Senior High School students from all over Tacloban City joined the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) VIII and the UPTC Economic Society (EcoSoc) for the Economic and Financial Literacy Fusion Fest on 10 November 2023 at the AS Conference Hall, UPTC, Tacloban City.

Guided by this year’s theme, “Bayanihanomics: Sama-samang Pakikilahok para sa Matibay na Ekonomiya,” the activity provided a platform for students to discuss and reflect upon the importance of their economic and financial choices on regional efforts toward inclusive and sustainable development.

The event kicked off with a talk from Ms. Erma Lagarto of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas on the topic “Connecting the Dots: How Your Wallet Fuels Economic Engines,” which introduced basic concepts of economic and financial literacy to the youth and discussed how proper financial management affects national development and economic growth.

In line with the concept of Bayanihanomics, NEDA VIII also conducted the #MabuligAko! Challenge, a quiz show designed to introduce the Eastern Visayas Regional Development Plan (EV RDP) 2023-2028 to the youth and engage them in ways they can help realize the EV RDP.

The Scandinavian National High School bested four other schools namely, Leyte National High School, Eastern Visayas State University-Secondary Laboratory School, San Jose National High School, and Liceo Del Verbo Divino. They competed not just on economic and financial literacy questions, but also on the EV RDP 2023-2028, socioeconomic development, Eastern Visayas facts and figures, and the Regional Development Council VIII.

In all, more than a hundred students from senior high schools in Tacloban, as well as students from the UPTC participated in the event. The Economic and Financial Literacy Fusion Fest is part of NEDA’s efforts to advocate the Eastern Visayas Regional Development Plan 2023-2028, with the call-to-action of #MabuligAko!

Article and Photos by: Knulp D. Aseo, DRD