EDUManzano and Lorna Tolentino take their turn behind the Watsons counter. — EDU Manzano and Lorna Tolentino take their turn behind the Watsons counter.

One of the most important tasks of a homemaker is keeping a prescribed weekly or monthly budget for expenses which include food, utility bills, and transportation.

Medical expenses are also an issue, but instead of generic medicines, some people still prefer branded counterparts.

Watsons continues to educate Filipinos that its generics line, launched last year, is not just as effective as branded medicines, but also less expensive. In fact, it claims that customers can get “as much as 95 percent percent savings”—an offer hard to resist.

The Asian health and beauty chain store has tapped celebrities Edu Manzano and Lorna Tolentino as brand endorsers. At 60 and 53 years old, respectively, both are fit and look remarkably youthful.

“We chose them because they represent the brand values of Watsons Generics,” said Danilo Chiong, health business unit director of Watsons.

“With Watsons, it’s all about smart shopping and it makes sense that they endorse a brand that is both high quality and affordable. They also represent healthy, active and fit lifestyles,” he added.

Savings and quality

“We (recently) launched a new TV commercial that challenges you: When it comes to choosing medicines, are you for savings or quality? We want viewers to know they can get both when buying Watsons Generics,” Manzano said.

“As we age, we have to take extra care of our bodies, so I make sure that I have a stock of Watsons Multivitamins + Iron regularly to boost my immune system,” he added. “In the mornings I have the Calamansi Flavored Psyllium Fiber that’s tangy and good for digestion.”

Tolentino said she takes the brand’s ascorbic acid, glutathione, vitamin E, and Hyaluron Collagen Powder to maintain her complexion.

Incidentally, Watsons ascorbic acid saves shoppers as much as 80 percent, while its brand of Ferrous Sulfate + Folic Acid (for anemia) gives shoppers as much as 95 percent savings.

In the Philippines, where the average monthly household income for a family of five is $400 (about P18,700), it’s surprising how the penetration of generic medicines is very low at only 5 percent of the market, while in the US and more advanced countries, it is 70-80 percent more.

“We aim to help families by giving them more healthcare options,” Watsons’ Chiong said.