Procter and Gamble (P&G) Philippines, in collaboration with P&G Health, is at the forefront of redefining the landscape of Peripheral Neuropathy (PN) with innovative solutions aimed at improving the lives of millions affected by this condition, spearheading a transformative narrative on Peripheral Neuropathy (PN), with groundbreaking insights unveiled during the #KNOWTHESIGNS Scientific Forum last November 14, 2023, during World Diabetes Day. While the forum took place earlier, the timeless impact of the revelations continues to reshape our understanding of PN, a condition affecting over 50 million people globally.

The key highlight from the forum was the unveiling of the NENOIN Study results, shedding light on the efficacy of a fixed dose combination of B vitamins (B1, B6, and B12) in significantly improving nerve function. The study's findings provide a crucial roadmap for managing Peripheral Neuropathy, offering tangible hope for millions globally.

Understanding the Scope of Peripheral Neuropathy:

Peripheral Neuropathy, affecting over 50 million people globally, poses significant challenges to those with diabetes and pre-diabetes. Numbness, tingling, and burning sensations in the hands and feet are common symptoms, impacting the quality of life for individuals with this condition.

With Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 being the leading cause of PN, the increasing prevalence of PN is closely linked to the rise in the number of diabetic patients. Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (DPN) is the result of damage to the nerves impacting the quality of life of people as they are not able to go about their daily lives as comfortably. Symptoms of PN include numbness, tingling, prickling, and burning sensations in the hands and feet. B vitamin deficiency and polymedication are other high-risk factors along with diabetes, leading to peripheral nerve damage. Published studies across different countries confirm that up to 80% of patients with PN remain undiagnosed and untreated.

P&G's Comprehensive Approach:

P&G Health is committed to addressing the multifaceted nature of Peripheral Neuropathy by introducing holistic solutions that focus is on providing relief and improved quality of life to individuals dealing with the daily struggles of PN.

Key Components of P&G's Peripheral Neuropathy Management Strategy:

1. Innovative Research: A leader in Nerve Health, P&G Health invests in continuous research, exemplified by studies like the NENOIN Study, to uncover effective solutions for Peripheral Neuropathy. This commitment to innovation underlines P&G's dedication to improving outcomes for those living with PN. PN is associated with poor functional mobility and compromised motor symptoms, in addition to sensory symptoms. These symptoms significantly worsen the quality of life of patients. Results from the NENOIN study concluded that the synergistic combination of vitamins B1, B6, and B12 can not only relief symptoms but also significantly improve nerve function in patients with PN which is a critical learning. This further underlines how early screening for PN and timely treatment can help improve quality of life and treatment outcomes

2. Vitamin B Supplementation: Besides diabetes mellitus, aging, alcoholism, and B vitamins deficiencies are other high-risk factors leading to peripheral nerve damage. Vitamin B1, B6, and B12 play essential roles in the maintenance of a healthy nervous system. Vitamin B1 provides energy to the nerves, vitamin B6 helps with signal transmission in nerves, while vitamin B12 helps with neuronal regeneration. combination of vitamin B1, B6 and B12 that is scientifically proven to repair nerve damage, restore nerve function and regenerate nerves to relieve neuropathy symptoms.

3. Pharmacist Engagement: Acknowledging the integral role of pharmacists in patient care, P&G advocates for their active involvement. By providing guidance on lifestyle modifications and recommending over-the-counter treatments, pharmacists play a vital role in supporting individuals with PN. A Speaker at the Forum, Dr. Kenny P Merin (Pharmacist, and Assistant Vice President, Academics & Research of Lyceum of the Philippines University Davao – Philippines) shared, "Pharmacists are an integral part of the healthcare team and can provide valuable support to patients with PN, yet often we are underutilized. Pharmacists are often the first point of contact and can drive early awareness of patient's condition, offer guidance on lifestyle modifications, and help optimize medication regimens. Pharmacists can also recommend over-the-counter treatments (e.g., therapeutic dose of Neurotropic B vitamins) for PN symptom relief. By actively engaging with patients and healthcare professionals, let's join hands to improve PN patients' long-term health and well-being.”

4. AI-Powered Awareness: P&G's ongoing #KnowtheSigns campaign leverages Artificial Intelligence to make the often-invisible conditions of PN and Vitamin B deficiency more visible and relatable to consumers. Early diagnosis is emphasized as a critical factor in enabling better treatment outcomes.

5. Collective Stakeholder Efforts: Insights from healthcare professionals around the globe underscore the importance of collaborative efforts, education, and early intervention. As a partner to International Diabetes Federation (IDF), P&G Health is committed to continued efforts to raise awareness on Diabetes and its associated complications including Peripheral Neuropathy and Vitamin B Deficiency. The goal is to create a comprehensive support system that addresses the challenges posed by Peripheral Neuropathy on a global scale.

“Our #KnowtheSigns campaign is a step change in the approach towards health awareness, as for the first time, we have leveraged Artificial Intelligence (AI) to make the invisible condition of PN & Vitamin B deficiency visible and more relatable to consumers. We hope to help people understand the condition by shedding light on daily struggles and symptoms. Not many people are aware that early diagnosis can help enable better treatment outcomes and better quality of life, and damaged nerves can be regenerated if nerve damage has not progressed too far,” says Aalok Agrawal, Senior Vice-President, P&G Health, Asia, India, Middle East & Africa.

As P&G Health continues to drive innovation in the realm of Peripheral Neuropathy, the focus remains on providing solutions that enhance the overall quality of life for individuals affected by this condition. The ongoing commitment to research, awareness, and comprehensive care solidifies P&G Health's position as a leader in the pursuit of better outcomes for those with Peripheral Neuropathy.

Procter & Gamble (P&G) Philippines​​ continues to intensify its efforts in creating a more sustainable world with its Project LESS program, a drive to expand the company’s efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle waste in its business ecosystem, especially in its retail delivery operations.

This latest program makes progress in often overlooked customer and consumer touchpoints, such point of sales materials (POSM), which spans materials such as displays, posters, shelf branding, leaflets, dispensers, and more, and in last-mile packaging for e-commerce.

P&G Philippines recently customized its product bundling packaging by converting laminate-based bellybands and stickers to 100% FSC-certified papers; reducing bundling material usage and resulting in a 380,000 kg reduction in plastic waste compared to the company’s previous year's consumption.

P&G also developed collapsible, reusable, and paper-based in-store displays called “Flexi POSMs” to increase the reusability of its displays and reduce its prior single-use displays. The collapsible design of P&G’s Flexi POSMs allows the company to transport more displays at a time to retail partners and helps reduce transportation emissions. To date, more than 80% of P&G’s POSMs across all its categories in various retail stores in the country are already made of reusable materials that partner suppliers can easily refurbish. With this shift to reusable displays, P&G successfully reduced its use of virgin material by approximately 20,000 kg. Prior single-use displays will be collected by the company for recycling.

On top of reducing solid waste and emissions, this change also aims to maintain or improve the overall customer and consumer experience to ensure that more sustainable alternatives do not compromise superior product quality and presence in-store.

“In P&G, we integrate sustainability by adopting meaningful changes in our business strategy and operations. It is possible to do good for the environment while serving our consumers and customers with superior quality products and experiences, and creating more value for our business and our partners,” said Anna Legarda, P&G’s Communications Director.

Sustainable efforts in e-commerce

The rise in online shopping has grown exponentially in the last two years due to limited mobility needs and convenience. A common method to protect products during delivery entails using excessive amounts of plastic wrap. In an effort to reduce this and find alternatives, P&G launched a regional sustainability partnership with Lazada to recycle cartons from their Cabuyao plant for use as last-mile packaging in e-commerce delivery. Cartons converted into honeycomb-like protective wraps are now being used as replacements for the previous plastic bubble wrap paddings. The honeycomb-like protective wrap ensures the same quality of packaging and delivery compared to using plastic bubble wrap. As of August 2022, P&G has supplied Lazada with over 4,000 kilograms of cartons for recycling.

(Sample upcycled cartons for use as last-mile packaging in Lazada) Additionally, P&G produced “Ship-In-Own-Container” eCommerce packaging for Olay bundles on its e-commerce platforms. The initiative eliminates the need for additional customization and last-mile packaging materials such as bubble wrap, fillers, and tape.

When small changes make a huge impact

As one of the largest consumer goods companies in the world and in the country, even small changes in P&G’s products and operations implemented at scale across its business make a huge impact. Project LESS shows its commitment to make changes where already possible while also working on long-term packaging innovations. It has also made packaging changes in the past years. Bottles of Herbal Essences bio:renew shampoo are made with 25% post-consumer resin (recycled plastic). P&G also eliminated plastic overwraps on Safeguard soap multipacks replacing them with recycled paper cartons. This reduced 8,500 km of potential plastic waste or a thousand times the length of the Boracay coastline.

Recently, P&G Philippines was recognized at the 2022 Asia CEO Awards with the Sustainability Company of The Year Circle of Excellence Award. The award recognizes those that achieved important success in environmental progress and demonstrated leadership and commitment to sustainability.

Procter & Gamble (P&G) Philippines, whose portfolio has been trusted for its superior health care, home care, beauty, grooming and hygiene products, partners with Manila Water Foundation (MWF) to promote proper handwashing with soap to students with the turnover of SafeWash handwashing facilities to 285 schools in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Rizal.

These include 10-faucet foot-pedal-operated hygiene facilities and the distribution of hygiene supplies to enable the safe return of more than 770,000 students, teachers, and staff to in-person classes in NCR and Rizal. All facilities have been turned over to beneficiaries, just in time for the return of face-to-face classes on November 2, 2022.

“Ito pong pagtatayo ng handwashing facility na programa ng Procter & Gamble Philippines at Manila Water Foundation ay patunay na sa lahat ng pagkakataon ang local government at national agencies, lahat ng stakeholders ay nagbibigay ng paglalaan ng panahon at konsiderasyon kung pano mapapaigting at mapapabuti pa ang ating edukasyon,” shares Mr. Wilfredo E. Cabral, Regional Director of Department of Education (DepEd) NCR.

As face-to-face classes resume, the need to enable the health and safety of pupils and teachers becomes more crucial. Aside from constructing handwashing facilities and provision of hygiene products, P&G also provided info-education materials and conducted hygiene education sessions to ensure deeper stewardship of the donated facilities and raise awareness of the importance of handwashing with soap and clean water to prevent COVID-19 and other communicable diseases.

“Even once we successfully contain COVID-19, we hope that handwashing becomes a habit, one that the students will take on to their adult life. We must remember that aside from COVID-19, handwashing is also critical to prevent the spread of other diseases, such as the common cough and colds, diarrheal diseases, and parasitic diseases,” shares Dr. Crystle Cotingting, the Medical Officer III of the Health Promotion Bureau of the Department of Health (DOH).

#SafeWASH in Schools

(Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano during one of SafeWash’s turnover in Taguig City)

The #SafeWASH in Schools is a collaborative project between P&G through its flagship brand Safeguard and MWF. It aims to promote proper hygiene and sanitation practices among school children, teachers and staff through effective Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) projects.

The project supports the WASH in Schools (WinS) program of DepEd and the BIDA Kid campaign of DOH. The program further strengthens health and safety protocols in schools for the ongoing expansion of in-person classes.

More than 25,000 girls in underserved communities across the Philippines will get access to period pads and menstrual hygiene management information and educational materials through a donation by P&G Philippines and Whisper in partnership with World Vision Philippines.

This is part of Whisper Philippines’ #ShareTheConfidence campaign, in partnership with World Vision Philippines and Shopee Philippines, to advance menstrual hygiene education and improve access to period products to girls in underserved communities. Earlier in June, Whisper pledged to match every Whisper pack sold on Shopee and is now fulfilling the said commitment. P&G Philippines will donate Whisper packs to World Visions’ girls’ communities in Laurel, Batangas, Rosario, Batangas, Baseco, Manila, Malabon, Quezon City, Misamis Occidental, and Zamboanga del Norte.

Reports from the organization Save the Children Philippines noted that the pandemic has exacerbated the challenges in managing menstruation, due to an increased absence of adequate resources and support. Furthermore, according to the results of a 2019 study from the World Bank, 8% of girls in the Philippines reported missing school because of menstruation. Through the donation, P&G hopes to increase access to period products and fight some of the challenges surrounding menstruation, allowing young girls to always be at their best.

“Whisper’s purpose is to unleash women and girls’ confidence so they can be whoever they want to be, and our brand’s responsibility is to help create a world where everyone is empowered to manage her menstruation safely, hygienically, and with dignity,” shares Charm Banzuelo, P&G’s Communications Leader for Corporate, Baby & Feminine Care. “For us, this starts with engaging families and schools where young girls are able to first learn about menstrual health. We want to help give adequate access to products and right information that they will carry with them as they grow up,” she states.

Partnering with World Vision Philippines also enables P&G and Whisper to reach communities that need assistance the most. Working with some of the most vulnerable communities in the country, World Vision allows the company to benefit those in underserved areas, who have less education and awareness surrounding menstrual hygiene.

“We’re thankful to work alongside companies like P&G and Whisper who truly advocate for female empowerment,” says World Vision Philippines Director Jun Godornes. “At World Vision, we celebrate our girls’ strength and determination. We hope that when these small actions with P&G are pooled together, we can create waves to transform lives one girl at a time,” he ends.

Procter & Gamble (P&G) continues to be a force for good by making responsible consumption possible everyday for all consumers in line with its environmental sustainability goals dubbed “P&G’s Ambition 2030”.

Committing to amplify the call to give more sustainable living choices and options for consumers, P&G partners with Watsons, the health and beauty retail chain, with P&G’s Forest for Good program. This partnership is an initiative to help conserve and protect nature, restore forests, and make it easier for consumers to practice integrating sustainable solutions through seeing the impact they create from planting trees and supporting forests. Consumers now have the chance to adopt a tree located in the Sierra Madre Mountain Range. Watsons’ customers who wish to participate can purchase any selected P&G sustainable product worth P500 in participating stores from June 6 to July 31, 2022 and sign up for the program.

“We are very excited to be P&G’s selected retail partner for Forests for Good. It’s not only doing good for the planet, but it is also extremely innovative and engaging for our young tech-savvy customers. Thank you P&G for giving us this privilege to work with you,” said Viki Encarnacion, Watsons PR and Sustainability Director.

Launched last year, P&G’s Philippines Forests for Good program is part of its long-term commitment to make an impact on environmental areas of climate, water, and waste. Located in the Sierra Madre, dubbed as “Luzon’s backbone,” the mountain range stretches 500 kilometers along the eastern coast of Luzon, similar to a spine, and acts as a shield against super typhoons and storm surges. P&G has entrusted the first few thousand trees to each of P&G’s employees. Through the program, employees, and now Watsons’ customers, are able to name their trees, see it virtually and monitor its environmental impact while also learning about the tree and the farmers who planted it.

“A step to a more sustainable future starts at home and all of us being responsible consumers. On P&G’s part, we are using our brand and organization expertise, operations and scale to find meaningful ways to protect and conserve the environment while continuing to serve our consumers with the best products. We have started using alternative materials in our product bundling and point-of-sale materials found aiming to reduce the amount we use or make them more reusable,” shares Raffy Fajardo, President and General Manager of P&G Philippines.

The global company has declared its Ambition 2030 commitments and interventions across its brands, supply chain, employees, and partner communities in order to protect and conserve the environment. P&G has already made innovative changes in reducing, recycling, and recovering waste to make their commitments into reality. By the end of the decade, the company is eyeing to eliminate the use of virgin plastic by 50 percent and make product packaging 100% recyclable or reusable.

Specific to its products, Safeguard Philippines multipacks now use 100% recycled paper cartons from previous virgin plastic overwrap packaging. This reduces 8,500 km of potential plastic waste or a thousand times the length of the Boracay coastline. Additionally, Herbal Essences shampoo bottles are now made of 25% post-consumer resin which are from recycled plastic waste. Head & Shoulders also introduced refill pouches made with 50% less plastic vs bottles. Furthermore, P&G has partnered with World Vision’s Pag-asa Sa Basura initiative that enabled the upcycling of recovered sachets into 2,000 classroom chairs that were donated to partner elementary schools.

Procter & Gamble (P&G) Philippines believes in developing leadership skills through meaningful work of managing leading global brands that impact billions of people every day. It also believes in honing today’s youth, who are destined to become tomorrow’s business and industry leaders.

The company recently exemplified this through its annual P&G CEO Challenge. This international business case competition invites top college undergraduate students to test their aptitude and skills in business leadership, strategic thinking, and real-life problem-solving. Top teams from each region will compete in a global final round and win the chance to attend the P&G Signal Conference and meet industry executives and even P&G’s CEO Jon Moeller.

“The P&G CEO Challenge gives interested students the opportunity to learn and experience what it is like to become P&G’s CEOs and decision-makers as they develop business strategies to solve the actual challenges of our global brands. We hope to inspire, energize and develop our future brand leaders,” says Vince Dizon, Country Human Resource Leader of P&G Philippines.

This year, P&G Philippines shortlisted 10 teams from the University of the Philippines (UP), Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), De La Salle University (DLSU), and University of Santo Tomas (UST).

Team APP, made up of Anika Reanna Go Tian Ng, Patrick Gabriel U. Lo, and Pierce Patek Nielsen Co Dee from UP, unanimously won the national round and represented the Philippines in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) CEO Challenge regional semi-finals.

The APAC CEO Challenge round saw more than 4,300 applications from 8 countries, with 8 finalist teams emerging as the top in their respective countries. The challenge focused on P&G’s hair care brand, Head and Shoulders, and the opportunities of the Metaverse and video gaming that presents immense potential for the brand to grow and win.

Team APP was mentored by P&G Philippines’ haircare team and got that chance to network with some of the company’s leaders, including Raffy Fajardo, President and General manager of P&G Philippines, and Evelyn Ng, Vice President and Regional Comptroller for Asia Pacific, Middle East, & Africa.

Among the eight regional finalists, Team Malaysia took the top spot, followed by the delegates from Singapore and South Korea.

When asked what the team’s message to fellow students who are interested in this kind of experience Patrick Lo shared, “Aspiring young leaders should not be scared to speak up their minds and really explore the limits of their creativity. As long as you are very clear with what you want to happen and have calculated that these would bring value to the company, then go for it!”.

A great place to work

P&G aims to create a workplace culture where employees are empowered and enabled to grow, develop and succeed through intentional career planning, meaningful work and equal opportunities. As a merit-based and grow-from-within company, P&G critically invests in their people through training experiences and hands-on mentorship from local, regional and global leaders.

Aside from best-in-class career growth and development, P&G has stepped up as a force for good and a force for growth by creating industry-leading policies, programs, practices, and citizenship initiatives. They have pioneered flexible work arrangements and provided work-from-home opportunities since the early 2000s and launched their “Share the Care” parental leave policy. This provides a minimum standard of eight weeks fully paid leave 8 for all parents: biological parents, domestic partners, adoptive parents and parents in same sex couples – with an additional six-week physical recovery leave for birth mothers.

P&G’s global headquarters in Cincinnati, United States was recently given a Great Place to Work certification for workplace culture, employee experience and effective leadership behaviors. P&G Philippines was also recently recognized by the United Nations Women’s Empowerment Principles (UN WEPs) Awards as the 2021 champion for gender inclusive workplace.

Procter & Gamble announced new commitments aimed toward advancing Equality & Inclusion across Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa, at its fourth annual #WeSeeEqual summit for the region. The event saw participation from distinguished advocates and personalities from the private and public sectors who came together to discuss the challenges that society faces on equality and inclusion, and how different stakeholders can accelerate progress in the new normal.

Built on the theme, ‘#Unlearn and #Unleash’, the summit saw P&G commit to several actions needed to advance progress towards creating an equal and inclusive world. P&G President for Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa, Magesvaran Suranjan, announced the following commitments:

●P&G will spend a cumulative total of $300 million US dollars by deliberately working with women-owned and women-led businesses across the Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa region, from the year 2021 to 2025. oLast year, P&G committed to spending a cumulative total of $200 million US dollars by deliberately working with women-owned and women-led businesses across the region, from the year 2021 to 2025. With already more than $100 million US dollars invested through this initiative in the first year across the AMA region, the company is now elevating this commitment to $300 million US dollars by 2025.

●P&G will achieve equal representation of female directors behind the camera for the company’s brand advertisements in Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa, by 2024.

oIn the AMA region, P&G has made strong progress, increasing the representation of female directors from 16% in 2019 to 35% today. The company will achieve the 50-50 goal by 2024 through a comprehensive set of actions to build, fuel, and connect a pipeline of diverse female talent in advertising, media, and content.

●P&G will improve the accessibility of its brand advertising, including social media content and websites, by making it accessible to people with sight and hearing impairments by 2024.

oThe company will do this for all new brand advertising across Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. This initiative will make P&G brands more inclusive and accessible to all members of our community.

●P&G will introduce the ‘P&G ReLaunch program’ – to welcome back talented professionals who took a break from the workforce and are looking to restart their careers in STEM roles, with targeted support and development.

oThis program is part of the company’s commitment to strengthen diversity in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and will focus on people looking to relaunch their careers in IT, Research & Development, and Product Supply. The program will be first launched in India, Egypt, Singapore, Japan, and the Philippines.

Magesvaran Suranjan said: “At P&G, we remain fully committed to creating a world where equal access and opportunity to learn, grow, succeed, and thrive are available to everyone. We believe in the power of our differences and the impact we can make when we come together, united by our shared values and purpose. We are making great progress, yet we know there is more work to be done. So we are announcing bold new commitments and expanding existing actions which will enable us to do more. We will continue to use the voice of our company and our brands in forums such as #WeSeeEqual to drive discussion and actions on the issues that matter.”

The company also shared strong progress on commitments across the Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa region made last year as part of the annual #WeSeeEqual summit. In 2021, P&G announced its ‘Share the Care’ parental leave policy, which has introduced greater leave benefits and flexibility for all new parents within the company. P&G has also achieved its commitment to achieving a 50-50 gender balance across its management workforce by 2022 in the AMA region, completing this ahead of schedule. On its commitment to educate more than 30 million girls on puberty and hygiene by 2024, through its brands Always and Whisper’s “Keeping Girls in School” program, the company has already reached more than 15 million girls, achieving the halfway mark in one year.

Held in partnership with UN Women, the fourth annual regional #WeSeeEqual Summit engaged business leaders, government officials, and personalities in candid conversations around strategic actions that can be taken to advance equality and inclusion.

In addition to global and regional P&G leaders, the Summit also saw the participation of influential personalities and global leaders, including:

●Simone Biles, the world’s most decorated gymnast

●Valerie Jarrett, Chief Executive Officer, The Barack Obama Foundation

●Her Excellency Dr. Nawal Al Hosany, UAE’s permanent representative to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)

●Anita Bhatia, Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director, UN Women

●Alma Har’el, award-winning director, founder of Free the Bid and FREE THE WORK

●Dr. Hsien Hsien Lei, Chief Executive Officer, The American Chamber of Commerce, Singapore

●Scott Beaumont, President, Google - Asia Pacific

●Lillian Barnard, Chief Executive Officer, Microsoft – South Africa

To inspire corporates and society alike, the summit also hosted P&G’s Chief Operating Officer, Shailesh Jejurikar, and the company’s Chief Brand Officer, Marc Pritchard to share their experiences and insights on the importance of leadership to drive equality and redefine inclusion behind the camera.

The #WeSeeEqual program demonstrates P&G’s continued commitment to creating a more equal and inclusive world and is also a winner of the U.S. Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence for Women’s Empowerment in 2019. In the Philippines, P&G was also recognized by the prestigious UN WEPs Awards as the Gender Inclusive Workplace Champion in 2021. As one of the world’s largest advertisers, P&G and its brands will also continue to leverage their influential voice in media and advertising to drive further awareness, tackle gender bias, spark conversations, and motivate change.

In Filipino households, doing the laundry is traditionally seen as a woman's sole responsibility. Thanks to the shift in people's mindsets, aided by Ariel's progressive #JuanWash campaign, that backwards thinking soon be a thing of the past.

Recognizing that chores can be done by anyone, Ariel rolled out the #JuanWash campaign which is targeted towards men. Its goal is straightforward and goes right into the heart of the matter - to get men to do their share of laundry duties, one wash at a time. For Ariel men, this goes beyond simply doing the laundry, as it also shows their support their wives, and moulds their children into understanding the equal role of men and women in doing the household chores.

As the frist detergent to invite men to do their part of the housework, Ariel assembled several celebrity #JuanWash Ambassadors. Among them is professional basketball player JC Intal, supported by his wife Bianca Gonzalez-Intal, as well as actor John Prats, supported by his wife Isabel Oli-Prats.

"The new Ariel Man is more confident and more responsible when it comes to raising his family," explains JC Intal. More and more Juan Washers all over the country are rising up to do their share of th laundry duties, and it's a call to arms that expresses what it means to be the modern man of the house. :Ang Ariel Man ay  makabago at progresibo. Ang totoong macho ay tumutulong sa mga gawaing bahay to serve as good male role models for the kids," adds John Prats/

Local personalities Kean Cipriano, Hames Deakin, Ali Khatibi, Marco Alcarza, Sam Ajdani, and Anton Del Rosario are also active #JuanWash supporters. These Juan Washers use Ariel Power Gel which makes superior cleaning effortless so they can easily help out at home.

Launched onlie last September 1, 2017, the #JuanWash campaign not only celebrated those men who have done their part of laundry duties, but also dedicated Fridays as #JuanWash days. Considering that most Filipino households do their laundry twice a week, getting men to do the laundry once a week means doing their equal share of the load. By getting men to do the laundry at least once a week, Ariel hopes to transform them into laundry experts with the help from Ariel Power Gel that's especially formulated for better stain removal with hust one wash.

In partnership with Eat Bulaga, Ariel also scoured through many different barangays in Metro Manila to find Juan Washers every Friday. This put the spotlight on individual Juan Washers, and showcased how valuable their role is in further pushing gender equality in the family in the community. in so doing, Ariel Men all over the Philippines were able to collect 10,000 laundry hours in just one month, which represents the number of hours freed up for the women in their lives.

To celebrate this feat, Ariel handed over the 10,000 laundry hours tot he Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), represented by their Chief of corporate Affairs and Information Resource Management Division, Ms. Honey Castro, as a symbolic gift to women, while emphasizing Ariel's support for gender equality in the household. This aims to inspire and encourage more men to do their share of the load.

"The Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), the lead agency that champions gender equality and women's empowerment, welcomes this initiative of Ariel Philippines in breaking the gender stereotype that housework is only women's work," shares PCW Executive Director Emmeline L. Verzosa. She adds, "We are glad that the private sector and advertising agencies have now joined the campaign in promoting the value of shared household and parenting responsibilities among female and male family members. Through such male role model, companies are able to educate the public about more positive masculinities. Gender equality should begin at home."

Ariel's #JuanWash campaign comes at a crucial time for Filipino families, whose lifestyles continue to evolve, especially with the rise in dual-income homes and a n increasingly progressive cultural landscape that puts equal value in the time of women and men. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), formerly known as the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB), Filipino men are getting more involved in household work, with men allotting an average of 5 hours working onchores in the year 2000 compared to the average of 1.87 hours in 1979. The trend is expected to continue to increase as traditional gender roles shift.

"More than providing superior clean and better stain removal with our innovative liquid detergent, Ariel is a brand that prides itself in being a part of the progressive Filipino home. With Ariel #JuanWash, we want to shed light on the importance of gender equality in and out of home, as we all work together towards a more progressive country and a more equal world" shares Louie Morante, Regional Brand Communications for P&G Asean Fabric and Home Care.

The #JuanWash campaign supports P&G's #WeSeeEqual global advocacy, and forms part of Ariel's Philippines #AhonPinay movement which continues to push the boundaries on gender equality and women empowerment. To date, Ariel has an ongoing partnership with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to provide women with trianing in commonly male-dominated fields. These training are envisioned to give these women more equal job opportunities in these fields.

A lot is in store for Ariel's #JuanWash initiative, and we hope you can also take part in spreading the word for this nationwide movement. Go ahead and be a part of the change by contributing to your share of the household chores with #JuanWash - one wash at a time.

In gratitude to the modern Juans, Ariel is also offering a unique promotion for men who would be availing of select services form various Metropole Laundromat branches. Every time men commit to the cause in this way, they'll earn points for freebies granted by Ariel and Metropole as a gift to the efforts shared in supporting #JuanWash Fridays.

To learn more, visit Ariel's website, Facebook and Youtube page. #ArielPhilippines #JuanWash #AhonPinay #WeSeeEqual.