BDO Welcomes Hidilyn Diaz as its Champion for Financial Education

BDO Unibank, the Philippines’ biggest bank, officially welcomed Hidilyn Diaz to its brand ambassador line-up on October 27, 2021. The country’s first-ever Olympic Gold medalist joined the growing BDO Unibank family just three months after bagging a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Joining a gathering of press people from all over the country, Hidilyn talked about several issues that needed to be addressed. Hidilyn began by talking about her win as well as her hopes and goals for the future. Then, she elaborated on her mission to help others. She wants to help her fellow athletes and those in the unserved or underserved market like the overseas workers.

History is HER Story

The virtual event, called History is HER Story: Isang Bigating Chikahan, was hosted by TV personality Ali Sotto. The event focused on the roles of both BDO and Hidilyn in helping Filipinos become financially smart and educated.

The Zamboanga City native shared that with the gifts that she received after her win, the most important thing to focus on next is properly managing them.

Hidilyn said, “Importanteng magbukas ng account sa bangko. Kahit maliit lang ipon mo sa simula. Para lang  ‘yan nung nagsimula akong magbuhat ng weights. Start small, kumbaga. Tapos, ‘pag  successful ka na, pag lumaki na ipon mo, pwede mo siyang ipang-invest sa ibang bagay na gusto mo. O di kaya ay para sa pangarap na gusto mong matupad, para talagang sulit ang mga  pinaghirapan natin.”

Hidilyn added, “‘Di naman tayo forever magiging atleta, diba? Mahaba pa ang magiging buhay natin  pagkaretiro natin sa ating mga sport. Kaya kung anuman ang naibigay sa atin ngayon, dapat  ipunin natin ‘yun. Para tayo’y makapaghanda, para rin sa ating mga minamahal sa buhay,” says  Hidilyn.

“Mahalaga ring may relationship at tiwala tayo sa bangko. Importante ito dahil dito natin ilalagay ang ating mga pinaghirapan. Tiwala tayo sa kanila kasi expert sila sa pagtulong palaguin ang ating mga finances. Halimbawa, kung gusto kong magtayo ng negosyo pagkaretiro ko, o bigyan ko ng retirement ang aking mga magulang, alam nila kung paano nila ako gagabayan. Importante ring may serbisyo sila kung saan ako makakapagpadala ng pera sa pamilya ko sa Zamboanga habang nagte-training ako abroad. Nakita ko lahat ‘yan sa BDO.”

BDO Unibank and Hidilyn Diaz

BDO Unibank is grateful to Hidilyn Diaz for inspiring Filipinos all over the world. It is not every day that one can find a financial education advocate who is also a world champion. In addition, BDO Unibank is happy that Hidilyn has given the bank her full trust especially when it comes to financial products and services that cater to her needs and those like her.

BDO Senior VP and Remittance Head Genie T. Gloria said, “The fact that only 48% of Filipino adults have savings. And just one in five has a savings account in a bank, based on data from the Bangko Sentral, really concerns us. While we understand most people’s concern on how they get paid, we believe it does pay to have a mindset of even starting small.”

Near the end of the event, Hidilyn received a series of special video greetings from other members of the BDO Unibank family.

“I would like to thank you for giving us this opportunity and this honor of counting you as the newest member of our growing BDO family. Welcome to BDO, Hidilyn!” SVP and Chief-of-staff of BDO’s Office of President Jerome Guevarra said.

According to BDO Unibank, the move to add Hidilyn to the team is part of BDO Remit’s “Kayang-Kaya, Kabayan” campaign. This campaign aims to empower overseas Filipinos and make them feel that BDO Unibank is always there to assist and support them no matter where they are in the world.

To know more about BDO Remit, visit the BDO Kabayan Facebook page—BDO Unibank’s dedicated page for the overseas Filipino market.