BDO Unibank Inc. announced in a statement last Wednesday the listed bank hired Hidilyn Diaz, the Philippines’ first-ever Olympic Gold medalist, as a brand ambassador.
“Three months after ending the country’s nearly 100-year quest for Gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the Zamboanga City native joins forces with the bank to champion financial education, not only for her fellow athletes, but also for the un-served and underserved markets including overseas Filipinos,” the bank said in a statement.
Though unexpected, Hidilyn is thankful for having received a string of incentives and gifts for her historic feat. With this in mind, she sees the golden value of handling these incentives responsibly, which BDO has been espousing through its financial education advocacy, according to the lender.
“Importanteng magbukas ng account sa bangko, kahit maliit lang ipon mo sa simula. Para lang ’yan nung nagsimula akong magbuhat ng weights. Start small, kumbaga. Tapos, ’pag successful ka na, pag lumaki na ipon mo, pwede mo siyang ipang-invest sa ibang bagay na gusto mo o para sa pangarap na gusto mong matupad, para talagang sulit ang mga pinaghirapan natin,” Diaz was quoted in the statement as saying.
[It is important to open a bank account, even if you have little savings at the beginning. It was just like when I started lifting weights. Start small, as they say. Then, when you become successful, when you’ve grown your savings, you can invest in something else you want or for the dream you want to fulfill, so it would be really worth the effort.]
The 30-year-old weightlifter also reminds her fellow athletes, especially those who have achieved their own feats of how they should prepare for the financial future.
“’Di naman tayo forever magiging atleta, diba? Mahaba pa ang magiging buhay natin pagkaretiro natin sa ating mga sport, kaya kung anuman ang naibigay sa atin ngayon, dapat ipunin natin ’yun para tayo’y makapaghanda, para rin sa ating mga minamahal sa buhay,” Diaz added.
[‘We’re not going to be an athlete forever. We would still have a long life after we retire in our sports. So whatever we have been given now, we must save so we can prepare and also to have something for our love ones.]
“Mahalaga ring may relationship at tiwala tayo sa bangko kung saan natin ilalagay ang ating mga pinaghirapan. Tiwala tayo sa kanila kasi expert sila sa pagtulong palaguin ang ating mga finances. Halimbawa, kung gusto kong magtayo ng negosyo pagkaretiro ko, o bigyan ko ng retirement ang aking mga magulang, alam nila kung paano nila ako gagabayan. Importante ring may serbisyo sila kung saan ako makakapagpadala ng pera sa pamilya ko sa Zamboanga habang nagte-training ako sa abroad. Nakita ko lahat ’yan sa BDO.”
[It’s also important that we have confidence in the bank where we put in the fruits of our labor. We trust them because they are experts in helping to grow our finances. For example, if I want to build a business after I retire, or give my parents retirement, they know how they will guide me. They also need a service where I can send money to my family in Zamboanga while I am training abroad. All these I saw in BDO.]
The banking arm of Sy family-led SM Investments Corp. said it is “thankful to have found a financial education advocate and champion” in Diaz “and for placing her trust in the bank and its wide array of financial products and services to cater to her needs and those like her.
BDO Senior Vice President and Remittance Head Geneva T. Gloria said data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas “really concerns us and the entire banking sector.” The BSP data shows only 48 percent of Filipino adults have savings and just one-in-five have a savings account in a bank.
“While we understand most people’s concern on how they get paid, we believe it does pay to have a mindset of even starting small, like what Hidilyn mentioned,” Gloria said. “Before becoming a champion for the nation, [Diaz] first was a champion of her own dreams. Along with keeping in mind her hardwork and determination, she valued the proper handling of finances, and we are with her in that journey.”