Financial literacy services eyed for Mideast OFWs

FILE: (PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan)

BAY, Laguna — Plans are afoot to expand the micro-finance group’s financial literacy services for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWS) in Dubai and other neighboring emirates in the Middle East.

Dr. Jaime Aristotle B. Alip, founder and chairman of the Center for Agriculture and Rural Development- Mutually Reinforcing Institutions (CARD-MRI), said Friday his group has met and made initial discussions on the micro-finance group’s future programs for OFWs in the Gulf States.

“We are very grateful that the idea of establishing a CARD office in Dubai was warmly received,” said Alip, whose visit paved the plan for the micro-finance group to provide a financial literacy program to OFWs in Dubai and neighboring Emirates.

Alip, with Julius Adrian R. Alip, president and chief executive officer of the CARD-Business Development Service Foundation Inc., visited on Nov. 2 the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai, United Arab Emirates where they paid a courtesy call and met with Consul General Paul Raymund P. Cortes and Vice Consul Elizabeth P.

Ramos.

He also divulged that they were able to meet with former CARD-MRI staffers who are now based in Dubai for the initial discussions on the group’s future programs for OFWs in the area.

He said that it was during the meetings that some OFWs encouraged CARD-MRI to set up a program, which is a non-profit organization that supports Filipinos overseas through financial literacy programs in Dubai similar to the program they have established in Hong Kong.

With the success of their earlier overseas partnership undertakings in Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Thailand, among others, the CARD-MRI officials vowed to continue to strengthen its international presence to provide financial literacy programs worldwide.

Alip also said that during the visit, they met with CARD’s remittance partner Xpress Money, a global money transfer brand with a thriving presence in more than 150 countries across the globe.

He said they held discussions with Xpress Money head of business strategy, Arundhoti Banerjee, and Relationship Executive, John Paul Abuda, at its Dubai office in TECOM.

According to CARD-MRI, Xpress Money has been instrumental to its CARD Bank’s remittance product known as “CARD Sulit Padala”, which allows overseas clients to send money to their loved ones back home.

“Our partnership with Xpress Money became stronger. We really want to help our kababayans (compatriots) to have an immediate access to remittance centers so that they will be able to send money to their respective families in our country,” Julius Alip said. (PNA)