ESTABLISHED in 2017, the Philippine Business Coalition for Women Empowerment (PBCWE) is the inaugural project of the Philippine Women's Economic Network (PhilWEN) in partnership with Investing in Women, an initiative of the Australian government.

ESCA Inc., a full-service technology-driven engineering consultancy firm, is the newest member company to join the roster of Philippine companies in leading efforts toward building a business case for gender equality, creating knowledge on best practices in the workplace, communicating the benefits of empowering women in the workforce, and institutionalizing policies based on best practices.

'We warmly welcome ESCA as the first engineering consultancy firm to join our coalition. The engineering industry remains to have an overrepresentation of the male workforce, which is why ESCA's commitment to increase more women engineers in the field is crucial as we realise the positive benefits of having gender-equal workplaces such as better talent management, higher productivity, increased organisational performance, and improved company reputation,' said Ma. Aurora Geotina-Garcia, PhilWEN founding chairperson and president and PBCWE co-chairperson.

ESCA envisions to increase work opportunities for women and girls in the construction and engineering industry in line with the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Ambisyon Natin 2040.

In 2022, ESCA, through the Council of Engineering Consultants of the Philippines

Young Professionals Forum (Cecophil-YPF) took the lead in launching the Women in Engineering Public Survey which focused on key gender issues in engineering, perspectives on how women are perceived in the workplace, and the adequacy of workplace gender equality policies.

'We want to understand the current economic and social barriers to women advancing in the engineering and construction industry. More importantly, we want to identify how we can make the industry an inclusive and safe space for women to thrive and succeed so we can have a stronger voice in the built environment,' ESCA Inc. CEO Jean Jacquelyn Nathania de Castro said.