FINANCIAL LITERACY. Securities and Exchange Commission Iloilo Director lawyer Ma. Cristina Montelibano speaks to participants of the investors’ education roadshow held at the Tilipunan Community Center in Barangay Tanza, Iloilo City on March 8, 2024. In an interview on Monday (March 11), she said the SEC is intensifying its advocacy campaign to help investors and would-be investors not fall prey to fraudulent schemes. (Photo courtesy of SEC Iloilo)
ILOILO CITY – The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Iloilo extension office is intensifying its education advocacy to help investors not fall prey to fraudulent schemes.
The campaign would also push financial literacy among would-be investors, and help them prepare annual reports and find livelihood opportunities.
“It’s a new advocacy that we are pursuing because it is important we must inform the public about usual concerns when investing. Investor protection is also the function of the commission that’s why we have decided to conduct an investors forum,” said SEC Iloilo Director lawyer Ma. Cristina Montelibano in an interview on Monday.
The SEC Communication Advocacy Network (SEC-CAN!) partnered with local government units, concerned government agencies and the private sector for the initiative.
In 2023, the office had nine partners in Iloilo, while this year, they opted to go out to various areas in Panay and Guimaras.
She added they have a particular topic for a specific audience, including the roadshow that took place last week when they gathered 70 women from 12 barangays in Iloilo City in time for the International Women’s Day on March 8.
“As the ones managing the budget of their respective households, women, particularly mothers, should always be creative in ensuring that their budgets are sufficient to meet the needs of each family member," she said.
The event was conducted through the efforts of Zonta Club of Iloilo City, Inc. and the Department of Trade and Industry-Iloilo, she added.
Representatives from DTI also talked about opportunities for those who wish to start their small businesses.
In other gatherings, they also tackled requirements and the process of online registration of partnerships and corporations for new registrants and submission of contact details in line with complying with reportorial requirements for general information sheets and audited financial statements for the existing ones.
They also have an existing partnership with the National Bureau of Investigation for talks on scams that are very common or have happened in Visayas. (PNA)
