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Yolly Del Castillo talks about the
importance of saving during
a
meeting organized by the Philippine
Business for Social Progress (PBSP)
in
courtesy of
PBSP/Scruffed
|
MOTHERHOOD is perhaps one of the most difficult yet
fulfilling part of a woman’s life because of the huge responsibility it
entails, especially in raising a child to be the best person that he can be.
Hence, it would be wise to
prepare for this vocation the moment she learns of that new life living inside
her. The usual preparations should begin during pregnancy– from pre-natal
checkups along with getting enough nutrition for the baby’s development, to
choosing the best facility for childbirth, getting post-natal care, and saving
up for the expenses that come with the addition of a new family member.
However, pregnant women and
mothers from low-income families rarely get to make such preparations due to
financial difficulties.
The Philippine Business forSocial Progress (PBSP) underscored the need for safe motherhood practices,
especially saving up for maternal healthcare in the recent “Safe Motherhood
Caravan” held for some 400 mothers, pregnant women and women of reproductive
age in Barangays Concepcion Uno and Parang in Marikina City.
The
PBSP has partnered with the local government of Marikina
Saving
is about responsible parenthood
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JENNY Manil, a 28-year-old mother of four, was
among those who attended the event in Concepcion Uno. She found the lecture on
saving most useful.
“Natutunan ko sa seminar ang kahalagahan
ng pag-iipon. Maganda palang makakuha ng mga serbisyo sa coop para kahit papaano, may kaunting ipon lalo
na pag may emergency (I learned the importance of saving. It’s good to
avail of services of the cooperative so that I can save and have something to
use in case of emergency.),” Manil said.
A valuable
investment
THE seminar on saving conducted by the Concepcion
Vendors Development Cooperative (CVDC), PBSP’s partner cooperative, introduced participants
to the various health insurance products that can help them pay for expenses
incurred during their pregnancy and childbirth.
CVDC general manager Yolly Del
Castillo stressed the importance of saving during the event.
“Napakahalaga na kahit hindi pa nailalabas ang anak ay pinag-iipunan mo
na ito. Mahirap magkasakit lalo na kung hindi mo alam kung saan ka kukuha ng
pera. Kahit may Philhealth ka, hindi
lahat ng gastos ay masasagot nito. Saving is teaching you responsible
parenthood, hindi naman dapat magbuntis
ka lang. Ang pag-iipon ang una mong dapat na prioridad. Kahit may kinikita ka kung
hindi ka marunong magtabi, mauubos at mauubos ‘yan. Dapat marunong kang
mag-ipon at may savings ka na
magsisilbing buffer mo, at mapagkukuhanan mo pag kailangang mo ng
pera pero wala kang matakbuhan. (It’s very important to save for one’s
child before you give birth to it. It’s hard to get sick especially if you
don’t know where to get money to pay for consultation and medicines. You may
have a Philhealth card but it cannot cover all the expenses that come with
pregnancy and giving birth. You shouldn’t just get yourself pregnant. Saving
should be your first priority. Even if you’re earning, if you don’t save some
for emergency, your resources will eventually run out. You should know how to
save and set it aside as a buffer that you can use especially in times when you
don’t know where to get money.),” Del Castillo said.
She added that women should be
more open-minded and look at health insurances not as an expense but as a
valuable investment.
PBSP Portfolio manager for Health
Jerome Daclison said that the project’s main goal is to provide women
life-saving services through a socialized health insurance.
“This socialized insurance will
enable mothers to avail of (health care) services such as facility-based
deliveries supervised by a skilled health worker attendant. They will pay a
minimal amount for the insurance with easy installment schemes that can fit
their budget,” Daclison added.
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•
About
Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP)
ESTABLISHED in 1970, Philippine
Business for Social Progress (PBSP) is the largest business-led social
development organization in the country committed to poverty reduction. With 267
large, small and medium-scale companies as members, PBSP helps uplift the lives
of Filipinos through social development programs that focus on Health,
Education, the Environment, and Livelihood & Enterprise Development (HEEL).
Since the start, PBSP has been at the forefront of advocating for stronger corporate
citizenship with the aim of supporting inclusive national development.
PBSP
has been influencing the Philippine business community to integrate CSR practices
into their core businesses and advocating the application of business strategies
in addressing poverty.
In
2010, PBSP began looking at the concepts of Inclusive Business and the need to
use the Collective Impact framework when tackling big societal challenges.
Promotion
and development of Inclusive Business models for the strategic Platforms for
Collective Engagements (PlaCEs) in the areas of Health, Education, Environment
and Livelihood and Enterprise Development (HEEL) are at its core program
agenda.
PBSP is
also continuously observing trends in Overseas Development Assistance and
partners with both international and local nonprofit and aid organizations to promote
inclusive national development. Because of its extensive experience in social development,
PBSP has cultivated relationships with both the government and the private sectors that it leverages to participate in
Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) that empower communities around the Philippines
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NOTE: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not
necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, the owner
of this blog.