Creating a financially literate future together: Cha-Ching expands financial literacy education across NCR, fully integrates into Bicol’s DepEd curriculum

Pru Life UK and Prudence Foundation, in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) and Junior Achievement (JA) Philippines, has expanded the Cha-Ching programme across the National Capital Region (NCR) and fully integrated into the Bicol Region (Region V) DepEd curriculum, reaffirming their commitment to fostering financial literacy among Filipino youth.

Bicol Region (Region V) has become the first region in the Philippines to institutionalise and fully integrate Cha-Ching into the Department of Education’s school curriculum—marking a major milestone in the expansion of financial literacy education through Cha-Ching. The programme also continues to expand in NCR. To date, over 1.5 million children have been taught Cha-Ching in the Philippines and over 47,000 teachers have been trained and retrained.

On 25 June, at an event themed “Cha-Ching: Creating a Financially Literate Future Together”, over 100 attendees—including representatives from Pru Life UK, Prudence Foundation, programme partners, and the Insurance Commission of the Philippines—gathered at the Marquis Events Place in Bonifacio Global City to celebrate these milestones, strengthen partnerships, and spotlight the programme’s long-term vision.

Paul Mandal, Chief Legal and Sustainability Officer of Pru Life UK, highlighted the company’s strong commitment to financial education and its partnership with DepEd in driving sustainable impact and building a resilient future.

“When we teach children the value of money early on, we are empowering a generation to make smarter choices and build a financially secure future,” Mandal said.

Created by Prudence Foundation, the community investment arm of Prudential plc, Pru Life UK’s parent company, Cha-Ching is an award-winning global financial literacy programme that empowers the next generation with the financial knowledge and skills to make informed decisions that build financial wellbeing and a resilient future. In collaboration with JA Asia Pacific, a school curriculum programme was developed for children aged seven to 12 to instill money smart values, knowledge, and behaviour. Over 3 million children have been taught the curriculum across 16 markets in Asia and Africa with over 87,000 teachers trained so far.

At the event, a panel discussion covering best practices in financial education was held in support of ongoing efforts in advancing financial literacy in the Philippines. The panel included Dr. Gilbert T. Sadsad, Regional Director of DepEd-Region V; Dr. Miguel Mac Aposin, Assistant Regional Director, DepEd Region VI, and Mr. Jed Velarde, President of the JA Philippines Board of Trustees.

To conclude the event, Prudence Foundation also delivered a presentation on the future of the Cha-Ching programme and the importance of collaboration to address the global gap of financial literacy.

Through these partnerships, Cha-Ching continues to empower the next generation and inspire change that begins from the classrooms and extend to the homes and wider communities.