MILO® has launched MILO® Safe Swim, a sports initiative in partnership with the Philippine Red Cross, Swimtech, and Olympian Jenny Guerrero. The program aims to address drowning in the Philippines and recognizes World Drown Prevention Day on July 25. Launched on July 31, the initiative aims to teach young children swimming and survival skills so they can be prepared for emergencies anytime and anywhere. The program was officially launched on July 31.
With over a hundred million Filipinos living in an archipelago, MILO® has recognized swimming as an essential skill due to its life-saving properties. Unfortunately, due to insufficient avenues for learning, drowning remains fatal for many in the community, especially within the younger populations – whether due to accidents during vacations, rapid flooding during the typhoon season, or otherwise.
As such, MILO® has embarked on Safe Swim as a means for young children to continue and nourish their journey through sports and gain the skills needed when acting in emergencies. Safe Swim will also be open to all young attendees’ parents so they can be equipped with proper drowning prevention knowledge for themselves and their loved ones.
As a brand empowered by its fellow Filipinos, MILO®, in launching their Safe Swim, also commits to ensuring that the program is a joint effort with various sectors of the local community. Partner Philippine Red Cross will come in with life-saving lessons and modules to teach all attendees; the organization has also met with MILO® during its Safe Swim kickoff meeting this July 31 to discuss the various opportunities Filipinos can gain valuable knowledge against drowning.
Veronica Cruz, SVP and Business Executive Officer, Nestlé Philippines Beverages and Confectionery, elaborated on why the brand has deemed this program necessary for the Filipino community. She shares, “Today, we launch the MILO® Safe Swim: Drown Prevention Program [with the goal of] raising awareness and helping address the alarming drowning statistics in the Philippines. As part of the MILO® purpose of nourishing Filipino kids’ journey to success, growing up with sports is a critical component. We truly find this program meaningful as safety goes hand-in-hand with sports, with swimming as a life-saving skill.”
Meanwhile, Philippine Red Cross National Field Representative Kim Patrick Flores shared the same advocacy, adding, “[We commit] to this initiative to reduce and prevent drowning incidents by first, [conducting] comprehensive training programs. Second, [to] continue the community engagement in every region in the country and resource development; [and also], the continuous improvement of our training programs.”
To make Safe Swim a well-rounded effort, MILO® aims to partner with local government units and City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices to provide city-specific instructions and modules to help local citizens appreciate the significance of drowning prevention. Overall, the program continues the brand’s long-standing advocacy to advance the development of grassroots support and, through its goal of practicing water safety and preventing drowning, supporting Filipinos in their active journey.
For more information on the program, visit https://www.milo.com.ph/ and MILO®’s Facebook page.
