17 Nov iCare Strengthens Its Support for IBPAP and the IT-BPM Workforce at the 2025 Labor Standards and Health Forum
IBPAP’s Q4 Labor Standards and Health Forum gathered the IT-BPM community to confront one of the most urgent workplace health challenges in the country. At a time when employers face rising expectations and the workforce navigates evolving risks, iCare joined IBPAP as an Elite Partner to help advance a unified industry response centered on protection, education, and care.
Held on November 11, 2025 at Shangri-La at the Fort in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Metro Manila, the forum titled Private Sector Response to the National HIV Situation convened industry leaders, health authorities, and workplace advocates. iCare, one of the most trusted HMOs in the Philippines, demonstrated its support through the presence of its senior executives President and CEO Geronimo V. Francisco, Chief Operating Officer Dr. Mark Roland F. Malanay, and Chief Commercial Officer Atty. Gideon V. Peña. Their attendance signaled that workplace health and employee well-being must be championed at the highest levels of leadership.
The forum opened with a strong call to action from IBPAP Vice Chair Nicki Agcaoili, who is also the Chief Country Executive of Carelon Global Solutions Philippines. He urged the industry to take concrete steps to address the national HIV situation. HIV cases in the Philippines have risen by more than 150 percent in recent years, with the majority affecting Filipinos aged 15 to 34, the core of the nation’s working population. Philippine National AIDS Council Executive Director Dr. Jojo Feliciano, DOLE Occupational Safety and Health Center’s Dr. Darryl Lucian Bautista, and UNAIDS Country Director Dr. Louie Ocampo emphasized the vital role employers must play in ensuring early detection, sustained education, and stigma-free care in the workplace.
A panel discussion deepened the conversation, focusing on how HIV awareness can be meaningfully integrated into organizational practices. Leaders stressed the importance of transforming policy into reliable programs that strengthen HR strategies, workplace communication, training, and wellness systems. The shared perspective was clear. Progress requires consistent collaboration and concrete action across all levels of the industry.
IBPAP Labor Standards and Health Program Lead Tess Azicate and Project Red Ribbon President and CEO Ico Johnson highlighted the long-standing partnership between IBPAP and Project Red Ribbon, which has been active since 2019. They shared how the collaboration continues to expand through on-site screenings, e-learning modules, and workplace initiatives designed to keep HIV prevention present and active in the everyday operations of the IT-BPM sector. Their insights underscored how advocacy becomes effective when it evolves into programs that employees can trust and access easily.
With iCare joining as an Elite Partner, the industry gains a stronger health ally supported by a nationwide hospital and clinic network and recognized for healthcare solutions shaped by Singaporean discipline and efficiency combined with Filipino tender loving care. This offering resonates strongly with large enterprises, SMEs, and top employer brands in BPO, FMCG, hospitality, retail, real estate, and professional services, especially during a period marked by rising medical inflation and increasing demand for accessible and affordable health protection.
To support the forum, iCare and Healthway distributed iCare Orange Boxes to attendees. Each box included a Carrie keychain inspired by iCare’s St. Bernard mascot. Carrie symbolizes warmth, steadfastness, and comfort, qualities that reflect iCare’s mission to care for the country’s workforce with both professional rigor and genuine compassion.
In her closing remarks, IBPAP Executive Director for External Affairs and Investor Relations Jeanette Carillo urged companies to convert the day’s insights into sustained workplace programs that protect, educate, and empower employees. She emphasized that meaningful change begins when businesses choose to lead with care.
As one of the most trusted HMOs serving leading companies nationwide, iCare remains committed to advancing workplace health initiatives that reinforce the IT-BPM sector’s strength. Its partnership with IBPAP underscores its role as a strategic health partner and a dedicated contributor to building safer, more informed, and more compassionate workplaces for millions of Filipino workers across the Philippines.
In a labor environment marked by evolving risks and rising expectations, iCare and IBPAP stand united in their message. When employee well-being becomes a shared responsibility, industries rise together and so does the nation.
