PASIG—On March 20, 2019, Microinsurance MBA Association of the Philippines (MiMAP, also known as RIMANSI) held a Learning Session at the Ace Hotel & Suites in Pasig City. The learning session titled “Investment Strategy and Policy Development” took place during day one of the 2019 Annual General Meeting (AGM). This session was an opportunity for the Mi-MBA board and management to review investment instruments and the policy-making process.
MiMAP (RIMANSI) President Pelagia Mendones commenced the learning session by setting the expectations for the learning sessions. This was followed by a presentation on how to make investments by the Co-Head of Bank of the Philippine Islands Asset Management and Trust Corporation (BPI AMTC) Clients Segment Division, Yvette Mari De Peralta. She provided a concise briefer on reasons to invest, how to earn through investments, the concept of risks and how investment diversification decreases risks.
Furthermore, she talked about how an open-ended pooled trust fund, in the Unit Investment Trust Fund (UITF), could benefit the association. According to her, the BPI Bayanihan Balanced Fund (BBBF) is an “open-ended pooled trust fund denominated in pesos or any acceptable currency, which is operated and administered by a trust entity in accordance with the established Plan Rules of the Fund and made available by participation.” She then shared the status of the association’s BBBF which was established and operationalized in the previous year.
Coming off from the discussion on the BBFF, MiMAP (RIMANSI) Independent Trustee Wilfredo Llanto provided presentation on investment policies and strategies. The session reviewed the investment instruments and policies (e.g. UITF, mutual funds, corporate bonds, government securities, etc.) available at the disposal of Mi-MBAs. These tools will help Mi-MBAs to make money work and potentially grow, especially during the time wherein liabilities and obligations are not being paid. Wilfredo Llanto helped Mi-MBAs identify which instruments they should invest in to optimize returns. He also highlighted prudent practice with reference to their funds and investments. Investments made by the association fall under the key thrust on pooled risk.
Furthermore, this session served as a review of Insurance Commission regulations on investment—to maintain compliance with regulators. A portion of the session was also dedicated to identifying the challenges in achieving investment policy mix, as well as the ways on how to overcome these challenges.
For the next session, MiMAP (RIMANSI) Independent Trustee Camilo Casals handled the discussion on organizational policy development. He started out with the “policy on policies” by conceptualizing the term policy and laying out conditions for such to be considered one.
He also detailed to the board and management present the need for making policies and the policy-making process itself. This includes identifying the issue or need for a policy, defining alternative policies to address the issue, approaches to policy decision making, implementation, monitoring, evaluating and updating policy. Throughout the discussion of policy-making process, Camilo Casals asked session participants to define the policy need for the investment of Mi-MBAs’ funds and draft a policy accordingly. He pointed out that this draft, if satisfactory, could be further developed for consideration of their respective boards.
In conclusion, MiMAP (RIMANSI) Trustee Silvida Antiquera provided the closing remarks of the Learning Session highlighting the key points to take away from the discussions.