Manulife expands Peso Smart x RecoveREADS to include teachers, principals, and parents in webinars about financial literacy

Manila, Philippines ― More than 500 attendees from Gubat Elementary School in Albay, Guisad Valley National High School in Baguio, Pembo Elementary School in Makati, and Bambang Elementary School, Buting Elementary School and Francisco Legaspi Memorial School in Pasig participated in Manulife’s recent Peso Smart x RecoveREADS financial literacy webinars, in partnership with the Corazon Sanchez Atayde Memorial Foundation (CSAMF). 

Through the webinars, employees from Manulife Philippines and Manulife China Bank Life Assurance Corporation (MCBL) taught lessons covering basic financial concepts such as saving, budgeting, and investing. 

Manulife’s award-winning financial literacy program Peso Smart continues to support the Department of Education’s initiatives to expand and improve its financial literacy curriculum for K-12 programs to enrich the capability of learners, teachers, and personnel.

“Peso Smart was created to teach young students how to make responsible financial decisions. However, in the course of running the program, we also saw an opportunity to extend it to include teachers, school principals, and parents, who play an integral role in helping advance financial literacy. By empowering communities to embrace the importance of managing personal finances, we can guide more Filipinos on how to be smarter with their money and financially secure their future,” said Melissa Henson, Chief Marketing Officer, Manulife Philippines.

Margaux Romero Atayde, CSAMF Executive Director, added: “Partnering with Manulife Philippines has given us a better understanding of the country’s current state of financial literacy. We saw how the program has helped the families of the children and the teachers from the schools become smarter with their finances, especially during the pandemic. We are happy to continuously work with Manulife in expanding our program so we can help change young Filipinos’ lives through Peso Smart x RecoveREADS.” 

Peso Smart started in 2017 as a series of face-to-face classes dedicated to teaching the importance of saving and investing to students in public elementary schools. During the pandemic, it was redesigned to address the demands of remote learning and expanded to more schools nationwide. The program has also been extended to university students to teach the importance of insurance, investments, and financial planning. More than 400 students have graduated from the Peso Smart program since its inception. 

About Manulife Philippines

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company opened its doors for business in the Philippines in 1907. Since then, Manulife's Philippine Branch and later The Manufacturers Life Insurance Co. (Phils.), Inc. (Manulife Philippines) has grown to become one of the country's leading life insurance companies. Manulife Philippines is a wholly owned domestic subsidiary of Manulife Financial Corporation, among the world's largest life insurance companies by market capitalization. Learn more about Manulife Philippines by visiting their website manulife.com/ph and following them on Facebook (facebook.com/ManulifePH), Instagram (@manulifeph), and LinkedIn (Manulife Philippines).

About Manulife

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider, headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Anchored in our ambition to be the number one choice for customers, we operate as Manulife across Canada and Asia, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States, providing financial advice, insurance and health solutions for individuals, groups and businesses. Through Manulife Wealth & Asset Management, we offer global investment solutions, financial advice, and retirement plan services to individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. At the end of 2025, we had more than 37,000 employees, over 106,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving over 37 million customers with operations across 25 markets globally. We trade as ‘MFC’ on the Toronto, New York, and Philippine stock exchanges, and under ‘945’ on the Hong Kong stock exchange. Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulife.com.