Manila Water upholds women empowerment, gender equality in workplace

Nadine Galino, who started out as a Shift Head in Manila Water in 2015, and eventually forged ahead to become the Water Treatment Operations Head in the Company’s East Zone operations. Manila Water is proud to be among the few local companies with a nearly 1:1 representation of females in senior leadership. Photo from Manila Water

MANILA, Philippines — On International Women’s Day, Manila Water honored and celebrated the role of its women employees in its journey in providing quality water and wastewater services to the public.

Nadine Galino started her career as a trainee under the Company’s Cadetship Program in 2015. As a graduate of Chemical Engineering, she chose to be trained as a Shift Head, a role commonly dominated by men.

“At the time, there were only a handful of female shift heads in Water Supply Operations. As a shift head, I had to constantly be under the sun, doing routine plant inspections and field activities.” shared Galino.

“I had to open and close valves manually through a hand wheel, calibrate dosing equipment, collect field samples, and so on. I was on-duty even during the graveyard shift. I was on-call. It was pretty challenging, but I was also lucky to have had female mentors to look up to.” she added.

Eventually, Galino was able to forge ahead and now serves as Manila Water’s Water Treatment Operations Head.

“I just had to remind myself that I got the job because of my skills and education, and that my opinions are just as qualified as everyone else’s. Thus, instead of feeling left out, I leveraged being the only female in the team [at the time] by providing a different perspective, enriching our discussions and output.” she also said.

READ: Manila Water says its 3,273 fire hydrants ready to assist BFP

In terms of women leaders, Manila Water is proud to be among the few local companies with a nearly 1:1 representation of female in senior leadership.

Out of 204 senior managers in the Company, 95 of them are female and 109 are male managers. While of 28 leaders in the senior leadership and management committee, 16 are female and 12 are male.

Guided by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 5 – Gender Equality and SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth, Manila Water’s Code of Conduct was designed to ensure that no incident of discrimination against any applicant or employee, be it in terms of race, gender, age, cultural or religious affiliation, or any other form of bias, will occur. This also guarantees that everyone in the Company receives equal opportunities for career advancement.

READ: Manila Water’s East Zone water network now reaches 5,445 km

“We continue to challenge ourselves to create, develop, and execute a well-defined workplace where every employee will thrive and excel. Through the implementation of projects and programs that promote inclusivity and diversity, Manila Water hopes to bridge the gap for women and other underrepresented groups in seeking opportunities for job security and career growth.” said Janine Carreon, Manila Water Corporate Human Resources Group Director.

At the start of 2023, Manila Water started implementing the inclusion of common-law and LGBTQI+ partners of its employees as dependents in the Company’s group life insurance and health insurance policy. The policy covers regular, probationary, and project-based employees.

In partnership with the University of the Philippines College of Law, Manila Water also launched the Katubig Development Program wherein employees underwent a mandatory training on gender sensitivity.