Procter & Gamble (P&G) Philippines celebrated Pride by joining this year’s Metro Manila Pride March and Festival, and by shining light on colorful journeys of the LGBTQ+ community with a Pride Summit which brought together LGBTQ+ advocates and allies such as Boy Abunda, Angie Mead King, Bianca Gonzalez, BJ Pascual and Missy Maramara.

P&G aspires to build a better world where #WeSeeEqual, its global advocacy campaign which aims to promote a world free from bias, with equal voice and equal representation for all individuals inside and outside of its organization.

The multi-national company’s support to its LGBT+ community began in 1994 through its affinity group called GABLE or Gay, Ally, Bisexual, Lesbian and Transgender Employees.

Supporting GABLE is part of the company’s commitment to create a safe environment for all its employees regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, race, color, age, national origin, religion, marital status, disability, veteran status, HIV status or any other legally protected personal identification.

KEYNOTE speaker Boy Abunda shared his personal experiences of coming out and surpassing other people’s bias, as well as insights on how to create a culture and environment of equality.

“In celebration of our 25 years of LGBTQ+ inclusion within our company, P&G is proud to sponsor World Pride, and the Metro Manila Pride. It is an ongoing journey of milestones and achievements from the LGBT+ community, and we are excited to be part of the celebrations,” says Louie Morante of P&G Asia Pacific Regional Brand and GABLE Communications.

P&G is recognized among the best places to work, and among the reasons is its leadership in enabling diversity and inclusion in its workplace globally. The company supports its diverse employees by providing a range of progressive policies and benefits, where eligibility is applicable not just to legal spouses, but also to domestic and same-sex partners. This recognition of domestic partner of any gender as eligible dependents for healthcare, medical plan, life and accident insurance, bereavement leave and assistance, emergency loans, housing loans, international relocation assistance and other relevant benefits is a meaningful way to support employees.

Apart from joining the Pride March, P&G Philippines strengthens commitment to diversity and inclusion through Pride Summit, which brought together LGBT+ advocates and allies.

P&G provides the same maternity and paternity benefits to both biological and adoptive parents. Its Flex@Work program for all employees becomes more relevant to new parents, or single parents, or parents whose children have special needs because it provides the flexibility they need to care for their family.

Diversity, inclusion and gender equality are also integral to P&G’s corporate and brand communications. It comes to life in its global campaign dubbed #WeSeeEqual and in local campaigns from its different brands such as Pantene’s “Stronger Now,” featuring transgender Kevin Balot, Joy’s “Share a Moment of Joy” and Vicks’ “Touch of Care.”

“LGBTQ+ inclusion is important to our business and organization. For our brands, their inclusion is a significant reflection of the diverse consumers in the market. Recognizing this enables us to discover important insights and connect with our consumers in a more relevant and progressive way. For our organization, we believe that if we create a safe and inclusive workplace for all people and for all our employees, we will be able to attract and retain the most talented and diverse workforce that will perform at their peak and be the best at what they do. This is why P&G is consistently recognized among the best places to work.” says Lester Estrada, P&G Philippines Country Marketing director.

The P&G Pride Summit keynote speaker was veteran TV host and author of Mama’s Gay Boy, Boy Abunda, who shared his coming out story and his experience in surpassing others’ bias.

Abunda also provided insights on how to create a culture and environment of equality. He started by sharing relevant historical accounts of varying LGBTQ+ social movements to give the audience a better understanding and appreciation of their journey. As an influential public figure, he also encouraged everyone to continue the dialogue on several issues that still recur to this day. Finally, he celebrated the progress of the LGBTQ+ community and highlighted the important role of allies in the journey towards full gender equality.

BJ Pascual (from left), Bianca Gonzales, Missy Maramara and Angie Mead King shared insights on gender equality through their life experiences.

A panel discussion attended by Bianca Gonzalez, BJ Pascual, Angie Mead King, Missy Maramara, Louie Morante and Kat Quinon, P&G GABLE Philippines leader and advocate, talked about their own discovery journeys and coming out stories, and how they were able to maximize self-expression and achieve their dreams with the help of the different allies in their lives.

During the Pride Summit, P&G also launched the sequel to The Words Matter film, titled Out of the Shadows, highlighting the courageous P&G employees who rallied against intolerance and turned the tide of prejudice. This catalyzed the LGBT+ affinity group (GABLE) which began in 1994 and is now 5,000 people strong in 39 countries.

P&G is one of 12 founding members of the first global coalition (Human Rights Campaign) committed to fostering LGBTQ+ equality in the workplace throughout the world. It is also a founding partner in Stonewall’s Global LGBT+ Diversity Champions effort — the historic event that sparked the annual Pride celebrations.

P&G aims to inspire everyone to treat each other equally, with respect, and without prejudice. “We are using our voice and our reach to start dialogues, continuing our efforts to create a better world for everyone, with equal representation, equal voice and equal opportunity,” Estrada concludes.