PEARL2 and Isis International Manila had been conducting workshops with industry leaders in three specific industries in the Philippines to raise their awareness on gender fairness as beneficial to business. Previous trainings engaged the board members of the Cebu Gifts, Toys and Houseware Association, the Philippine Chamber of Handicraft Industries and the Medical Transcription Industry Association of the Philippines.

A crucial step identified for the project was the need for technical support for the small businesses on how they could implement gender fair practice. To address this need, a workshop was conducted in collaboration with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP). The three-day interactive workshop was designed to address the growing concern of how to integrate the gender perspective as an important aspect of corporate social responsibility. The input and sharing was able to surface among the participants pressing gender issues in the workplace, as well be able to identify gender mainstreaming strategies towards gender fair business practice appropriate to each industry. The 28 participants came from the volunteer advisors of PBSP, from varying fields of expertise: human resource management, operations management and organisational development.

The 3-day workshop generated a high level of interest and participation, as each of the participants unpacked the concepts behind gender bias and inequality. They also appreciate the inputs from the resource persons who spoke about gender as legal responsibility and human resource concern. At the end of the workshop, they willingly committed themselves to gender fairness-- in their personal attitudes, their business practice, and in the advising services.