2010 News Releases

Quezon City– Manulife has announced a five-year partnership with the University of the Philippines (UP)-Diliman College of Science to increase the pool of talent in the actuarial field for the financial services industry by providing a grant and scholarships to outstanding students and faculty and encouraging enrollment in UP-Diliman’s Actuarial Science program.

From 2010 to 2015, Manulife will sponsor a professorial chair in actuarial science and up to 12 undergraduate scholarships in B.S. Mathematics and 2 graduate scholarships in the Professional Masters in Applied Mathematics (PNAM) or M.S. Applied Mathematics (Finance) program at the Philippines’ premier state university.

Grant and scholarship funds donated by Manulife to the UP-Diliman College of Science will be given to talented and deserving individuals through the Diliman Science Research Foundation, Inc.

“Our approach to giving is oriented toward long-term benefits to the community where we operate,” said Indren Naidoo, President and Chief Executive Officer, Manulife Philippines. “As a reliable and trustworthy member of the business community, we hope to help develop the skills of professionals in the Philippines. As part of our focus on forward-thinking initiatives, we believe the actuarial chair and scholarship programs will assist in the professional preparation of students by developing their business and analytical skills, as well as improving their academic research capabilities and marketability.”

The Manulife undergraduate scholarships shall be made available to qualified freshmen and final year students at the UP-Diliman College of Science. Co-op and internship programs at Manulife Philippines and Manulife Business Processing Services will also be offered to interested students who intend to pursue an actuarial career in the financial services industry.    “We believe that there can be a productive collaboration between industry and academia. This partnership is an excellent example which is clearly bound for success,” said Dr. Sergio Cao, Chancellor of UP-Diliman. 

“Manulife Financial has a growing number of career opportunities for applied mathematicians and student actuaries in our global shared service centre at UP North Science & Technology Park,” said Guy Mills, Senior Vice President for Global Resourcing, Manulife Financial. “Our partnership with the UP-Diliman College of Science affirms our commitment to invest in developing future leaders in the actuarial field, given the high demand for such expertise in the academe and the industry.” 

About Manulife in the Philippines

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company opened its doors for business in the Philippines in 1907.  Since then, Manulife’s Philippine Branch and later The Manufacturers Life Insurance Co. (Phils.), Inc. (Manulife Philippines) has grown to become one of the leading life insurance companies in the country.  Manulife Philippines is a wholly-owned domestic subsidiary of Manulife Financial Corporation, among the world’s largest, North America’s second largest, and Canada’s largest life insurance company by market capitalization.

Manulife Business Processing Services (MBPS) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Manulife Financial created in 2006 to provide back office, accounting, finance and information technology services to other Manulife subsidiaries worldwide.

Manulife Financial is a leading Canadian-based financial services group operating in 22 countries and territories worldwide. For more than 120 years, clients have looked to Manulife for strong, reliable, trustworthy and forward-thinking solutions for their most significant financial decisions.  Our international network of employees, agents and distribution partners offers financial protection and wealth management products and services to millions of clients. Manulife Financial provides asset management services to institutional customers worldwide as well as reinsurance solutions, specializing in life and property and casualty retrocession. Funds under management by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were Cdn$446 billion (US$440 billion) as at March 31, 2010. The Company operates as Manulife Financial in Canada and Asia and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as ‘MFC’ on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under ‘945’ on the SEHK. Manulife Financial can be found on the Internet at www.manulife.com.