The Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) continues to accelerate its branch expansion efforts with the recent opening of its 106th and 107th branches in Pototan, Iloilo and Trento, Agusan del Sur.
DBP Pototan and DBP Trento will offer a range of universal banking products and services including deposit and investment products, loans, and other financial services to clients in the provinces of Iloilo and Agusan del Sur.
DBP Pototan is poised to be a depository bank of LGU Pototan and will soon offer its salary loan facility to qualified employees. The branch hopes to partner with the LGU for the expansion of its public market and municipal building, and other developmental activities to further spur growth in what is considered the rice granary of Panay. Other prospective clients include the municipality of Dingle, the Pototan Water District and Iloilo Electric Cooperative II.
DBP Trento, the only government and commercial/universal bank in the locality, is poised to serve the banking and development financing needs of the municipalities of Trento, Sta. Josefa, Bunawan, Veruela, and Loreto in Agusan del Sur. It is already strengthening partnerships with national government agencies, private and public schools, and small and medium enterprises in the area.
Prospective projects include the improvement and expansion of water supply systems; construction and renovation of municipal buildings, public markets, and terminals; and the development of socialized housing projects.
The branch is conveniently located along the Maharlika Route where buses travel from Pasay City to Davao City, and sits halfway between the cities of Butuan and Davao. DBP Trento thus also hopes to encourage more businesses to invest in the area as a layover/ stopover for travellers.
Pototan and Trento may not be famous towns nor ring a familiar bell to most Filipinos, but as DBP officer in charge and executive vice president Anthony T. Robles explains, “DBP, as the country’s premier development financial institution, aims to serve as a catalyst of progress especially in the underserved but high growth potential towns like Pototan and Trento. We are proud to open our newest DBP branches in these towns, strengthening our network to 107 (with more branches and extension offices scheduled to open in the coming months). Our purpose and mission remain focused on our development mandate — of improving the lives and well-being of our countrymen and ensuring that this development is broad-based, inclusive and sustainable.”
DBP’s ongoing branch expansion is in response to the clamor of different sectors in the provinces to bring the bank’s development finance expertise including loan facilities to micro, small and medium enterprises, and livelihood assistance to families of OFWs. Various local government units (LGUs) have also requested for the establishment of a DBP presence in their areas to help support development projects, i.e. improvement of markets, roads, water systems, as well as collection efforts of both the Bureau of Internal Revenue and said LGUs.
The bank remains committed to expanding its market coverage, particularly to the unbanked and under-banked in the countryside. Alongside intensified support for the development agenda of the National Government, DBP continues to enhance its financial services to key areas in the country.