Google adds $1.5 million Search Ad grant to Philippines government

MANILA, Philippines — Technology company Google, through its philanthropic arm Google.org, has provided the Philippine government an additional $1.5 million in “Search Ad” grant to support its COVID-19 information drive.

“Connecting Filipinos to trusted information about COVID-19 remains a top priority at Google,” said Google Philippines country director Bernadette Nacario.

“We hope that through the additional Search Ad grant, we are able to support the government in surfacing important messages online, including public service announcements to help keep people safe and informed amid the ongoing pandemic,” she added.

Search Ads allow users to display their website listing at the top of the search results and drive more traffic to their website. By providing ad grants, Google said it is helping government agencies amplify their messages at no cost to them.

Among the agencies included in the grant are the Department of Health, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Education and Department of Tourism.

From March 2020 to January 2022, Google said its Search Ad grants supported more than 107 million COVID-related public service announcements in the Philippines. It also drove over 11 million visits to authoritative health websites locally.

The company has also provided other forms of support to the Philippines to address COVID-19, including funding for vaccines, health kits and training of health workers, among others.