BACOLOD City, under Mayor Evelio Leonardia, hosted the capacity building seminar and lecture series on financial literacy.

The lecture includes savings advocacy and micro-finance in line with the Financial Independence for a Robust Economy (Fire) project of the Department of Finance at the MassKara Hall of the New Government Center Friday.

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This nationwide capacity building project is in line with the vision to have a strong economic growth with equity and productivity in support of the administration's Comprehensive Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (Cleep).

Department of Finance assistant secretary and Cleep national focal person Ma. Eleanor Dela Cruz said that this is an opportunity for learning and improving basic knowledge in finance, to help get into an intended destination to be financially-independent as individual and as an organized unit.

Project Fire aimed to facilitate the flow of funds from financial institutions to targeted beneficiaries through capacity building and sharing/dissemination of information as well as closer interaction between the sources of funds and loan beneficiaries.

As part of the capacity building activity, fundamentals of personal finance was introduced. The activity focused on how to access resources by bringing loan officials/staff face to face with potential users of loans.

This also helped in creating opportunities for matching users with lenders to fast tract the mobilization of resources, and generation of more business and livelihood opportunities.

The project had a maiden launching in Cebu City last May and in Dumaguete City the following month. As the steward for the Panay provinces, more particular Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental, the Department of Finance carried the project.

DOF Secretary Margarito B. Teves led the launching during the commemoration of the 111th Philippine Independence Day in Dumaguete City.

There were more than 150 participants coming from several government agencies who attended the lectures of Dr. Antonio Errol B. Ybañez Jr. of the Graduate School, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila; DoF Development Management officer Aurora Luz Villaviray; Department of Trade and Industry Negros Occidental provincial director Rebecca Rascon; and Negros Occidental senior Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) specialist Thelma Tubungan, who discussed on the financial literacy with savings advocacy; micro-finance success stories; harnessing entrepreneurial capabilities of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through One Town One Product (Otop): key to economic empowerment; and programs, services and in demand skills information, respectively.

Land Bank of the Philippines, Iloilo Lending Center department manager Vivian Canoñero; Philippine Postal Bank Inc. accounts management head, Edgar V. Rico; Development Bank of the Philippines Western Visayas senior assistant vice president Amy Cris Toledo; and Visayas Operations Small Business Guarantee and Finance Corp. manager Cesar Antoni also presented their micro financing and lending programs.

Bacolod City BIR Revenue Assistant director lawyer Aynie Mandajoyan and Bureau of Local Government Finance Western Visayas Cleep regional focal person, director Melba Sullivan led the invocation and delivered the welcome address, respectively.

Business clinic with representatives from LBP, SBGFC and Dev't Bank of the Philippines will be held the day after the seminars.

This was co-organized by the Bureau of Local Government Finance, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Land Bank of the Philippines, Development Bank of the Philippines, Small Business Guarantee and Finance Corp., Philippine Postal Savings Bank Inc., and Women's Movement for an Empowered Nation (Women) Inc.