City Savings Bank, Inc. (CitySavings), UnionBank’s thrift subsidiary, earned another recognition from the Department of Education (DepEd) after it ramped up its Teacher Care initiatives. DepEd held its Partners’ Appreciation Ceremony last December 13, 2022, at Wack Wack Golf and Country Club in Mandaluyong City.
Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte led the ceremony, expressing gratitude to all public and private partners for all the educational support they provided to the agency.
In in her keynote address and press statement:
I welcome you all to explore partnerships with the Department of Education. Together, let us rebuild a stronger, resilient, and adaptable basic education system in the Philippines.
– Sara Duterte, Vice President and Department of Education Secretary
Committed to helping the teaching community, CitySavings this year has strengthened its Teacher Care initiatives through its various Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs. The Bank distributed learning and teaching resources nationwide to 580 beneficiary schools, divisions, and regional offices. CitySavings’ advocacies, Project ₱er@parasyon (financial literacy), Project Pink (breast cancer awareness), and Project #BetterMe (mental wellness), reached over 4,000 attendees from DepEd. The Bank also expanded its National Economic Development and Values Formation program, a webinar series with the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P). The series equipped more than 400 school heads from Visayas and Mindanao to revitalize character-building and values formation in schools.
A significant highlight of CitySavings’ 2022 Teacher Care initiatives is its support for Brigada Pagbasa. This DepEd program, under Hamon: Bawat Bata Bumabasa (3Bs Initiatives), is in response to the call to intensify advocacy for reading. With the Office of the Undersecretary for Legislative Affairs and Partnerships (OULAP), CitySavings supported the outreach programs in Visayas, specifically in Bohol and Aklan, last November 18 and 24, respectively. The Bank donated laptops, TV sets, sanitation essentials, reading materials, and learning and teaching kits to the last mile schools that are geographically isolated.
Last October 5, CitySavings joined the National Teachers’ Day (NTD) at Bangued, Abra, culminating the month-long celebration. At the NTD, the Bank raffled off motorcycle units, laptops, tablets, and gift certificates to show its appreciation for our teachers.
2022 has been a banner year for the Bank’s Teacher Care initiatives. And CitySavings will continue to provide relevant, accessible, and sustainable CSR programs to enable educators to teach and touch the lives of learners nationwide.
(PR By: Jomes Kemuel Ibañez)
