MANILA, Philippines - A newly launched Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines Inc. coffee table book revealed that it was an unselfish desire of a young United States Air Force soldier to share with Filipino consumers his passion for the famous brand of soft drink that planted the seed of Pepsi’s monolithic existence in the Philippines. Instead of returning to his hometown in Minnesota when the war ended in the Philippines in 1945, John Clarkin opted to stay put, acquired a Pepsi franchise, and set up the first Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. of the Philippine Islands Ltd. The rest is history, as embodied In the coffee table book entitled “The Pepsi Challenge; A Journey of Remarkable Resilience.†The book was launched last December at the Tent city of the historic Manila Hotel, forming part of the company’s Annual Executive Dinner. Some 300 top members of the soft drinks giant’s leadership team attended the formal gathering. The texts were done by prominent writers Dr. Isagani Cruz and Ms. Janet Villa while the layout was executed by BG Hernandez.