More than 100 Pasig students graduate from Manulife’s financial literacy program
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Manila ― Global life insurer Manulife recently held a virtual graduation ceremony for more than 100 public elementary school students in Pasig City, as part of its award-winning Peso Smart financial literacy program.
Students from Francisco Legaspi Memorial School and Buting Elementary School make up the first batch of graduates of Peso Smart x RecoveREADS, a distance learning program. Students were given Peso Smart learning kits that included an activity journal based on Manulife’s modules that teach children the basics of saving, budgeting, and investing, as well as school supplies. The learning kits also contained Manulife’s Peso Smart storybooks, Manny and Liv and Yaman Bayan, which aim to make learning smart money habits more fun, and to promote meaningful family interactions as parents teach their kids at home.
“Peso Smart started in 2017 as a weekly face-to-face classroom program, where Manulife employees volunteered to teach public school students the value of good financial habits. The pandemic presented an opportunity for us to evolve our program so we can continue to support young students, even while they studied from home,” shared Melissa Henson, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Manulife Philippines.
“Through our partnership with Corazon Sanchez Atayde Memorial Foundation (CSAMF) and the support of Honorable Mayor Vico Sotto of Pasig City, we launched Peso Smart x RecoveREADS. This partnership has allowed us to continue empowering young minds and preparing them for a financially secure future,” Henson added.
As learning money management may be more relevant than ever, CSAMF volunteers and teachers from Francisco Legaspi Memorial School and Buting Elementary School used Manulife’s Peso Smart storybooks and modules as tools to help guide young students towards smart financial habits that will give them confidence to take charge of their future.
“The Peso Smart financial literacy modules have truly enriched our existing RecoveREADS program, because these add to our wealth of learning materials so we can help more children in marginalized communities bridge the learning gap, and become more financially savvy by applying basic math and reading skills,” said Margarita Atayde, CSAMF Executive Director.
“As Filipino students continue to adapt to the demands of distance learning, Peso Smart x RecoveREADS – Pasig City’s first financial literacy program specifically for children -- has become a helpful tool for our students, enabling them to learn important life skills such as saving, budgeting, and investing,” shared Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto. “The role of financial literacy is critical as it instills financial discipline to help you make informed decisions, lead better lives, and even thrive in a crisis. So, we need to start early in teaching children smart money habits, because it makes a big difference in the kind of future they will build.”
For more information about Manulife’s Peso Smart, visit Peso Smart or manulife.com/ph.
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.