THE Land Bank of the Philippines held the second leg of the fourth year run of its Financial Inclusion (FI) Forum in Rizal, Palawan last September 14, 2019, gathering a total of 752 participants, majority of whom were farmers.
Dubbed “Ipon at Kabuhayan Para sa ating Kababayan,” the FI Forum is a financial literacy campaign launched by the Bank in 2016, in line with its thrust to promote greater financial inclusion, especially among unbanked and unserved communities. Last September 7, 2019, the first leg of the FI Forum was held in Sto. Niño, Cagayan with 700 participants.
“We hope that through this series of forums, we can help promote greater financial inclusion among unbanked and underserved communities in the countryside, in our continuing efforts to intensify our support to the agriculture sector by helping our farmers and fishers improve their income and manage their finances,” said LandBank President and CEO Cecilia C. Borromeo.
LandBank presented some of its direct lending programs for farmers such as the Expanded Rice Credit Assistance under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (Erca-RCEF) and the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (Acef), with a simpler, faster and more convenient loan processing.
Also recognized were the first beneficiaries of the loan programs from Rizal, namely, Theodore Martinez, Hector Boquilla, and Efrenia Aguilar for Acef; and Helfred Quillope for Erca-RCEF.
“We are truly grateful for LandBank’s help in providing our communities here in Rizal with financial literacy,”said Rizal Mayor Otol Odi.
Other areas included in this year’s series of FI Forums are: Libacao, Aklan; Aloguinsan, Cebu; Mayantoc, Tarlac; Las Nieves, Agusan del Norte; Claveria, Misamis Oriental, and Polillo Islands, Quezon.
Agent banking partner
LandBank also introduced its agent banking partner in Palawan, the Rinadale Gasoline Station Company, under the LANDBANK Agent Banking Program, which aims to deliver financial services in the municipality.
Through its agent banking partners, LandBank brings basic banking services, such as withdrawals, deposits, fund transfers and bills payment, to Filipinos residing in remote areas where there is no bank presence.
Also present at the event were Vice Mayor Norman Ong together with other Rizal local government unit officials, LandBank Executive Vice Presidents Liduvino Geron and Joselito Gutierrez, and other Bank officials.