DECEMBER 2024, MANILA, PHILIPPINES — In the Philippines, where dreams are big but opportunities are limited, many Filipinos make the ultimate sacrifice of going abroad for work to provide for their families back home. Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are scattered in millions worldwide in various industries, from healthcare, creatives, technology, and many more, lending their talents to the world for decades.
OFWs are pushed to sacrifice the comfort of their homes and the priceless moments of spending time with loved ones in the name of building a better future for their families, working tirelessly in foreign countries and under unfamiliar conditions to seek better opportunities. This often results in mothers and fathers being unable to witness their children’s milestones, and sons and daughters missing the care and attention of their parents as they go through life every day.
This is even more apparent during the holiday season as out of the millions of OFWs around the world, only a small number can come home to the Philippines to celebrate with their families. Most choose to spend their Christmas alone abroad, even working overtime, to save on flight tickets and instead prioritize earning money to send back gifts to their loved ones. And for Filipinos who view Christmas as the happiest time of the year, starting celebrations as early as September, this sacrifice is all the more heartbreaking and profound.
Moved by this reality, Coca-Cola Philippines has chosen to shine the light on OFWs this holiday season and give back kindness to our modern-day heroes with a little Christmas surprise.
A Santa for the Colina Family
Coca-Cola Philippines’ holiday campaign urges everyone to spread kindness and foster human connection with the message “The World Needs More Santas,” calling on every Filipino to fully embody the season’s spirit of giving. Emboldened by this promise, the brand gave a particular family the gift of a lifetime: reuniting a father and his three children after so many years of celebrating Christmas apart.
The star of Coca-Cola Philippines’ holiday film is the Colina family, with father Aldo who has been working as a storekeeper in Malta for 17 years. In his years of hard work, he has dutifully and commendably provided for his children’s education but has missed graduations, illnesses, and other crucial moments in their lives. On top of it all, they have not spent Christmas together as a family in five years.
To set up the surprise, the Colina children were told they won a weekend stay in Bonifacio Global City to experience Coca-Cola’s Christmas parade. There, they were asked to participate on stage in one of the parade’s activities where they had to shout “Ho ho ho!” out loud to get special prizes from Coke, not knowing that their dearly missed father was behind the curtains, waiting to surprise them.
The second the curtains drew back and they realized who was waiting for them, it is evident in their reactions just how much the reunion meant to them. Shocked exclamations, tight embraces, and a lot of tears were shed on and off stage, as the audience was also moved by the emotional moment.
“Unang-una kong gagawin [ay sabihin]: ‘tara mga anak, picture tayo,’” (The first thing I’ll do [is to tell them]: come, kids, let’s take a photo!) expressed Aldo, excitedly wanting to immortalize the moment with a photo he can look back on of their family’s first Christmas celebration in years. The film ended with the family making new memories over a delicious meal together with an Ice cold-Coke—the perfect family bonding moment for Filipinos.
Watch it here: COCA-COLA: A Christmas Reunion | Gift of Kindness
Spread Santa’s kindness this Christmas
Coca-Cola’s “The World Needs More Santas” message is more than just an encouragement to Filipinos to spread joy and kindness this season; it’s a challenge for all of us to rise above challenges and truly bring the spirit of Christmas to life by looking out for one another and sharing positivity. The campaign reminds us all that we can make another person’s holiday season a little brighter with acts of giving, compassion, and kindness; that we all have Santa’s spirit inside of us, just waiting to come out and spread light into the world.
Join Coca-Cola Philippines’ holiday mission. Visit www.coca-cola.com.ph/en or visit the brand’s official Facebook and Instagram pages to learn more about how you can be a Santa this Christmas season!
