Manulife bares moves to grow CSR programs
THE Manufacturers Life Insurance Co. Philippines Inc. (Manulife Philippines) announced plans to further grow its corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects.
For one, executives of the insurer and partner organizations said they aim to expand this year a financial literacy program to include female heads of households and more public school students nationwide.
Through its continued partnership with the Corazon Sanchez Atayde Memorial Foundation (CSAMF), executives of the life insurer said they aim to triple the number of graduates under the program to 1,200 public school students. They are also set to create financial literacy modules for homemakers.
CSAMF Executive Director Margarita Romero-atayde said in a forum that “by instilling the right financial mindset and attitude,” the program teaches “learners and their families to work together to achieve their financial goals.”
Atayde added that the program’s “collaborative approach to financial education has inspired us to extend the program to female heads of households so we can level the playing field and make financial solutions more accessible to all Filipinos.”
She said they aim “to help women become more financially independent and empowered decision-makers throughout their lives.”
Atayde noted they have been working with Manulife since 2020 in promoting financial literacy among students, teachers and principals and in supporting distance learning. More than 400 students have graduated from the program, called “Peso Smart,” since its inception.
New partners
LAST Wednesday, Manulife announced it added two non-government organizations (NGOS) for the program’s sub-components.
One is the Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation Inc. The other is Haribon Foundation Inc. partnered with Gawad Kalinga to support 300 families by training them in organic agriculture and guiding them in maintaining family plots under the group’s “family food sufficiency” program.
In addition, Manulife said it will fund the building of five schools “to drive the importance of financial well-being” by providing classrooms in Gawad Kalinga villages so they can support remote learning for children.
Manulife is also sponsoring the planting of 15,000 seedlings covering about 12 hectares of land in Haribon’s conservation areas in the provinces of Laguna, Quezon and Rizal.
“We are very excited about these initiatives, which allow us to bring to the Philippines Manulife’s commitment to creating long-term value for our communities and championing sustainability,” Manulife Philippines Chief Marketing Officer Melissa Henson said.
“We have partnered with three NGOS that are aligned with our values and have the knowledge, expertise, experience and track record to effect positive change. By collaborating with these organizations, we are confident that we can maximize engagement with our sustainability programs and make an impact on the communities that we serve,” Henson added.
Last year, Manulife ranked fourth among life insurance companies in terms of net income and net worth with P3.48 billion and P13.39 billion, respectively, based on unaudited quarterly reports submitted to the Insurance Commission.