Visa expands financial literacy program to teachers

MANILA, Philippines — World leader in payment technologies Visa has partnered with Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Teach for the Philippines (TFP) and Tanghalang Pilipino (TP) to further expand its financial literacy efforts in the country this year.

A teacher-training component was introduced as part of the second tour of financial literacy theater production Lukot-lukot, Bilog-bilog launched last year to educate Filipino youth about the value of money and importance of financial management.

Stuart Tomlinson, Visa country manager for the Philippines and Guam, said financial literacy is a key area of focus for Visa and is also aligned with the country’s priority of providing all Filipinos with money management knowledge.

“Through our partnership with Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Teach for the Philippines and Tanghalang Pilipino, we have created a powerful outreach program to scale our financial literacy efforts. This year, our aim is to reach out to more students through the theater production, and also empower teachers to introduce financial literacy into their teaching curriculum,” Tomlinson said.

He added the program would echo the central bank’s effort in ensuring more Filipinos are empowered with knowledge to make critical money management decisions to transform their lives.

BSP head of the inclusive finance advocacy office Pia Roman-Tayag said financial education should be introduced very early on to prepare the youth for the real world and help them create a good life for themselves.