BDO Foundation receives recognition for empowering Filipino fishers

Touted as one of the most outstanding in Asia, a corporate citizenship initiative of BDO Foundation aimed at securing the financial well-being of Filipino fishers clinched four prestigious accolades.

The financial education program for fisherfolk—the foundation’s partnership project with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)—earned international acclaim from Asian Banking & Finance (ABF), Asiamoney, and Enterprise Asia. In the Philippines, the program was also awarded by the League of Corporate Foundations (LCF).

The awards were officially conferred at the ABF Retail Banking Awards, Asiamoney Banking Awards, Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards and LCF CSR Guild Awards, events witnessed in person and online by hundreds of audiences across the continent. They acknowledged BDO Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of BDO Unibank, for developing and implementing the financial education program for fisherfolk in the Philippines.

The award-winning initiative aims to help improve the financial literacy, productivity and income-generating capability of 1.9 million fishers all over the country.

Supportive of Sustainable Development Goals in the area of financial inclusion, the ongoing partnership project contributes to the achievement of the BSP’s National Strategy for Financial Inclusion and the Department of Agriculture’s goal to attain a food-secure and resilient Philippines with empowered and prosperous farmers and fisherfolk.

“The recognition we received is a testament to the concerted efforts of the BSP, BFAR and BDO Foundation to help fishers and their families improve their financial literacy, break the cycle of poverty and learn ways to sustain their source of livelihood,” BDO Foundation president Mario Deriquito said. “Moving forward, we will continue to support the nationwide deployment of the financial education program, mindful of our commitment to sustainable development and nation-building.”

The aforementioned awards also cited the foundation for its contributions to the creation of Fish N’ LEarn, a gamified teaching tool designed to make financial literacy lessons engaging for the target audience. Co-developed by the partners, the training intervention shares lessons on the conservation of marine resources, saving, budgeting and financial planning, entrepreneurship, insurance, and debt management.