Pamela Mae Villalon
LIRA VerifiedI'm the biggest believer in insurance because of what it cost my family not to have it. The people I loved most — my father, my grandparents — passed away without insurance. And I learned that when you're not prepared for a loss, grief doesn't come alone. We squeezed what little savings we had. We borrowed. We accepted the kindness of others, just to lay them to rest with dignity. I don't say this with resentment. I say it because I learned something I can't unlearn: mourning is heavy enough on its own. It should be allowed to be only that — emotional. If they'd been insured, our grief would still have been grief, but the days after would have held more hope. That's why I built LIRA. Not to sell more policies, but to make trustworthy insurance advisors easier to find and trust — because the sooner a family finds someone credible, the sooner they're protected. Too many Filipinos hesitate not from lack of need, but from not knowing who to trust. This is my contribution to an industry I believe in. Pam Villalon — Founder, LIRA. Advocate for financial literacy and preparedness.