P&G Philippines handed out Safeguard Handwash products to LRT-2 commuters

(LRT-2 commuters with their Safeguard Handwash products) 

 

Amidst the rising cases of Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease and the recently detected presence of COVID-19 omicron subvariant  XXB.1.5 in the PH, Procter & Gamble (P&G) Philippines, the multinational consumer goods company with a diverse range of superior health care, home care, beauty, and grooming products, through its partnership with the Manila Water Foundation (MWF) handed out Safeguard Handwash products as a pre-Valentine’s day gift to LRT-2 commuters. 

 

According to the Department of Health, handwashing with soap is key to fighting against COVID-19, and regular handwashing with soap can reduce the likelihood of common coronavirus infection by 36%. However, not all Filipinos have access to handwashing facilities, water, and/or soap.

 

“It’s crucial to remind the public of the importance of WASH, or water, sanitation, and hygiene, to our health. Through this project, not only are we promoting proper handwashing with soap, which is one of the key preventive measures against diseases and infections, but we are also bringing access to proper handwashing stations closer to Filipinos” says Tasha Santos, Sr. Communications Manager of Safeguard  Philippines.

 

Over 2,000 pieces of Safeguard Liquid Handsoaps were given out in LRT-2 stations Antipolo, Araneta Center Cubao, Legarda, and Recto. Five (5) portable handwashing stations called HappyTaps were also set up in each station to encourage frequent and proper handwashing with soap and water with Safeguard’s Insta-foam Handwash. Passengers who washed their hands in the stations were given the chance to win a gift pack of hygiene products through MWF’s electronic raffle.  

(Portable handwashing stations set up by MWF in LRT)

 

The project, titled “We Love Safe Hands sa Riles” is part of the series of MWF 18th Anniversary events. Other projects such as outreach programs, donation handovers, and #SafeWASH seminars are also in the pipeline for P&G and MWF in the coming weeks. 

 

“As we celebrate our 18th Anniversary, we remember with heartfelt thanks our dedicated partners like P&G Philippines who have been a force for good in enabling MWF’s mission and we look forward to more collaborations with P&G to bring WASH for all communities,” said Reginald Andal, Executive Director of MWF.

 

P&G is a consistent partner of MWF in helping build the nation and empowering communities by promoting health and hygiene. The partnership started with the construction of hand hygiene facilities and provision of hygiene supplies under the Lingap Linis Lusog Kabataan project in 2019 and has since expanded to other MWF WASH programs such as #SafeWASH in Communities and Schools, reaching over 1M Filipinos across over 55 cities and municipalities across the country. In 2021, Typhoon Odette victims were also able to receive care packages filled with P&G products thanks to MWF’s assistance. Most recently, P&G, in collaboration with MWF, donated Vicks ZzzQuil Natura sleep gummies to over 4,000 beneficiaries to promote proper rest and sleep. 

 

Meet Evelyn Chua-Ng, the woman leading P&G’s equality and inclusion in the workplace

Shifting a company’s gender ratio to be more balanced, and enabling capable women to assume leadership positions, are two of the most relevant imperatives in modern workplaces. To both ends, Procter & Gamble has made great strides, breaking out of traditional workplace cultures that tend to inhibit an employee’s full potential. 

 

P&G Philippines shares how it has 50-50 gender balance in all management levels, proving that in P&G, a successful career path is possible for anyone.

The multinational consumer goods corporation is committed to doing even more, shares its Equality and Inclusion (E&I) Corporate Sponsor, Evelyn Chua-Ng. A P&G veteran for 20 years, Chua-Ng started in the Philippines in 2001, and assumed international roles across 3 countries in Asia.  One such role was Finance Manager for P&G Greater China’s Baby Care, Oral Care, Skincare & Cosmetics sector.  She has gone on to be Chief Financial Officer for P&G Philippines, after which in 2016, she became Vice President of P&G Asia Pacific Tax Operations and Comptroller for the expansive Asia, Middle East, Africa region in 2019. She is the highest-ranking Filipino woman in P&G Philippines. She concurrently leads P&G Philippines’ Equality & Inclusion council, the team tasked to nurture an equal and inclusive workplace for employees where performance, skills, and talent are the basis for advancement — not gender or sexual orientation.

 

“I’m privileged to work in a company where senior leaders truly live and breathe an inclusive culture. This is a big enabler as it levels the playing field for everyone. Working with the P&G local office and other regional headquarters throughout my career, I never felt like I was not listened to or my ideas were dismissed because of my gender,” said Chua-Ng. She also mentioned how important it is that her husband has been a big supporter of her career goals and an involved father to their four girls.

 

Early on in her career at P&G, she realized that her biggest personal challenges are often self-imposed, allowing cultural and social expectations on women and mothers to get the best of her. Thankfully, the strong P&G equality and inclusion initiatives helped her understand and overcome these unconscious biases and self-limiting beliefs.  As an example, Chua-Ng was a vocal senior leader advocate for providing well-appointed breastfeeding rooms in their offices to enable P&G mothers to fulfill their parenting duties easily even while at work. 

 

As the E&I Sponsor, Chua-Ng’s vision is to drive and maintain a strong culture of inclusion in P&G Philippines, where everybody can bring their full selves to work every day. She plans on being a strong mentor and advocate for deserving individuals,  citing how strong male and female senior leaders mentored and inspired her to courageously step out of her comfort zone and challenge biases.

The company’s E&I efforts are expansive, covering areas such as company policies, programs and practices.  This year, P&G launched its Share the Care policy, which expands its paid parental leave policy to a minimum standard of 8 weeks for all P&G parents, not just birthing mothers. This goes beyond the government-mandated 7 paternity leave days, and gives dads an extra seven weeks to share in caregiving of new children.

 

“P&G has a role to play as thought-leaders in this space. Equality and inclusion is not a new initiative or buzzword in P&G because this has been an integral business strategy of ours for many years. Recently, we have seen the power of leveraging the reach of our brands as a force for good in sparking conversations that tackle bias in society,” added Chua-Ng.

 

Chua-Ng encourages more companies to champion equality and inclusion as a business and organization strategy.  Research has shown that diverse and inclusive organizations deliver stronger business results. The diversity of thought sparks better problem-solving, engagement, creativity, innovation and financial performance. Ultimately, companies create stronger shareholder value by embracing equitable and inclusive practices.

 

To learn more about P&G’s Equality and Inclusion, visit: https://us.pg.com/equality-and-inclusion/