Manulife Philippines Continues Expanding its Impact Agenda with Zambales Reforestation Program

Manila, Philippines — As part of its global Impact Agenda, a long-term commitment to deliver meaningful programs that empower sustained health and well-being, drive inclusive economic opportunity, and accelerate a sustainable future to preserve the planet, the domestic arm of leading global insurer Manulife recently expanded its collaboration with leading nature conservation organization Haribon Foundation through the Forests for Life movement. 

“As we reach and engage more communities across the country through our Impact Agenda, we will continue to strengthen our community investments that will not only help us build a better business to better the world, but also foster kindness, generosity, and the bayanihan spirit among many Filipinos,” said Rahul Hora, President and Chief Executive Officer, Manulife Philippines.

11,250 seedlings to be planted in 2024 

 

Through Haribon Foundation, Manulife Philippines commits to plant 11,250 native tree seedlings, in Masinloc, Zambales this year. This expands Manulife’s collaboration with Haribon, which commenced in 2022 with a commitment to help restore Philippine rainforests by planting 15,000 seedlings in Quezon and Rizal provinces. 

The reforestation area is part of the Zambales mountains called Important Bird and Biodiversity Area in the town of Masinloc, covering 30,000 hectares of land and has been home to various endangered bird and non-bird species. The area previously hosted chromite mining operations, which resulted in the destruction of its biodiversity. Today, reforestation and protection are much needed for the damaged ecosystem to recover. 

To help advance positive environmental change, Manulife has been working on implementing its sustainability action plans. In 2022, Manulife contributed USD 25.1 million in total community investments globally. There are also 1.3 billion trees planted by Manulife Investment Management all over the world since 1985, testifying to its longstanding commitment to create more nature-positive world for its communities*. 

Manulife Volunteer Days launched in 10 markets in Asia, including the Philippines

Employee giving and volunteering is also part of Manulife’s community engagement initiatives for its Impact Agenda. During the “Season of Giving” last year, the company launched its Manulife Volunteer Days, a week-long program that provided more than 56 volunteering opportunities for employees globally to volunteer for chosen organizations within their communities. These range from tree-planting, financial literacy activities for students, and other engagement activities for ethnic minorities, elderlies, and various communities in need. 

In addition, Manulife also launched the Move for your Community in Asia, where more than 1,700 employees from 10 markets, including colleagues from Manulife Philippines, Manulife China Bank Life and Manulife Investment Management Philippines, accomplished various step goals in five days, achieving 34 million steps in total. These recorded steps were converted to community investments, such as the 900 Peso Smart learning kits for elementary school students in the Philippines through the Corazon Sanchez Atayde Memorial Foundation and Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation. 

“Since 2017, our financial literacy program Peso Smart has been instrumental in promoting the value of basic financial skills such as saving, budgeting, and investing among young children,” Rahul added. “As Peso Smart has expanded over the years to cater to broader segments -- including parents, educators, and university students -- we hope we can financially empower more Filipinos to live worry-free and confidently, while securing a better future.” 

Other community investments from the Move for your Community in Asia include lunches with reusable boxes for students in Cambodia from the Rabbit School across all its campuses; 10,000 lunches for students in Vietnam through the Lotus Charity Foundation; and a public sanitation facility and a clean water facility in Indonesia through Dompet Dhuafa.

For the full story on how Manulife advances its Impact Agenda in the Philippines, watch this video or visit https://www.manulife.com.ph/ImpactAgenda. For more information about Manulife, visit https://manulife.com.ph.

The Best Time to Invest in Health Protection is Now

Manila, Philippines — Young Filipinos are becoming more conscious about their health span, or how long they will enjoy good health, according to the recent Manulife Asia Care Survey. While Filipinos surveyed, on average, expect to be healthy until approximately 62, younger millennials (born 1989 to 1996) anticipate that they will only be at the prime of their health until age 55.

The pandemic brought unprecedented changes, especially regarding one’s health and finances, so Filipino millennials and Gen Zs have become concerned about financial security. They realized that they needed to start investing in life and health protection, or find more ways to grow their money, especially in light of the following concerns:

1. Their critical illness risk. Genetics, the environment, the stresses of modern living, and even binge-eating and endless feasts brought by the holidays, may conspire to put everyone at risk for various critical illnesses. Even Gen Z and millennials find that their relatively young age does not guarantee protection. For Filipinos, coronary heart diseases, tumors, and cerebrovascular conditions are the top health and mortality risks, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). 

2. Their poverty risk. Medical treatments remain costly, and they can be challenging even for the otherwise comfortable middle class. This financial burden is a significant concern for many Filipinos, with almost half or 45% of the national health expense coming from out-of-pocket payments. At least 1.5 million Filipino families are pushed to the poverty line every year due to unexpected health expenses, according to the Insurance Commission.

3. Weakened social safety nets due to economic uncertainties. Most Filipinos rely on health maintenance organization (HMO) plans and government-subsidized health insurance programs for their protection. However, with economic uncertainties causing medical inflation to soar to as high as 12-13%, Filipinos need more resources to cover the rising costs of hospital and medical treatments. 

While they realize the importance of bolstering one’s health protection, some millennials and Gen Zs – many of whom are just starting their careers, shifting priorities, or changing life journeys – may feel held back by their limited income.

To address this gap and help make it easier for young Filipinos to boost their health and life protection, Manulife offers HealthFlex and FutureBoost.

HealthFlex, an innovative and flexible life and health insurance plan that protects against up to 112 critical illnesses and guarantees health coverage until age 100. Furthermore, if diagnosed with one of these covered critical illnesses, premiums are automatically waived, allowing them to focus on recovery instead of worrying about their medical bills. They can also customize their plans by adding coverage benefits for early-stage illnesses, second occurrences of cancer, heart attack, or stroke, and hospitalization and recovery assistance.

Meanwhile, FutureBoost is an all-in-one plan for life, savings, and health benefits that offers critical illness coverage of up to 10 times the plan’s face amount or as high as Php 15 million, and access to various investment funds where Filipinos may grow their money and boost their coverage anytime through various add-on benefits, such as hospital income benefit that can help them pay for hospital expenses while protecting their savings. With FutureBoost, young Filipinos can get early protection from critical illnesses, while they save and prepare for their life goals.

As more Filipinos seek insurance solutions but struggle with budget constraints, Manulife strives to find innovative ways to make insurance more accessible, enabling customers to personalize their health coverage while financially protecting themselves and those they love most. 

To learn more about Manulife's life and health insurance products, visit manulife.com.ph.

Manulife Philippines Holds Inaugural Blessing of its Cebu 2Quad Branch, Reinforcing its Agency Force in the Queen City of the South

Manila, Philippines — Manulife Philippines recently inaugurated its new Cebu 2Quad office, one of 47 branches of the Company in the country, to further strengthen its agency force’s commitment to providing life and health protection and financially securing the future of more Cebuanos. 

Currently, Manulife’s hub in the Visayas has 23 agents belonging to the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), a global and independent association of the world’s leading life insurance and financial services professionals. The hub will house Manulife’s growing agency force in Cebu, now with more than 200 agency leaders and financial advisors.

“As more Filipinos prioritize their health and future, Manulife empowers its agency force with comprehensive training and education programs, innovative digitized tools, mentorship programs, and collaboration opportunities with fellow financial advisors, enabling them to serve and help more Filipinos make well-informed decisions related to finance and health coverage,” said Rahul Hora, President and CEO, Manulife Philippines. “With our expanding presence in Cebu and the Visayas region, we look forward to financially protect more Filipino families and make their every day better.”

Along with Hora, also present during the inauguration were Sailesh Nalinakshan, Manulife Philippines Head of Agency Strategy and Support; Maya Lee, Manulife Philippines Chief Operations Officer; Maiko Diaz de Rivera, Head of Distribution Operations; the Honorable Rey Gealon, City Councilor of the City of Cebu, and Visayas-based Manulife Agency Leaders and Sales Management Team. 

 

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About Manulife Philippines

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company opened its doors for business in the Philippines in 1907. Since then, Manulife's Philippine Branch and later The Manufacturers Life Insurance Co. (Phils.), Inc. (Manulife Philippines) has grown to become one of the country's leading life insurance companies. Manulife Philippines is a wholly-owned domestic subsidiary of Manulife Financial Corporation, among the world's largest life insurance companies by market capitalization. Learn more about Manulife Philippines by visiting their website manulife.com.ph and following them on Facebook (facebook.com/ManulifePH), Twitter (@ManulifePH), and Instagram (@manulifeph).

About Manulife

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider, helping people make their decisions easier and lives better. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we provide financial advice and insurance, operating as Manulife across Canada, Asia, and Europe and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. Through Manulife Investment Management, the global brand for our Global Wealth and Asset Management segment, we serve individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. At the end of 2022, we had over 40,000 employees, over 116,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving over 34 million customers. We trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and Philippine stock exchanges and under '945' in Hong Kong.

Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulife.com.

Manulife Philippines Wins at Marketing Excellence Awards for Insights-based Integrated Marketing

Manila, Philippines — Manulife Philippines is delighted to announce that it won a Bronze Award at the local Marketing Excellence Awards 2022 for the integrated marketing campaign centered on its research study: “Know Your Ys and Zs: A Closer Look at the Financial and Mental Well-Being of Filipino Millennials and Gen Zs in the time of COVID-19.” 

Marketing Excellence Awards Philippines is organized by Marketing Interactive Magazine, Asia's leading source of advertising, marketing, and media news, which recognizes exceptional campaigns and talent. The Know Your Ys and Zs study won in the Excellence in Data-Driven Marketing & Consumer Insights category.

 

“Through our campaigns, we hope to empower more Filipinos to secure their financial future,” said Melissa Henson, Chief Marketing Officer, Manulife Philippines. “This recognition inspires us to amplify our efforts to help address the evolving protection needs of Filipinos as we strive to make every day better for our customers.”

 

The pandemic heightened Filipinos’ concerns about health, well-being, and finances, especially among younger generations, based on the Know Your Ys and Zs study. The sentiments and behavior of Filipino Millennials and Gen Zs have helped Manulife innovate its offerings to help address consumer needs through tailored insurance and investment solutions.

 

Manulife’s financial literacy program Peso Smart was also named as a Finalist in the Excellence in the Corporate Social Responsibility category at this year’s awards. 

 

The 2021 Financial Inclusion Survey of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas1 found that only 2% of Filipinos can correctly answer basic financial literacy questions. Manulife has evolved Peso Smart to reach beyond its initial beneficiaries, who were grade school students from public schools, by partnering with different organizations to bring financial skills and knowledge to university students and out-of-school youth, as well as teachers, principals, and the children’s parents. 

 

Most recently, Peso Smart was also brought to female heads of households from marginalized communities in Quezon City and Sagada, Mountain Province. Manulife’s Peso Smart is also one of the main drivers of Manulife’s Impact Agenda in the Philippines, which aims to promote inclusive economic opportunities, empower health and well-being, and accelerate a sustainable future.

 

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About Manulife Philippines

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company opened its doors for business in the Philippines in 1907. Since then, Manulife’s Philippine Branch and later The Manufacturers Life Insurance Co. (Phils.), Inc. (Manulife Philippines) has grown to become one of the country’s leading life insurance companies. Manulife Philippines is a wholly owned domestic subsidiary of Manulife Financial Corporation, among the world’s largest life insurance companies by market capitalization. Learn more about Manulife Philippines by visiting their website manulife.com.ph and following them on Facebook (facebook.com/ManulifePH), Twitter (@ManulifePH), and Instagram (@manulifeph).

About Manulife

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider, helping people make their decisions easier and lives better. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we provide financial advice and insurance, operating as Manulife across Canada, Asia, and Europe, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. Through Manulife Investment Management, the global brand for our Global Wealth and Asset Management segment, we serve individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. At the end of 2021, we had more than 38,000 employees, over 119,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving over 33 million customers. We trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges and under '945' in Hong Kong. 

Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulife.com. 

Cultivating Well-Being in Today’s Evolving Digital World

Manila, Philippines — As Filipinos navigate today’s evolving digital world and adjust to life-changing disruptions brought by the pandemic, Manulife shared key lessons on how to cope with changes and cultivate one’s overall well-being at this year’s DigiCon Valley 2022, the largest gathering of the digital marketing and advertising industry in the country organized by the Internet & Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines (IMMAP).

Headlining Manulife’s segment were Melissa Henson, Chief Marketing Officer of Manulife Philippines and Hidilyn Diaz, Olympic Gold Medalist and one of Manulife’s brand ambassadors, while actor and stand-up comedian Victor Anastacio served as the host. 

 

At the DigiCon’s special segment, Henson and Diaz shared their insights and personal takeaways based on Manulife’s recently released study, “The Modern Filipino Family: Exploring Family Dynamics in the new normal.” The study aimed to understand how Filipino families adapted to the new normal, as hyper-digitalization has impacted relationships, and has been deeply imbued in everyday decisions at home and in family life. 

 

Make time for self-care and mental wellness

 

Victor Anastacio started the discussion on the challenges Filipinos faced at the height of the pandemic. “Sobrang daming challenges ang kinaharap natin noong nagsimula ang pandemic – physical, emotional and financial challenges. Lahat ito nakaapekto sa ating pamilya, dahil sa maraming hindi pagkakaintindihan.”

 

These challenges still impact majority of Filipinos today. While people across generations have said that their well-being has improved compared to during the peak of the pandemic, Generation Zs expressed that they are still grappling with negative pandemic effects. Henson shared: “Our study found that 65% of Gen Zs are dealing with digital fatigue, prompting them to seek more offline interactions with friends and family. They also shared that they are sleep-deprived, developed unhealthy eating habits and have increased occurrence of stress, fatigue, and depression. These younger Filipinos may need further guidance on reacquainting themselves in the real world as they have spent most of their time online in the past two years.” 

 

Younger Filipinos may also look to Generation X and millennials for inspiration and ideas on how to deal with stressors. “Gens X and Y have learned to focus on self-care, mental well-being, and personal development, which helped empower them despite the many changes they’ve had to weather,” Henson added.  

 

Diaz agreed and emphasized that caring for one’s mental health has a tangible impact on one’s physical well-being too. “When I started training for the Tokyo Olympics, I needed to condition my mind that I could win at hindi ako nag-iisa sa pag-abot ng pangarap na ito. Naging malaking part ng aking preparations ang mental training at eventually, ang ‘”ma-manifest” ko na makakuha ng gold medal.”

 

Learn to seek help when needed

 

According to Manulife’s study, more Filipinos have also explored various financial products during the pandemic. In the past 12 months, among those surveyed, 25% of Generation X and 33% of Millennials bought insurance products online, while 41% of Generation Z expressed a desire to purchase insurance in the next 12 months. To guide them in their financial journey and make more informed decisions, Henson emphasized the importance of seeking expert advice to help sift through the overwhelming wealth of information available.

 

“Seeing how more Filipinos are exploring various financial channels to diversify their portfolios is a good sign that they are actively seeking ways to grow their wealth. However, we will need to double down our efforts to provide them expert financial guidance, so they’ll also understand how to balance risk and reward,” Henson said. “Seeking advice from a financial advisor is one way to help Filipinos get a clearer picture of their financial goals and find ways to achieve them while being conscious of their risk appetites to yield better returns.”

 

To achieve the historic Olympic gold medal, Diaz also underscored the importance of asking for help, by having people around you whom you can rely on for support. “There is a team behind my success. Hindi ko kakayanin ito ng mag-isa. I needed the support of Team HD, Manulife, at ng aking mga kababayan.”

 

Life has no guarantees, but we can get ahead of uncertainty

 

The pandemic showed how fast things can change, and Filipinos must be ready to keep up with the pace as it can accelerate further. Such mindset and attitude transcend to Filipinos’ heightened desire for protection and security. “The interest in insurance products and life protection increased during the pandemic because Filipinos became hyper aware of the physical and financial impact of falling ill, and the broader impact of other financial challenges. However, this has been a reactive stance. The power of insurance and financial planning is that it helps us prepare for the unexpected before it happens, so we continue to encourage and empower Filipinos to embrace the value of planning ahead and being financially prepared,” said Henson. 

 

To help Filipinos better prepare for uncertainty, Manulife launched a series of flexible and highly customizable financial solutions that can be tailor-fit depending on needs and budget -- HealthFlex, which provides protection coverage for critical illnesses, including heart disease, cancer, and stroke; and FutureBoost, which gives additional rewards on top of insurance protection coverage so Filipinos can grow their wealth simultaneously. 

 

As change is inevitable and developments can be beyond our control, Henson noted that it helps to live by an attitude of lifelong learning. “We are all learning creatures. We always find ways to retool ourselves to better cope with the changes in our environment, which is crucial to making us more resilient.”

 

Diaz added that just as essential is acquiring knowledge on how to plan ahead. “Having a strong foundation sa kung paano mag-plano para ma-achieve ang financial goals ay crucial para sa kinabukasan natin. Mahalaga na maging mas aware ka sa mga financial options available as early as possible para mas maintindihan ang mga kailangang gawin to achieve your goals. Once you decide to grow your investments, you’ll be more consistent with your decisions to make every day better.”

 

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About Manulife Philippines

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company opened its doors for business in the Philippines in 1907. Since then, Manulife’s Philippine Branch and later The Manufacturers Life Insurance Co. (Phils.), Inc. (Manulife Philippines) has grown to become one of the country’s leading life insurance companies. Manulife Philippines is a wholly-owned domestic subsidiary of Manulife Financial Corporation, among the world’s largest life insurance companies by market capitalization. Learn more about Manulife Philippines by visiting their website manulife.com.ph and following them on Facebook (facebook.com/ManulifePH), Twitter (@ManulifePH), and Instagram (@manulifeph).

About Manulife 

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider that helps people make their decisions easier and lives better. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we provide financial advice and insurance, operating as Manulife across Canada, Asia, and Europe, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. Through Manulife Investment Management, the global brand for our global wealth and asset management segment, we serve individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. Our principal operations are in Asia, Canada, and the United States, where we have served customers for more than 155 years. We trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and Philippine stock exchanges and under '945' in Hong Kong. In the previous 12 months, we made CAD$31.8 billion in payments to our customers.

Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulife.com.

Manulife’s HealthFlex & Peso Smart win at the 19th Philippine Quill Awards

Manila, Philippines ― Manulife Philippines, the local arm of international financial services provider Manulife, was recently recognized at the prestigious 19th Philippine Quill Awards for the integrated marketing campaign of its highly customizable insurance product HealthFlex, and its financial literacy program Peso Smart. 

As the country’s premiere awards in business communication, Philippine Quill honored Manulife with Awards of Merit under the Marketing, Advertising, and Brand Communication and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) categories.

“By keeping ourselves informed of the evolving needs and priorities of Filipinos, we are able to design innovative and relevant products and services, as well as positively impact the lives of our customers and communities,” said Melissa Henson, Chief Marketing Officer, Manulife Philippines. “HealthFlex, our highly customizable insurance plan for critical illness protection, was developed to respond to Filipinos’ heightened awareness of health and well-being amid the pandemic. Meanwhile, Peso Smart was created to empower the Filipino youth through financial literacy, teaching them how to be smarter with their finances at an early age. The recognitions we received from the Quill Awards reaffirm these commitments so we can help make decisions easier and lives better for more Filipinos.”

HealthFlex, an affordable and customizable health insurance plan, allows customers to choose their critical illness coverage depending on their needs and budget. To support HealthFlex’s launch and promotion, and highlight its unique proposition, Manulife Philippines implemented a full-suite brand, communications, and digital campaign, anchoring on thought leadership and customer insights, and leveraging innovative marketing tools and strategy to inform customers and the general public.

Peso Smart is Manulife’s award-winning financial literacy program that started as a series of face-to-face classes for public school elementary students in 2017. Since the pandemic, Manulife has expanded and evolved the program to cater to additional schools nationwide, university students, teachers, and parents, to address the needs of remote learning, and to empower more Filipinos through financial education. To date, more than 400 Peso Smart learners have graduated from the program. 

The Philippine Quill Awards, organized by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), has honored the most reputable organizations and corporations in the nation for almost two decades, emphasizing the use of excellent communication to achieve business goals and make a positive difference in society. 

To know more about Manulife Philippines, visit www.manulife.com.ph . 

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About Manulife Philippines

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company opened its doors for business in the Philippines in 1907. Since then, Manulife’s Philippine Branch and later The Manufacturers Life Insurance Co. (Phils.), Inc. (Manulife Philippines) has grown to become one of the country’s leading life insurance companies. Manulife Philippines is a wholly owned domestic subsidiary of Manulife Financial Corporation, among the world’s largest life insurance companies by market capitalization. Learn more about Manulife Philippines by visiting their website www.manulife.com.ph and following them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ManulifePH), Twitter (@ManulifePH), and Instagram (@manulifeph).

About Manulife

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider that helps people make their decisions easier and lives better. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we provide financial advice and insurance, operating as Manulife across Canada, Asia, and Europe, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. Through Manulife Investment Management, the global brand for our global wealth and asset management segment, we serve individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. At the end of 2021, we had more than 38,000 employees, over 119,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving over 33 million customers. Our principal operations are in Asia and Canada, and the United States, where we have served customers for more than 160 years. We trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges and under '945' in Hong Kong. In the previous 12 months we made CAD$32.7 billion in payments to our customers.

Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit www.manulife.com.