THE Philippine National Bank (PNB) has joined the Philippine Business Coalition for Women Empowerment (PBCWE) as its newest member company.
A signing ceremony was recently held between the representatives of the two parties, making the PNB the first universal bank in the Philippines to be included in the coalition.
The PBCWE is comprised of large and influential companies committed to gender equality in the workplace.
“By becoming a PBCWE member, we signify our commitment to promote equal rights and opportunities for our employees regardless of gender,” PNB chairperson Florencia Tarriela said.
The bank joined the other eight member companies of the PBCWE in leading efforts towards building a business case for gender equality, creating knowledge on best workplace practices, communicating the benefits of empowering women in the workforce and institutionalizing policies based on best practices.
As part of its commitment, the PNB will undergo the Economic Dividends for Gender Equality (Edge) Certification, a leading global assessment methodology and business standard for gender equality. It evaluates the workplace’s gender equality performance of an organization against global and industry benchmarks.
“With this partnership, PNB is bringing gender equality to the next level. The Edge Certification presents an exciting challenge. Our ultimate goal is to build and sustain an organization where the best talents thrive based on their competence and contributions,” Tarriela said.
The PBCWE was established in 2017 as an inaugural project of the Philippine Women’s Economic Network (PhilWEN) with funding support and in partnership with Investing in Women, an initiative of the Australian Government.
“We are proud to have PNB in the coalition, whose members take gender equality seriously,” said PhilWEN chairperson and PBCWE co-chairperson Ma. Aurora “Boots” D. Geotina-Garcia. “We believe the business sector should not just talk about gender equality, but rather, walk the talk by implementing concrete actions in pursuit of its advocacy.” (S)