Philippine National Bank joins the Philippine Business Coalition for Women Empowerment

16 May 2019, Pasay City – The Philippine National Bank (PSE: PNB) joins the Philippine Business Coalition for Women Empowerment (PBCWE) as its newest member company. A signing ceremony was held between the two parties, making PNB the first universal bank in the Philippines to become part of the coalition. PBCWE is comprised of large and influential companies committed to gender equality in the workplace.

PNB Chairperson Florencia Tarriela said, “By becoming a PBCWE member, we signify our commitment to promote equal rights and opportunities for our employees – regardless of gender.”

PNB joins PBCWE’s eight member companies 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, PNB will undergo the Economic Dividends for Gender Equality (EDGE) Certification, a leading global assessment methodology and business standard for gender equality that evaluates the workplace gender equality performance of an organization against global and industry benchmarks.

Tarriela said, “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.”

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.”