CitySavings Trains 14K Educators Nationwide to Power Future-Ready Schools

Initiatives span emotional intelligence, play-based multimedia, generative AI, and financial wellness.

City Savings Bank (CitySavings), the thrift arm of Aboitiz-led Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank), continues to champion its core Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) pillar of Capacity Building through a series of educator development initiatives.

Recognizing teachers as frontliners in delivering quality education, CitySavings partnered with key educational organizations to deliver tailored Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programs suited to the realities of modern classroom dynamics.

CitySavings and its educational organization partners upskilled over 14,000 educators nationwide through training programs in emotional intelligence frameworks, play-based multimedia tools, artificial intelligence, and personal financial management.

“CitySavings believes that future-ready schools begin with empowered educators”, said CitySavings Assistant Vice President and Reputation and Brand Management Head, Paula Viegelmann-Ruelan. “These strategic partnerships complement our push for championing educators’ professional growth as we empower them with tools and knowledge to facilitate transformative learning experiences,” she added.

Nurturing Well-Rounded Learners Through Emotional Intelligence
CitySavings partnered with The Human Project Foundation to host the Project 12 Summit, drawing more than 200 school heads, education stakeholders, parents, and students to the USJ-R Quadricentennial Building in Cebu City. The summit, held last April 10 – 11, 2026, underscored the importance of integrating Emotional Intelligence (EQ) alongside standard academic measures in the K-12 curriculum to build character and resilience among young learners.

Cebu Governor Pamela “Pam” Baricuatro, in her message, highlighted the influence teachers have beyond the usual classroom lectures. “What you are doing through Project 12 is something truly powerful. Because while we often focus on what our children should know, today you remind us of something even more important – how they should grow.”

She added that education is not simply about lessons, numbers and results. It’s also about helping young people build the values, character, perspective and resilience that will serve them throughout life.

Reinventing Engagement Through Play-Based Multimedia
To equip educators with more engaging teaching frameworks, CitySavings partnered with the Knowledge Channel Foundation Inc. (KCFI) to host the Learning Conference (LearnCon) on May 23, 2026, themed “The Power of Play: Play-Based and Inquiry-Driven Learning Through Video Lessons.”
The virtual engagement convened over 14,000 educators, learning facilitators, and parents nationwide to examine inquiry-driven, play-based frameworks designed to foster student-centered curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking.

“We have to let our students feel safe in trying new things and adjusting,” shared DepEd Central Office Bureau of Curriculum Development Senior Education Program Specialist, Ms. Ramona Magdalena Victoria, who spoke of the value of interactive discovery. She also demonstrated how teachers can unpack curriculum targets and use short, meaningful play tasks to relieve academic stress without compromising core learning standards.

Driving Innovation with AI Tools and Financial Wellness
To help educators navigate rapid technological shifts while maintaining personal well-being, CitySavings partnered with WayMaker HQ to train 187 teachers in generative AI and wealth management on July 18, 2026.

Through immersive sessions, educators explored the fundamentals of prompt engineering and mastered interactive platforms to create engaging lessons and manage assessments more efficiently.

Joyce Krizyll Dalisay, a teacher from Pedro Bombane Elementary School in Dolores, Quezon, found the session practical and helpful. “The training introduced various interactive AI-powered tools that can be used to create engaging lessons, develop instructional materials, generate assessments, and enhance learners’ participation. It also highlighted how AI can improve teaching efficiency while promoting creativity, collaboration, and personalized learning experiences in the classroom.”

Alongside these technological advancements, the Bank delivered practical wealth management guidance through its signature Project ₱er@parasyon (PeraParasyon), focusing on disciplined savings habits, effective debt management, and financial security against scams.

Through these capacity-building programs, CitySavings reaffirms its commitment to uplifting communities and investing in educators, ensuring they remain supported, innovative, and financially resilient as they help shape the nation’s future-ready generation.