LONDON – For close to a week, Issa Penales and her parents Andrew and Bridgette soaked in the sights and sounds of the English capital, relishing every moment in their Olympic experience sponsored by Procter & Gamble.
Issa, 23, submitted an entry in P&G’s “Thank You Moms” campaign launched before Mother’s Day last May. Over 100,000 entries were sent in via facebook or text. Each entry had a limit of 120 words. The public could participate in the selection by voting for the top entries with P&G short-listing the lead group to six before finally choosing the winner with the prize of business class plane tickets for two, hotel accommodations and tickets to Olympic events. The idea was for children to pay tribute to their mothers by sharing an inspiring story.
Issa’s entry read: “You could have been called Chef, Doctora or Madame but you chose Mommy so that we could be healthy, well and happy. To Bridgette who gave up everything so that her kids could have it all, thank you.”
The eldest of five children, Issa said her mother could’ve been a hotel and restaurant executive and in fact, worked at Jollibee and was on the verge of joining Nestle when she decided to take care of her children full-time. Obviously, there are no regrets. Issa earned an international studies degree at La Salle two years ago and is now employed with Viva Concerts. Inna, 18, is taking up advertising at La Salle. Ian, 16, is graduating from Don Bosco high school while Ico, 10, and Imo, 8, are studying at Sacred Heart elementary in Parañaque.
Andrew, a mechanical engineering graduate of La Salle in 1986, said he couldn’t be prouder of his wife and children. He mentioned that Issa was an honorable mention graduate and entered the P&G contest on her own.
Issa couldn’t believe she won the trip to London when she was contacted by P&G last June. “I received a text a week after I sent in my entry informing me that I was in the short-list,” she said. “It’s my first time to travel outside of Asia. I love London. Visiting is like being in the movies because Harry Potter is my favorite.”
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Before leaving for London, the Penales family got together with lightflyweight boxer Mark Anthony Barriga whose parents Edgar and Melita were also brought to the Olympics by P&G under the “Thank You Mom” program. The campaign is reportedly the biggest launched by P&G in its 175-year history. Barriga is among over 100 athletes all over the world supported by P&G. Others include basketball stars Manu Ginobili of Argentina and Rudy Fernandez of Spain, tennis champion Roger Federer and American swimmers Michael Phelps and Natalie Coughlin. The athletes are celebrity endorsers of P&G brands like Tide, Ariel, Gillette, Pantene, Head and Shoulders and Pampers.
P&G paid only for the tickets of Bridgette and Issa. Andrew decided to come along for the ride and paid his own way. They flew via Cathay Pacific and stayed at the Hilton Metropole Hotel. The Olympic events they witnessed were football, diving, athletics and basketball. They were also given tickets to the closing ceremony last Sunday.
The Penaleses went around town on a bike tour, dropping by Waterloo, the Embankment pier off the River Thames, Buckingham Palace, Covent Garden, the Parliament building, Big Ben, Kensington Garden and winding up at Trafalgar Square. “We like to bike,” said Andrew, a businessman involved in fuel and in supplying conveyor belt parts as a representative of a US provider. “Issa did a lot of sports during her student days. She played badminton and also bowled. Now, we all bike. It’s a good exercise to stay fit.”
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With Bridgette managing the family home in Better Living, the Penaleses live the American way, meaning they share chores and don’t have househelp. That only makes Bridgette’s role even more impressive. Andrew, 47, and Bridgette, 46, are grateful to P&G for this opportunity.
“This was an experience of a lifetime,” said Andrew. “P&G made it happen for our family. We were lucky to meet Mark’s parents whom everyone calls Momsky and Popsky. We’ll never forget this trip, particularly because it happened during the Olympics. Mothers are special and P&G’s campaign to pay tribute by saying Thank You Mom is a wonderful celebration. We’re very proud to be part of P&G’s global campaign.”
P&G corporate communications manager Anama Dimapilis accompanied the Barrigas to London while Campaigns & Grey account manager for P&G Jane Villa went with the Penales family. No doubt, the Barrigas and Penaleses returned home as Olympic winners – they may not have won the gold but they will forever cherish the London experience like every Olympian.