AQUINO FLIES BY HELICOPTER TO BAGUIO TO OPEN 700th JOLLIBEE
BAGUIO CITY, NOVEMBER 29, 2010 (MANILA STANDARD) President Benigno Aquino III flew by helicopter here Friday to open the 700th store of Jollibee, the country's leading fast-food chain.
"Jollibee's story is indeed remarkable. From two ice cream parlors in Cubao in 1975, when I was still a grade school student, Jollibee Foods Corporation now has over 2,000 stores within and outside the country," Mr. Aquino said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony in the company's newest branch on Harrison Road.
"This is the mark of a true Filipino---one who cannot be toppled by adversity.
"Instead of crumbling before stiff competition from other international food chains, Jollibee continued to strive to become one of the most successful companies not only in the Philippines but in Asia as well," Mr. Aquino said in an apparent reference to McDonald's, which entered the Philippines in 1981.
Jollibee chairman Tony Tan Caktiong said his company was committed to offering only high-quality products and excellent service.
The President, who helped slice a giant Champ hamburger, thanked Jollibee for being his "unofficial food provider" during the campaign for the May 10 presidential elections.
The company recently tapped Mr. Aquino's cousin, Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, as one of its nine "Yumbassadors"—young leaders handpicked by the fast-food chain to represent youth empowerment and nationalism.
But minutes after the President entered the store, at least a dozen students from the University of the Philippines in Baguio staged a lighting rally to denounce his administration's decision to cut the proposed budget increases for state-owned universities and colleges by more than P1 billion next year.
Police and members of the Presidential Security Group quickly dispersed the protesters, ensuring that Mr. Aquino was unaware of the commotion outside.
The President stayed for close to two hours, but skipped the scheduled lunch with Jollibee executives and flew back to Manila to attend a mass to mark his late father's birthday.
Jollibee Foods Corp. operates six fast-food chains here: Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich Pizza, Red Ribbon Bakeshop, Manong Pepe and Mang Inasal.
The company also operates two fast-food chains in China: Yonghe King and Hong Zhuan Yuan.
The company posted a P2.7-billion profit last year from its P68.7-billion sales. Joyce Pangco Pañares
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