Manulife PH’s financial literacy program expands to 6 schools, 300 students and 4 LGUs

Manulife Philippines’ award-winning financial literacy program Peso Smart is expanding to benefit 300 students from six schools in Pasig, Makati, Baguio and Albay via Peso Smart X RecoveREADS. This marks the first time that Peso Smart will reach Filipino students beyond the National Capital Region, teaching them smart money habits and helping enrich financial knowledge and behavior at a young age.

Peso Smart x RecoveREADs, which started in 2020 in partnership with the Corazon Sanchez Atayde Memorial Foundation (CSAMF), aims to equip students with learning kits that include an activity journal based on Manulife’s Peso Smart modules, which teach children the basics of saving, budgeting, and investing. In addition, Manulife employees will train volunteer teachers and parents so they can guide the students’ learning progress even while at home.

“We are happy that due to positive responses from our school partners and students during our pilot run, we can expand Peso Smart x RecoveREADS to reach more Filipino students throughout the country,” said Melissa Henson, chief marketing  officer of Manulife Philippines. “We are delighted to help more children learn smart money habits at a young age. Financial literacy is one of the best ways to invest in our youth, because it plays a key role in empowering their financial wellbeing, arming them with knowledge and confidence that can help them build a financially secure future.”

For school year 2021-2022, 300 students from the following schools are getting a head start through the financial literacy program through Peso Smart: Bambang Elementary School, Buting Elementary School, and Francisco Legaspi Memorial School in Pasig; Pembo Elementary School in Makati; Guisad Valley National High School in Baguio; and Gubat Elementary School in Albay. The program expands the successful pilot that ran during the 2020-2021 school year at two public elementary schools in Pasig City: Francisco Legaspi Memorial School and Buting Elementary School, where 100 students participated.

CSAMF executive director Margaux Romero Atayde added: “We are grateful for Manulife Philippines’ continued support and commitment to help elevate financial literacy in the country, as this also aligns with our own goal of encouraging young Filipinos to develop their love for learning. We look forward to another successful year of sparking motivation, confidence, and financial understanding through Peso Smart x RecoveREADS.”

Manulife’s Peso Smart was launched in 2017 as a series of face-to-face weekend classes dedicated to teaching the value of saving and investing to grade six elementary students. Since the pandemic in 2020, Peso Smart has evolved to address the demands of remote learning. More than 200 students have graduated from the financial literacy program since its inception.