Pinoy WISE Step Financial Education Program for OFW Families

About 60 Overseas Filipinos (OFs) and their families attended the Pinoy WISE Step Financial Education Program for OFW Families, an activity in support to the Go Earn Achieve Return Uplift Philippines (GEAR-UP) Reintegration Preparedness Program on October 24-25, 2019 at Cañossa Health and Social Center in Bulihan, Silang, Cavite.

The two-day activity aims to sensitize the OFs and their families on the various economic and social issues of migration and the barriers to achieving migration goals, assist them in financial planning and investment to ensure that migration will contribute to the long-term development of the OFs, their families and their communities, and to guide the OFs in identifying and addressing their issues and concerns to enable them to achieve their financial and family goals for migration.

In behalf of Mayor Socorro Rosario Poblete, the participants were warmly welcomed by Ms. Rhoda Bautista, the Municipal Social Welfare Officer of Silang.  She also expressed her gratefulness to all the people behind the activity for choosing their municipality as venue for launching the program in Cavite.

In order to prepare and guide the participants in taking their financial literacy path, an audio-visual presentation on GEAR-UP Reintegration Preparedness Program was presented and an overview of the training was discussed by the Program Coordinator of Atikha, Ms. Riza Sevilla.

Lecture on Nurturing Family Relations was conducted by Ms. Maria Aura Fuentes, PSWDO Social Welfare Officer.  She discussed the family issues caused by overseas migration such as gap in the relationship with spouse, communication gap and psychosocial problems of children, dependency of the families on remittances, irresponsibility in managing funds, growing extravagant lifestyles and over indulgence and consumerism.  Subsequently, Ms. Precyl Ramos, Social Welfare Officer III of PSWDO, guided the participants in addressing the family issues identified.

Discussions on Financial Education like Achieving Goals for Migration, Savings and Budgeting and Investing and Protecting Migrants were presented by Ms. Sheryll Loyola from the Provincial Cooperative, Livelihood and Entrepreneurial Development Office (PCLEDO), where the partakers learned the concepts in savings and investing such as “Save Before You Spend”, the difference between “Needs and Wants”, “Pay Yourself First”, “Diversifying Investments” and others.

To better understand every topic presented, the attendees were encouraged to do a small group sharing activity.  Workshops on drawing their dream map, saving goals and budgeting were also accomplished by the participants.

Highlight of the activity was the signing of the Commitment Form of the participants wherein they compel to liberate themselves from financial barriers and regularly save certain amount to achieve their visions as successful migrants. They were also asked to voluntarily enroll in the Pinoy WISE and GEAR-UP Cavite membership.

On the second day, Ms. Precyl Ramos discussed the programs and services being implemented by the provincial government which include Psycho-Social Services (financial assistance services, Reintegration Assistance to OFW and Migrants (RAOM), medical assistance, burial assistance), Economic Services (Family and Income Management Seminar, Skills and Livelihood Training, Business and Investment Forum), Legal advice and assistance to OFWs regarding laws on migrants and overseas employment, free and quality computer education through the Cavite Computer Center among others, for OFs in Cavite.

A lecture-discussion on reintegration was facilitated by Ms. Aileen Peña, the Deputy Executive Director of Atikha. She emphasized the push and pull factors of return migration, for instance, unemployment and termination of contract, racism and discrimination, homesickness, war or violence against foreigners. She also shared that lack of savings and investment, family issues that drain resources, failure in business, lack of integration of OF resources (financial, human and social) in the development plan of the region, province, municipalities and communities were identified as the barriers to reintegration. She also discussed the typology of return migration; return of failure, return of retirement, return of achievement and return of innovation and then challenged the participants into what type of return would they want to be.

In the afternoon, services, savings and investment forum was held.  The purpose of the activity is to give migrants the opportunity to look at different investment vehicles for their money. As part of the government savings program, Modified Pag-IBIG 2 (MP2) savings program was presented by Pag-ibig Fund Representative, Mr. Rommel Ramallosa.  This is a voluntary savings program for members who wish to save more and earn higher dividends than the regular Pag-IBIG savings program.

Ms. Angelina Bergonio, Assistant General Manager of Cavite Farmers Feedmilling and Marketing Cooperative (CAFFMACO) and Mr. Regie Ambagan, Credit and Collection Officer of Investreneur Multi-Purpose Cooperative (IMPC) were also present and discussed their savings and investment programs and encouraged everyone to be a member of their coops.

Meanwhile, Philam Life Insurance representative, Ms. Annie Rodriguez, tackled the importance of protecting oneself and preparing for the future and urged everyone to invest in lifetime protection program.

On the other hand, in ardent desire to organize the OFs in Silang, particularly in Bulihan, Ms. Cynthia Zamora, Silang Migration and Development Focal Person with the assistance of PSWDO staff Precyl Ramos, facilitated the election of Officers of Bulihan Association of OFWs and Families wherein Mr. Severino Dela Cruz, former OF from Brgy. Yakal was elected as the interim president.

In closing, Ms, Fely Servanez, PSWD Officer expressed her gratitude to everyone who extended efforts in achieving the goal of having financial-literate migrants and families in the province.

The event was made possible thru the effort of Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO), Cavite Migration and Development Office (CMDO), in collaboration with the local government of Silang, Provincial Cooperative, Livelihood and Entrepreneurial Development Office (PCLEDO), Atikha and PINOY WISE International.