AIMING for a society that embraces financial inclusivity, the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), through its social development arm, BPI Foundation, has taken further steps to help create inclusive and sustainable communities.
Last July 20 to 23, BPI opened its Financial Wellness Fair at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati City, showcasing products of its 25 beneficiaries from underserved communities from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Throughout the four-day event, visitors enjoyed a diverse range of engaging activities, inspiring booths, and insightful sessions that emphasized the importance of financial wellness.
“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 BPI Sinag, which helps social entrepreneurs increase their business profitability and scalability. Since 2015, the 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.
The Technical Vocational (TechVoc) training program for unemployed and underemployed individuals has over 4,000 scholars who have benefited from various trainings in 52 areas nationwide since 2018. The program has achieved a 90% employment rate as of 2022.
It also has the Farm-to-Table program which provides a holistic intervention for select farming and fishing communities through sustainable farming, financial education, entrepreneurship, and market linkages. Meanwhile, Bayan program promotes volunteerism, providing an opportunity for employee-volunteers nationwide to actively contribute in addressing prevalent issues in their own communities.
For those interested to avail of sustainable, organic and creative products crafted by underserved communities supported by social enterprises across the country, please visit BPI Sinag Sari-Sari stores at Glorietta and Ayala Museum in Makati City, and Trinoma in Quezon City. To know more about Sinag, visit https://www.bpifoundation.org/page/bpi-sinag and follow BPI Foundation on Facebook and Instagram.
*as of 2022
