day Luis asked me what is easier to sell Coke or GK. My first reaction was that it is easy to sell anything when it stands for something great. With Coke, we believe it stands not just for “the Real Thing”, that unique, great tasting Beverage. It also stands for Refreshing the World, Moments of Optimism, Fun and the Opportunity to bring Value and Benefit to everyone it touches (no that was not a plug for my product but if it inspires you to buy a Coke, please do). While GK, to me stands for Brotherly Care, for Love of God, Family, Country and Neighbor, for great Sacrifice and Service. On second thought Luis, selling GK is easier because it stands for something greater and sells itself.
Allow me to close then by reflecting back to where I started in my journey. Yes I continue to work for Coke, now as the General Manager for Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei, but it no longer singularly defines me. What defines me more is my work with GK. For with GK, I am a better husband and father. With GK my Faith Journey is more complete. With GK I am a better Filipino. And with GK, I have the opportunity to be a true Asian. So if you ask me who am I, simply put, I am a GK volunteer and I will always be.
