ZAMBOANGA CITY – A popular soft drink brand suspended operations of its Zamboanga plant based here Tuesday, Aug. 23, due to the sugar crisis.

“Coca-Cola plant has suspended operations due to the lack of supply of bottler’s grade sugar as a result of the ongoing sugar crisis,” said a sign posted outside the Coca-Cola Zamboanga plant.
The plant supplies soft drinks to Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.
Prices of the popular carbonated drink in stores in this city have increased, from P15 to P20 for a 12-ounce bottle and from P35 to P45 for a one-liter bottle, as an offshoot of the shortage.
The driver of a soft drink distributor in Zamboanga Sibugay said that they have been on standby in a barangay in the east coast here for the past two weeks while waiting for the plant to resume the distribution of stocks.
There is still no report on when the soft drink plant will resume operations.