Phl Mission to Geneva to Roll Out New Program on Financial Education for Overseas Filipinos

Ambassador Evan Garcia addresses the participants of the previous Financial Education classes during the reunion of the first five batches, held at the Philippine Mission in Geneva on March 26.

Participants take part in one of three discussion sessions to evaluate the program and recommend future activities.

31 March 2017 GENEVA — Ambassador Evan Garcia, Permanent Representative to the UN and Other International Organizations in Geneva, announced that the Philippine Consulate General and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) would soon launch a new program on Financial Education for Overseas Filipinos which will explore more advanced financial management concepts and expanded to include detailed modules on financial instruments and other types of investments.

Since the Consulate and POLO started the program in November 2014, more than 300 Filipinos have taken part in the 12-hour course that features workshops and discussions on concepts such as savings in the context of migration, marketing and advertising, financial statements, and entrepreneurship. The latest batch of students will graduate on April 01, 2017.

During the reunion, the participants shared the positive influence of the program on their financial habits, which encouraged them to take concrete steps towards involving their families and thinking about long-term considerations such as health and retirement. Other participants requested for more classes on specific investment portfolios and agriculture-based businesses.

“Never forget the cardinal rule: low risk, low return; high risk, high return… The best investment that you can make is for yourself: your health and your future,” Ambassador Garcia while noting that migrants should also take care of themselves as much as they take care of their respective families. END