In Memoriam: 349

Two claimants in the Pepsi 349 raffle draw lost their last chance when the Supreme Court reversed a ruling made by the Court of appeals ordering Pepsi Cola to pay them about P7.5 million. TheCalso said that all other similar petitions from other claimants would also be dismissed. Pepsi ran a promotion in the country telling customers they could win a million pesos if they bought a bottle of Pepsi and found a number corresponding to what was drawn. In May 1992, 349 stamped on the underside of the bottle cap. Unfortunately, due to a software error, 800,000 bottle caps were produced with number 349 instead of one. Because of this a long court battle ensued and this could be the last. To appease the holders of the non-winning "349" crowns, Pepsi Cola offered to pay P500 for every non-winning "349" crown that would be presented on or before June 12, 1992. A total of 490,116 holders of the non-winning "349" crowns took advantage of Pepsi Cola’s goodwill gesture, but still a great number filed against Pepsi Cola separate complaints for recovery of the cash prize and damages. Thus the "349 Movement" was born, vandalizing Pepsi trucks and making Michael Jackson and F4's lives living hells.