Procter & Gamble Philippines: A force for good, a force for growth
During times of darkness does light shine the brightest. The bayanihan spirit during the COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to countless volunteer groups, support campaigns for healthcare workers on the frontlines, and even community pantries to support the most vulnerable. Organizations like the World Bank pledged support for local economic development and maintain its focus on vulnerable and marginalized groups, including indigenous peoples and women.
The pandemic also saw massive collaborations between the public and private sector. Numerous companies from the private sector are working hand in hand with the government to aid communities most affected by the pandemic and implement the vaccination program, as with the Taskforce T3 public-private sector pandemic partnership.
As a company relied on by many Filipinos for their health and hygiene needs, Procter & Gamble Philippines knows the significance of the role it plays in helping the country amid the crisis. The company behind trusted names like Safeguard, Ariel, and Head & Shoulders, is doing its part to support Filipinos during the crisis, especially those in the frontlines of the pandemic.
“Big companies play a pivotal role during crises because they are usually in a better position to weather crises, lead positive action and step up to be a force for good. We have business resources and technical expertise to help our countrymen and the country. It makes it possible that even in a crisis, companies like ours can care for our employees, be partners with the government, and serve our consumers,” P&G Philippines President and General Manager Raffy Fajardo said in an interview.
A PURPOSE FOCUSED ON PEOPLE
Even as millions of Filipinos were directly affected by COVID-19, millions more were vulnerable and left without an income due to the economic impact of the consequent community quarantines.
As a top multinational employer, P&G recognizes its responsibility over the welfare of the Filipinos it employs.
This is why P&G ensured job security and employment at the onset of the pandemic, keeping its employees at full pay while continuing to hire over 500 people in last year. For P&G, their people will always be their #1 priority.
Taking care of its people also allows P&G to keep sight of their mission during the crisis: continuing to serve the needs of consumers and improving Filipinos’ daily lives through its brands and the benefits they provide.
“Antibacterial soap is a basic daily health and hygiene essential, but more so over the past year. When Safeguard demand surged unexpectedly at the onset of the ECQ, we worked very hard to provide this basic essential as quickly as possible because handwashing with soap is the easiest and cheapest habit anyone can do to prevent getting sick,” said Mr. Fajardo.
Recognizing the criticality of providing quality hygiene products to keep families and communities safe, P&G not only made sure their products were available for its everyday consumers but also donated thousands of hygiene kits to government agencies like the Department of Health, Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), Philippine National Police and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, as well as local government units in NCR and Cabuyao, and organizations like the Philippine Red Cross. It was also the biggest private company partner of the DoH for the nationwide prevention campaign “BIDA Solusyon sa COVID-19.” P&G lent its manufacturing, marketing and advertising expertise and resources to produce educational materials. It also constructed 30 handwashing stations in public spaces and areas around Metro Manila with Manila Water Foundation under its #SafeWash movement.
“Especially during disasters and challenging times such as this COVID-19 pandemic, our brands are uniquely positioned to help provide the comforts of home, health, and hygiene. We are committed to understand what our consumers and communities need, the barriers they have, and to provide innovative solutions for them,” Mr. Fajardo said.
SUPPORTING FILIPINOS THROUGH THE PANDEMIC AND BEYOND
Right at the onset, when the country was still caught unaware by the pandemic, P&G had seen to the support of Filipino healthcare workers. Even before the IATF required face masks in public, the company dedicated its manufacturing technical expertise to repurpose its plant to produce medicalgrade face masks for healthcare workers on the frontlines.
This gave P&G enough equipment to safeguard its employees and ensure their safety while they continued to serve essential health and hygiene products for the country. Since then, the company has donated around three million face masks to the government and organization partners.
This June, P&G is continuing its support of frontliners through a second wave of major contributions. This Force for Good effort will support hospital frontliners against COVID-19 in hospitals like the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), Dr. Jose Rizal Memorial Hospital, East Avenue Medical Center, Lung Center of the Philippines and hospitals in Cabuyao.
On top of hygiene products like Safeguard soaps, Vicks First Defence, haircare and laundry brands, PPEs and face masks for frontliner use, P&G is donating funds to support the construction of urgently needed decontamination showers and the COVID-19 interim ER sewer ejection system of the PGH.
The company will also support the efforts of the Philippine Red Cross in their Emergency Field Hospital in Lung Center, and will send community pantry care packs and hygiene kits to World Vision Philippines.
“We are one with the country in not just fighting COVID but in recovering even after it. We do this by continuously investing in and supporting people, the economy, and the country in the good times, but most especially during the bad so we can weather the crisis together. This is how P&G is stepping up to be a Force for Good and a Force for Growth,” Mr. Fajardo added.
P&G has procured and committed vaccines for all their employees and dependents who choose to get vaccinated and will continue its capital investments with the construction and expansion of P&G’s distribution center even in the challenging landscape.
These unprecedented level of investments for their corporate citizenship programs is “the right thing to do” for P&G.
“Doing good uplifts communities and the country. It creates a cycle of good and growth where everybody — our employees, consumers, the country, and our business — thrives,” Mr. Fajardo concluded.