BPI promotes social development and inclusivity through Financial Wellness Fair

Photo shows beneficiaries of BPI Foundation (seated, L-R) Technological Institute of the Philippines students John Michael Pawaan and Patrick Jasspher Perez; TechVoc scholar Cindy Eusebio; JAO Plaque Awards Printing Services Proprietor Jasmin Obatay; Farmers and Fisherfolk beneficiary Bonifacio Consebido; BPI Sinag beneficiary Glenda Esperida; and Teacher Jojo Ramos with (standing, L-R) DOST-STII Director Richard Burgos; Agrea Agricultural Communities International Foundation, Inc. President Cherrie Atilano; BPI Head of Consumer Bank Marketing and Platforms Mariana Zobel de Ayala; BPI Foundation Executive Director Owen Cammayo; BSP Deputy Governor Bernadette Romulo-Puyat; BPI President and CEO, and BPI Foundation President and Vice Chairman TG Limcaoco; BPI Advisory Council Member and Special Advisor to the Ayala Board Fernando Zobel de Ayala; BPI Foundation Trustee Aurelio Montinola III; BPI Chief Finance Officer and Chief Sustainability Officer, and BPI Foundation Trustee Eric Luchangco; and BPI Chief Customer and Marketing Officer, and BPI Foundation Trustee Cathy Santamaria.

The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), through its social development arm, BPI Foundation, opened on Thursday the Financial Wellness Fair at the Glorietta Activity Center, Palm Drive, Makati City. With the theme “Kasama Lahat sa Pag-unlad,” the fair, which runs from July 20-23, will showcase the products of 25 beneficiaries from underserved communities from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao who benefited from the development programs of the foundation. 

Also, part of BPI Foundation’s 45^th anniversary celebration, the fair provides premium market access and an opportunity to generate and create more revenue streams for the participating 25 beneficiaries.

“Advancing financial education, fostering enterprise development and livelihood and enabling financial inclusion through our corporate foundation reflects BPI’s commitment to drive social development.  We firmly believe that the ability to earn, understand how to manage finances, and have access to relevant financial services should be available to every Filipino,” said BPI President and CEO TG Limcaoco.

Through its foundation’s various programs and initiatives in 2022, BPI has touched the lives of over a million underserved Filipinos from 75 out of the 82 provinces in the Philippines. With Financial Wellness as its core social advocacy, the foundation aims to build self-reliant and sustainable communities.

“As the social development arm of BPI, we are in the business of doing good — focused on creating a financial wellness culture for our underserved communities to encourage a shift in mindset and behaviour when it comes to managing finances,” said BPI Foundation Executive Director Owen Cammayo. “We believe that a financial wellness culture is key to building a better Philippines — one that is inclusive and sustainable.”

Among its notable programs is FinEd Unboxed, a financial education platform that seeks to improve the financial literacy levels among migrant domestic workers, public officials, farmers, and fishing communities through face-to-face and virtual education sessions. 

BPI Foundation also implements the Sinag Program, which helps social entrepreneurs increase their business profitability and scalability by providing opportunities in technological, social and market innovations, such as the Sinag stores in select Ayala malls nationwide. Since 2015, the BPI Sinag Program has supported 331 Social Enterprises nationwide and awarded over P23 million in cash grants, bringing together a total of 209 Sinag educators and over 50,000 beneficiaries.

There is also Technical Vocational (TechVoc), a technical and vocational training program for unemployed and underemployed individuals.  Since 2018, over 4,000 scholars have benefited from various trainings held in 52 areas nationwide. The program has achieved a 90 percent employment rate as of 2022.

It also has a Farm-to-Table program which provides a holistic intervention for select farming and fishing communities through sustainable farming, financial education, entrepreneurship, and market linkages.

Beneficiaries and partners from BPI SEAL (Modista) and Farm-to-Table (Majayjay Farmers with AGREA) welcomed the Financial Wellness Fair attendees to their booths showcasing locally-made products and services.

Its Bayan program promotes volunteerism and provides a platform for employee-volunteers nationwide to actively contribute in addressing prevalent societal issues in their own communities.

The Financial Wellness Fair puts together 25 beneficiaries of these programs.

For more information and updates, please visit the BPI Foundation website at https://bpifoundation.org/ or follow its official social media pages.