At UniTeller, our social commitment isn’t a secondary objective.
It’s a core pillar of our operations.
As an international payments provider, our mission is clear: to help millions of families and businesses stay connected.
Our global team has embraced this calling for over 30 years.
But transferring funds around the world represents only one piece of our responsibility. While delivering cross-border payment and remittance solutions, our true calling lies in strengthening the communities that utilize them.
This belief guides our annual school initiatives in the Philippines, where members of our UniTeller team work directly on-site.
Here’s how our corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts with Panghulo Elementary School reflect our mission in action:
The Importance of CSR in the Payments Sector
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a common phrase in the business world.
As a result, its meaning has lost some potency.
CSR represents a company’s commitment to managing the social and environmental effects of its operations—in line with public expectations—and for the flourishing of the communities it serves.
In other words, CSR is all about making the world a better place.
By going beyond compliance standards and profit margins, CSR embraces ethical practices across four distinct categories:
- Environmental: Behaving in an ecologically friendly way.
- Philanthropic: Actively improving society.
- Ethical: Operating in an ethical manner.
- Economic: Backing financial decisions with a commitment to do good.
The global remittances industry is inextricably tied to these responsibilities. After all, our sector exists to help connect families, businesses, and economies across borders.
Pursuing the well-being of our users (and the communities they inhabit) is in our DNA.
Whenever obstacles arise, we feel a deep responsibility to show up.
The State Of Primary Education in the Philippines
Filipino families, especially overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), demonstrate extraordinary generosity.
In fact, they send $2.6 to $3.3 billion home every month, providing essential support for their loved ones.
This financial commitment is as inspiring as it is concerning. After all, we must ask why such large and recurring sums are consistently required.
Unfortunately, the Philippine education system faces pressing challenges that threaten the country’s future, and the following three issues demand immediate attention.
- The Learning Gap
Education in the Philippines is facing a widespread “learning crisis.”
According to UNICEF, an alarming 70% of 10-year-old Filipino children cannot read or comprehend a simple text.
This root issue echoes across other essential subjects, with 83% of children lacking minimum proficiency in math.
The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) provides further context.
In their 2022 study, PISA shows that Filipino students score significantly below the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average in mathematics, reading, and science:
- Only 16% of students achieved at least Level 2 proficiency in mathematics (compared to the OECD average of 69%).
- Only 24% reached Level 2 or higher in reading (OECD average: 74%).
- Only 23% attained Level 2 or higher in science (OECD average: 76%).
These findings suggest a five-to-six-year gap between Filipino students and their peers in higher-performing nations.
In a newer PISA assessment on creative thinking, Filipino students scored an average of only 14 points, placing the country in the bottom four out of 64 participating nations (and well below the OECD average score of 33).
The leading culprit for this gap? Aftershocks from the COVID-19 pandemic, which stole half a decade of growth from students.
This learning gap—and resultant “skills gap”—could severely impact the nation’s future workforce and economic outlook.
- Classroom and Allocation Shortages
While the pandemic shoulders much of the blame, it’s not the only factor contributing to the learning crisis.
A shortage of essential resources, including classroom space, basic equipment, and teaching staff, is consistently leaving Filipino children behind.
In 2022, 43% of school principals reported that they lacked the minimum teaching staff required to provide instruction (more than double the rate in 2018).
Meanwhile, government investment in education has also declined.
Though UNESCO recommends allocating 4 to 6% of GDP to education, the Philippines has fallen short of this benchmark, allocating only 3.6% last year.
Chronic underinvestment has spawned a vicious cycle that deprives Filipino students of a quality education.
- Lack of Digitalization
Although digital tools could bridge physical shortages, progress toward modernization has been slow.
Until recently, the education system was offline, textbook-based, and paper-driven. These manual processes led to delays in student assessments and data management.
Limited internet connectivity, especially in remote areas, has only widened the digital divide.
These trends have not gone unnoticed, as the Philippines Department of Education (DepEd) set benchmarks to provide internet access to all Filipino public schools by the end of 2025.
While the final results of this plan remain to be seen, the DepEd publicly aimed to shift nearly 12,000 offline schools into the digital world.
Other initiatives, like the Digital Bayanihan program (a collaboration with DepEd), are connecting remote schools with tools like tablets and smart TVs. As of September 2025, 15 offline schools have benefited from this pilot program.
Though much work remains to be done, the trendlines are moving in the right direction.
UniTeller’s Commitment: The Panghulo Elementary School
At UniTeller, we believe that change happens not only at the policy level, but on the ground, in classrooms where children learn, dream, and discover their potential.
For three consecutive back-to-school seasons, our team in the Philippines has partnered with Panghulo Elementary School in Obando, Bulacan, to support local students.
Panghulo is a public institution with predominantly low-income families who rely on global remittances.
These are the people who benefit directly from our payments platform.
Therefore, our goal is simple: to lighten the financial load on families by equipping students with the tools they need to succeed.
In the past years, we have provided Grade 6 students with:
- School supply kits covering their essentials.
- Jansport backpacks
- Nutritious meals to ensure students are energized and ready to learn.
- Painting materials to help beautify the school premises.
These contributions may seem small, but for many families, they make a meaningful difference at the start of the school year.
We love visiting Panghulo Elementary School and are committed to continuing this initiative in the years to come.
Partnerships for a Brighter Future
Our work with Panghulo Elementary School reflects the heart of UniTeller’s mission:
to empower people, nurture opportunity, and uplift the communities we serve.
When we support education, we’re not just helping students in the here and now—we’re investing in the next generation of Filipino leaders and changemakers.
As UniTeller grows, we want every business and community connected through our network to grow alongside us.
That’s our mission today, tomorrow, and for years to come.
Explore our cross-border payment solutions, and join us in building a brighter future for the Philippines and beyond.
