Helping Filipinos feel better, live longer

MANILA, Philippines - Research-based pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Philippines recently partnered with Gawad Kalinga (GK) to build a stronger and healthier community.

As part of its Orange Day celebration, around 200 GSK employees volunteered to build new homes for Barangay Pinagkaisahan residents at the Gawad Kalinga Village in Taguig City. GK founder Tony Meloto and Taguig Representative Freddie Tinga as well as GSK Philippines president and managing director Roberto Taboada led this initiative.

Orange Day is an annual event in the global GSK organization where employees devote one day for volunteering to help the community. “Our employees really look forward to Orange Day because it provides a chance for everyone to get together to make a bigger difference in the communities we serve,” shares GSK Philippines vice president for human resources Lito De Guzman. “We’re proud to partner with Gawad Kalinga this year in support of their vision to reduce poverty by transforming communities and empowering Filipinos.”

Aside from building new homes, GSK Philippines also prepared values formation activities for the GK Sibol and Sagip Kids in the form of storytelling sessions, parlor games, a film showing, and a feeding program.

Field-based GSK employees also conducted their own Orange Day activity in their respective areas, which meant the initiative simultaneously happened nationwide.

This is not the first time that GSK has engaged the GK Taguig community. The company provided support in equipping a clinic, which will provide health services such as free medicines and checkups by health professionals for five GK communities in Taguig.

Building on its core mission of improving people’s health, GSK aims to address the medical needs of residents in its partner community in line with its mission of helping more Filipinos do more, feel better, and live longer.