Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc. (CCBPI), the bottling arm of Coca-Cola in the country, and consumer goods manufacturer Unilever Philippines have teamed up to promote proper handwashing in communities in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19.
CCBPI and Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines will be installing 37 handwashing stations in high-traffic locations such as public markets and terminals across the country. CCBPI has also pledged to cover maintenance costs of the stations for a year, while the LGUs are tasked to monitor the security, cleanliness, and proper disposal of water outflow through existing drainage systems.
“Supporting local communities has always been an integral part of our operations,” said CCBPI president and chief executive Gareth McGeown. “We are committed to the efforts to protect communities from COVID-19, particularly through creating safer and healthier spaces for Filipinos. We are proud to have found a partner in Unilever who share the same goal.”
For its part, Unilever Philippines will be providing Lifebuoy soap for one year and will help develop information and education campaigns to promote proper hygiene through handwashing.
The COVID-19 pandemic reinforces the importance of proper handwashing, which greatly contributes to the prevention of health risks via contact transmission of the virus. In the country, about 3.3 million households or 14.7 million Filipinos may not be able to comply with proper hand hygiene guidelines due to the absence of handwashing areas or lack of soap and usable water.
Given this, the two-pronged approach of educating people on the importance of proper handwashing and the installation of necessary facilities is crucial to keeping communities safer, the partners said.
“We remain focused on helping Filipino families rebuild communities and livelihoods across the country,” enthused Unilever Philippines chairman and chief executive Benjie Yap.
The first batch of handwashing stations to be completed this year covers 10 public areas in Luzon, six in the Visayas, and four in Mindanao. Coca-Cola targets to complete all installations by early 2021.