Tag: financial literacy

Cash-In-Hand: How Electronic Cash Transfer Systems Can Help Filipinos Overcome Poverty

It’s no secret that many Filipinos, especially those living in far-flung areas in the provinces, are living below the poverty line. This is often worsened by the need to take on toxic personal debts, usually from loan sharks, which perpetuates a crazy cycle of poverty and ever-increasing debts.

One of the biggest reasons for this is financial illiteracy and inability to access basic financial products and services. Lack of knowledge prevents many Filipinos from managing their finances well while lack of access to the financial system forces them to settle for usurious debts from loan sharks.

CashInHandPaymaya
Oxfam Pilipinas and Paymaya executives together with Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ Pia Bernadette Roman-Tayag

Continue reading Cash-In-Hand: How Electronic Cash Transfer Systems Can Help Filipinos Overcome Poverty

Pretend To Be Rich?

To cap off my Christmas blog posts series, I thought it would be apt to write something about how some people try to win friendship with the rich by trying hard to be like them.

In my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, that’s even healthy. Some life and finance coaches even recommend brushing elbows with the wealthy (financially, spiritually, relationally). Being friends and in company with the rich attracts positive vibes and makes you feel good. Which is actually good. Continue reading Pretend To Be Rich?

“If Only A Tricycle Can Drive Me Home This Christmas….”

This Christmas Eve, over a couple of million Filipinos work overseas defying the extreme biting weather, racial discrimination, abuse, violence, and loneliness. What makes it more difficult for most of these OFW’s is that they have to (not) celebrate the Christmas season away from home.

I could imagine a mother working as a domestic helper in the Middle East sobbing like a child as she misses her young kids. She’s dying to embrace their little bodies as she washes off the bodies of children she’s not even related to. How she wish she could prepare and serve the Noche Buena for them. But 12 midnight is her work’s rush hour, thousands of miles away from home.

Or an engineer father in Africa who has never been home for more than 2 years and has never even witnessed the birth of his first and only child. He only wishes to spend one day with his child and wife. Just today. Just for tonight. Continue reading “If Only A Tricycle Can Drive Me Home This Christmas….”