In the Philippines, the second half of the year not only signals the start of the long countdown to Christmas, but also monsoon season. Traditionally, typhoons sweep across the country during this time, often aggravating the south-western spell (“Habagat”) that trigger flooding and other concerns.

At least 20 typhoons hit the Philippine area of responsibility every year, with the violent ones often posing the biggest threat to human lives and industry, that may result in costly economic loses and damages.

Given the frequency of natural hazard events in the country, Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines Inc. (PCPPI)—the exclusive manufacturer of PepsiCo beverages in the country—ensures that its Environment, Health, Safety, and Security (EHSS) teams are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to mitigate disaster risk by regularly conducting refresher training courses.

“We conduct policy and procedure refreshers among our EHSS teams to enhance our disaster preparedness. We revisit our strategy, which are aligned with guidelines set by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) policies, on what to do before, during, and after hazardous events,” said PCPPI Sr. Manager for Safety and Security Dindo C. Garcia.

“We also conduct monthly performance monitoring to see if our teams across the country are consistently aligned with the regulatory standards and to assess the areas that merit improvement,” he added.

PCPPI is also committed to building on stronger relationships with local government units (LGU) to help enable and support communities in times of natural hazard events.

“Our employees are at the heart of our operations. It is our responsibility to ensure we not only empower our teams and partners, but also our customers and the communities where we operate. We recognize our responsibility to prepare and help them in times of emergencies and calamities towards quick recovery with minimal disruption to their activities,” Garcia added.