“The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) will continue to strengthen rural banks (RBs), which promote countryside development, by financing productive activities and supporting inclusive economic growth.” BSP Deputy Governor (DG) Francisco G. Dakila Jr. made this announcement during the Post-State of the Nation Address (SONA) Philippine Economic Briefing (PEB) held in Cebu City last August 11.
BSP Deputy Governor Francisco G. Dakila Jr. (second from right) joins the panel discussion on “A Fast-Growing and Forward-Looking Economy” at the Post-State of the Nation Address Philippine Economic Briefing in Cebu last August 11. With the Deputy Governor are (from left:) DBM Undersecretary Margaux Marie V. Salcedo, NEDA Undersecretary Joseph J. Capuno, DBM Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman, Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno, and PCCI Regional Governor for Central Visayas Melanie C. Ng.
He added that the BSP has launched the Rural Banking Strengthening Program (RBSP) to enable RBs to respond to the “changing socio-economic conditions and regulatory environment with developments such as increasing digitalization across economic sectors.”
In particular, the BSP said that they aim to boost RBs’ digitalization of their services, resource upgrading, adoption of better risk management systems, management of operational costs, resilience against shocks, and meet prudential standards.
For more information on the RBSP, visit https://bit.ly/rbsp2022.
Banks encouraged to widen their market reach
The BSP encourages banks — including RBs — to widen their market reach via new technologies and digital platforms to foster efficient delivery of financial services in their communities.
Photo shows (from left:) Cebu City Planning and Development Office Head Joseph Michael P. Espina, PPPC Executive Director Ma. Cynthia C. Hernandez, DICT Secretary Ivan John E. Uy, BSP Deputy Governor Francisco G. Dakila Jr., DBM Undersecretary Margaux Marie V. Salcedo, DoTr Secretary Jaime J. Bautista, NEDA Undersecretary Joseph J. Capuno, DBM Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman, DOF Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno, DOT Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, DTI Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual, PCCI Regional Director for Central Visayas Melanie C. Ng, DOLE Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma, DPWH Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan, DA Assistant Secretary Genevieve E. Velicaria-Guevarra, Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Charles Kenneth Co, DOF Undersecretary Maria Luwalhati C. Dorotan-Tiuseco, and DILG Undersecretary Marlo L. Iringan.
Deputy Governor Dakila joined the panel discussion on “A Fast Growing and Forward-Looking Economy,” which was also attended by Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno, Department of Budget and Management Secretary (DBM) Amenah F. Pangandaman, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) Regional Governor for Central Visayas Melanie C. Ng, and National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Undersecretary Joseph J. Capuno.
In his keynote speech, Secretary Diokno stated that the Visayas region played a significant role in the country’s economic recovery, with Western Visayas having the highest gross regional domestic product growth rate at 9.3 percent in 2022. He also cited the impressive growth performance last year of Central and Eastern Visayas, which yielded 7.6 percent and 6.8 percent growth, respectively.
The PEB in Cebu gathered over 600 participants from the business and financial communities, academe, civil society organizations, media, and local government units. It forms part of the post-SONA domestic roadshow that aims to update stakeholders on the Philippine economy and the current administration’s programs for regional development.
Other cabinet secretaries who joined the PEB Cebu discussions were Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual, Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, Department of Transportation (DoTr) Secretary Jaime J. Bautista, Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla, and Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Ivan John E. Uy.
Also present at the briefing were Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Marlo L. Iringan, Public-Private Partnership Center (PPPC) Executive Director Ma. Cynthia C. Hernandez, Department of Agriculture (DA) Assistant Secretary Genevieve E. Velicaria-Guevarra, Head of the Cebu City Planning and Development Office (CCPDO) Joseph Michael P. Espina, and Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) President Charles Kenneth Co.
