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| BSP Panelists during the BSP-EFLP Media Briefing |
By: Bennie A. Recebido
SORSOGON CITY, March 9,
2015 (PIA) – The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) started making rounds in the
country this year to make the public aware and understand the country’s key
economic and financial issues under its Economic and Financial Learning Program
(EFLP).
The first leg took place
in Sorsogon City on February 24, 2015 with a press briefing giving the local
media in the province lucidity in their queries in mind. Questions raised were focused
on the resiliency of Philippine economy, government bank’s lending policy
especially for LGUs, and other financial issues such as counterfeiting,
demonetization and inflation rate, among others.
Panellists were Atty.
Prudence Angelita A. Kasala, Director, Financial Consumer Protection
Department; Ms. Marlyn J. Paje, Deputy Director and Head, BSP Legazpi Office;
Ms. Maria Farah D. Angka, Deputy Director, Department of Economic and Financial
Learning Center; Mr. Dennis M. Bautista, Deputy Director, Department of
Economic Research; Mr. Aries T. Gamboa, Bank Officer V, Department of Economic
Statistics; Mr. Edring Marqueses, Bank Officer III, Payments and Statistics
Office; and Ms. Jo-Anne B. Ballacillo, Senior Currency Specialist, Currency
Issue and Integrity Office.
According to Ms. Sharon
Ang, Coordinator-Bank Officer III of the BSP Head Office’s Economic and
Financial Learning Center, the BSP has been conducting public information
campaigns in line with the effort to increase public awareness on the role of
the BSP in the economy and the financial system and to further enhance the
transparency of its monetary policy.
The BSP has also taken a
proactive stance in embarking on a consumer education program that aims to
improve the basic financial literacy of the public and the use of the various
bank-related initiatives to improve the remittance environment and to channel
remittances to productive undertakings.
Through the BSP-EFLP,
the outreach and educational activities of the BSP are brought together under
one flagship program which aims to promote greater awareness and understanding
of essential economic and financial issues to help the public acquire the
knowledge and develop skills needed to make well-informed economic and
financial decisions.
The EFLP also embodies
the goal of the BSP to promote economic and education among its stakeholders,
who can then become the BSP’s effective partners in safeguarding price
stability and in ensuring a stronger and safer banking and payment system.
Aside from the press
briefing, the BSP in its three-day stay in Sorsogon also conducted the “Be up to SPeed on BSP”, an information
campaign on the role of BSP in the economy following modules for students and
for the workforce, giving emphasis on the three pillars of central banking – the
price stability, financial stability, and efficient payments and settlements
system.
Also conducted was the “Paghahanda sa Kinabukasan”, a financial
learning campaign for the Overseas Filipinos and their beneficiaries which
taught the participants on the importance of using the remittances to build up
savings and directing these into investments in financial products and business
ventures.
Another activity the BSP
had was the Financial Education Expo for working sector, students, and members
of the academe. This offered various financial education activities featuring
learning booths with audio-visual presentations, graphic displays and
interactive activities making the participants self-reliant in promoting their
financial welfare.
The BSP representatives
encouraged further all Sorsoganons and the public as a whole to engage in the
various banking products and services that they usually encounter in ordinary
financial transactions and to visit their offices for further inquiry and
details.
The BSP has currently
three regional offices located in La Union with branches in San Fernando, Batac
Tuguegarao, Dagupan, Cabanatuan, Lucena, Naga and Legazpi; Cebu City with
branches in Bacolod, Iloilo, Roxas, Dumaguete and Tacloban City; and Davao City
with branches in Cagayan, Cotabato, General Santos City, Ozamis and Zamboanga.
(BARecebido, PIA-5/Sorsogon)
