“Sapat Dapat” advocacy campaign launched

The Asian Development Bank showed recently that the Philippines does not have financial strategy on financial education. As a result, the country is ranked 68th on a worldwide financial literacy index.

Many individuals nowadays encounter financial crises at an early stage due to the lack of proper education in managing finances, budgeting, and prioritizing needs and wants. Tools and innovations are readily available but unless a deeper and more comprehensive approach is instilled into one’s own values, the individuals will all end up with loans and debts left and right. They will be trapped in a cycle of poverty, without the ability to build better lives for themselves.

The reason why CIS Bayad Center, Inc. teamed up with the Department of Education and MaryLindbert International to embark on “Bayad Center Sapat Dapat” Comprehensive School Program, an advocacy campaign on financial literacy.

CIS Bayad Center, Inc. believes that every Filipino deserves to be rewarded for their hard work. Their trust is to simply help make paying bills a lot easier for every Filipino wherever they may be.

It is in this light that CIS Bayad Center, Inc. sees the need to advocate budgeting, saving and priority-setting to Filipinos to help everyone become financially literate and bring the level of financial knowledge to a higher scale.

The Sapat Dapat Comprehensive School program was launched last year and is now piloted in several schools in Cebu. Mr. Wendell Labre, CIS Bayad Center, Inc. Marketing Head explained during the courtesy call to Dr. Bianito Dagatan, City Schools Division Superintendent of Cebu City that, “The Bayad Center Sapat Dapat Advocacy Campaign aims to teach, instill and reinforce Filipino children at an early age the importance of Financial Literacy.

Students and teachers must know how to save, budget and value the fruit of their hard work”. Dr. Dagatan agrees and added that students and teachers as well must be knowledgeable about personal finance and applies such knowledge in dealing with their finances.

Jonathan Pauig, Vice President and Operations Head of MaryLindbert Int’l elaborated that, “Sapat Dapat Comprehensive School Program will engage the students and teachers on the topics of budgeting, money matters, needs and wants, entrepreneurship and goal setting. Students and teachers will be exposed to activities that are geared to develop the habit and best practices on saving and wise spending”.

Sapat Dapat Comprehensive School Program is envisioned to become part of the value formation process of the high school students nationwide, making a profound, positive effect in their mindset.

The advocacy campaign is envisioned by CIS Bayad Center, Inc. that it will be a tool for every Filipino to be free from debts and financially literate. By advocating to both children and adults the value of financial literacy, Bayad Center Sapat Dapat Comprehensive School Program becomes an instrument in empowering Filipinos and bringing the nation’s financial awareness to the next level.

CIS Bayad Center, Inc. is the country’s pioneer and premier multi-channel payment platform to date and is a member of Meralco Group of Subsidiaries.