Manila, Philippines — Safeguard amplifies its ‘Voices of Protection’ campaign by rolling out a new hygiene initiative in Marikina City, Philippines. Produced by Havas Ortega, the campaign utilises local voices to deliver handwashing reminders in public spaces,
Launched on Global Handwashing Day, the initiative forms part of Safeguard’s broader “Safe Wash, Safeguard Pinas” programme. It features handwashing messages voiced by three local community representatives, broadcast across selected sites in Marikina, including Marikina Elementary School, Parang Market, and the Marikina City Health Office. These locations were identified as areas where regular hand washing plays a crucial role in public health.
According to the organisers, the campaign aims to integrate hygiene reminders into everyday routines by using familiar voices within community settings. The approach also shifts the campaign from traditional street-level activations to audio-based reminders embedded in the local soundscape.
Alongside the campaign, Safeguard continues to support hygiene infrastructure through partnerships with the Philippine Association of Medical Technologists (PAMET), the Philippine Red Cross, and the Manila Water Foundation. These efforts include the provision of soap and the installation of 10-faucet handwashing sinks in 60 schools, some of which also function as evacuation centres during typhoons.
“Voices of Protection is one of the ways we’re actively engaging with and involving communities through the Safe Wash, Safeguard Pinas program,” reflects Lester Estrada, vice president, beauty care and media operations, at Procter & Gamble Philippines. “It’s a simple yet powerful way to help keep our communities protected.”
According to Havas Ortega, the initiative focuses on using sound to encourage behavioral change by placing reminders in familiar environments.
“There have been too many hygiene advocacies already that say the same thing, the same way,” remarked Angie Tijam-Tohid, executive creative director at Havas Ortega.
“That is why with this project, we made the call to handwash real-time, urgent, and impossible to un-hear specifically in crucial settings where handwashing is most important using familiar community voices to create a live germ-alert system,” she continues.
Following its initial rollout in Marikina, Safeguard and Havas Ortega plan to extend the campaign to other cities across the Philippines, working with additional local community voices to deliver similar hygiene reminders nationwide.
