BSP honors outstanding stakeholders in Visayas

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) recognized 10 outstanding partners and stakeholders in the Visayas for their significant contributions to price stability, financial stability, and the promotion of a safe and efficient payment and settlement system.

BSP Monetary Board Member Benjamin Diokno and Deputy Governor Bernadette Romulo-Puyat led the appreciation ceremony in Iloilo City on Tuesday, September 23.

Diokno highlighted the importance of collaboration in achieving long-term economic growth.

“Nation-building is never the work of just a single organization. It is a shared undertaking made possible by enduring partnerships—which, to me, are among the true foundations of progress,” he said.

He added that every financial account opened empowers families to save, every digital transaction helps small businesses grow, and each financial literacy lesson equips communities for greater participation in the financial system.

“What makes your work remarkable is not only what you do, but what it means,” Diokno added.

Romulo-Puyat emphasized the ceremony’s theme of financial inclusion through collaboration.

“Because of your work, finance becomes more than numbers. It becomes practical and helpful […] You remind us that inclusion is possible when we work together,” she said.

This year’s awardees included BSP-supervised financial institutions, local government units, industry associations, and private organizations.

The recognized BSP-supervised financial institutions were:

-Card Bank, Inc. – Roxas Branch;

-Land Bank of the Philippines – Dumaguete Branch;

-Land Bank of the Philippines – Tacloban Branch;

-Cash Operations Unit, Land Bank of the Philippines – Iloilo;

-Metropolitan Bank & Trust Company – Cebu Fuente Osmeña Center; and

-Metropolitan Bank & Trust Company – Roxas Branch.

The Local Government of Talisay City, Negros Occidental was honored as a key government partner.

The Cebu Bankers Club and Tacloban Bankers Association, Inc. were recognized under the industry associations category.

Perpetual Help Community Cooperative received the award for the private institutions/organizations category.

Each honoree was presented with a certificate and a commemorative item: a 32 Outs PHP 100 New Design Series banknote with a “60 Years of Central Banking” overprint, encased in an acrylic frame featuring a Patadyong weave design.