LANDBANK CSR Statement

LANDBANK’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) embodies its commitment to the institution’s social mandate with programs and activities that contribute to a better, safer and more progressive society, redounding to an improved quality of life for people of the present and future generations.

Manila Bay SUNSET Partnership Program, Inc.

In 2020, LANDBANK received a Certificate for Gratitude from four international environmental organizations at the Manila Bay-ani Awards for the Bank’s flagship program for the environment.

The Manila Bay SUNSET (Socially Responsible and United in Nurturing and Sustaining the EnvironmenT) Partnership Program, Inc. (MBSPPI) was recognized for its “sincere dedication and noble efforts to help restore the glory and the splendor of Manila Bay” by the International Council of Environmental Law (ICEL-Madrid, Spain); the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development (IGSD-Washington, DC); the Normandy Chair for Peace (NCP-France); the Asia-Pacific Center for Environmental Law-National University of Singapore (APCEL-Singapore); and the Manila Yacht Club.

With the aim of promoting sustainable conversion and improvement of the marine and coastal resources of Manila Bay and its tributaries, the MBSPPI is made up of 30 public and private member-institutions which include government agencies, non-governmental organizations, private companies, and academic institutions.

Included in the past initiatives of the MBSPPI were the monthly and annual clean-ups, fund raising activities through the annual Manila Bay Clean-up Run, collection of waste polystyrene to recycle into rulers for Manila public schools’ students; improving the Bay’s water quality using Effective Microorganism (EM) Bokashi Mud Balls; PET bottle rescue boat-making; and ecobrick-making from plastic food wrappers, among others.

Gawad Sibol Program

For its steadfast efforts to support environmental advocacy through long-term volunteer work, LANDBANK was recognized by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) with the first-ever Gawad Kamagong Award in 2020. Considered as the highest recognition for volunteer partners, the Gawad Kamagong was awarded to LANDBANK for implementing volunteer programs that support the protection and rehabilitation of watersheds and for uplifting the livelihood of its partner community organizations.

From 2006 until the program completion in 2019, LANDBANK partnered with the DENR to implement the Gawad Sibol Program (formerly known as the “Adopt-a-Watershed Program”) to promote the reforestation, protection, and increase biodiversity of denuded watersheds across the country.

The Program aimed to contribute to the National Greening Program of the DENR; help mitigate the impact of global warming and climate change and minimize floods during typhoons in the covered areas; empower local community groups, which includes indigenous people and peoples’ organizations (POs), as partners for the program’s success and sustainability; and provide volunteerism opportunities to LANDBANK employees.

Over the course of its run, the Program engaged thousands of volunteers from LANDBANK who helped replant trees in adopted areas in various watersheds across the country. In 2019, the Program completed the turnover of 13 adopted sites to the respective POs that managed and cultivated the areas, which gave them additional livelihood and financial opportunities.

GABAY Program

Responding to the needs and assisting with the recovery of Marawi City after the devastation left behind by the siege, LANDBANK launched the Gawad Angat Bayan (GABAY) Program in 2019. It provided psycho-social support (PSS) to thousands of residents, especially children, who were traumatized by the violence brought about by the armed conflict.

Funded by the Department of Finance (DOF) under the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau-Interest Differential Fund (KfW-IDF), and in partnership with Balay Mindanaw Foundation, Inc. (BFMI) as Program Implementer, the two-year program was completed last December 31, 2020.

The PSS activities, dubbed as “Mashwara Para Ko Kapamulong” (Conversations for Healing), included processing and debriefing; post-activity support communication; and other interventions needed by the participating internally displaced persons (IDPs) such as organic farming as eco-therapy.

The Program also trained the participants to conduct PSS activities for them to cascade to their fellow IDPs. The GABAY Program has achieved the following:

• Conducted PSS activities for over 1,500 youth and children IDPs;
  • 2019 – 455
  • 2020 - 1195
• Conducted PSS activities for 2,273 adult IDPs;
  • 2019 – 1,673
  • 2020 - 600
• Trained 127 adult IDPs in conducting PSS to fellow IDPs.
  • 2019 – 100
  • 2020 - 27

The GABAY Program was also made possible in cooperation with Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM), LANDBANK Countryside Development Foundation, Inc. (LCDFI), and the local government and people of Marawi City. The Program embodied LANDBANK’s commitment to help communities grow and recover, giving the people of Marawi City and Lanao del Sur hope and the courage to look beyond the tragedy with renewed spirits as they restore their community, and rebuild their lives.

Contributions to Communities

As a good corporate citizen, LANDBANK assists Local Government Units (LGUs), National Government Agencies (NGAs), Government-Owned or Controlled Corporations (GOCCs) and private entities through donations for humanitarian purposes, financial inclusion, environmental preservation and education.

A total of P10.31 million was donated to 156 LGUs and one educational institution affected by typhoons that hit the country in 2020, as well as the eruption of Taal Volcano.

LANDBANK also provides secondhand fixed assets as in-kind donations to schools, LGUs and other organizations.

Gawad Patnubay Scholarship Program

The Gawad Patnubay (Gawad PAg-aaral TuNgo sa MaUnlad na BAYan) Scholarship Program continues to support underprivileged but deserving students specializing in the field of agriculture and related courses. In 2020, the Program was funded through voluntary contributions of LANDBANKers nationwide with a 50% Bank counterpart. The Program provides scholarship to children of small farmers and fishers with 100% subsidy covering tuition fees, monthly stipend, yearly book allowances, research grant or thesis funding, and financial awards of P30,000 to P50,000 for honor students.

For SY 2019-2020, 97 scholars were accounted and as of November 2020, 31 scholars have already graduated while four scholars will be graduating in February 2021.  For SY 2020-2021, there are 64 scholars who received allowances/stipend amounting to P6,301,048.56.

SUSTAINING EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEERISM AMIDST CHALLENGING TIMES

LANDBANK’s Social Responsibility Program contributes to the institution’s goal of developing and improving the quality of life of all its stakeholders.  Employees realize this by performing their duties and responsibilities with a consciousness and mindset to act for the benefit of others and by demonstrating sensitivity toward nation-building as well as social, environmental, cultural, and economic issues. 

2020: A Year of Challenges and Opportunities for LANDBANKERS to become #BankHeroes

LANDBANK employees have been very much engaged in volunteerism initiatives even before the institutionalization of the “LANDBANK Volunteerific Program.”

However, the year 2020 proved to be a year of challenges in view of various calamities that beset not just the Filipino nation but the world as well. The start of the new year saw the residual effects of the disasters that occurred during the latter part of 2019 such as typhoons and the Mindanao earthquake. In January 2020, Taal Volcano erupted which led to the evacuation and dislocation of numerous families in Southern Luzon. In the later part of the year, the country experienced the adverse impact of Typhoons Quinta, Rolly and Ulysses. The major challenge faced by the modern world is the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which has literally stopped the whole world.  People around the globe continue to grapple as to how to effectively deal with this unprecedented event.

While most workers had to stay at home especially during the early part of the mandated community quarantines, LANDBANK employees, together with partner service providers, continued to provide essential banking services to our clients. Likewise, the rest of the workforce did not stop performing their duties and responsibilities as public servants as they worked from the confines of their homes even before the CSC mandated the adoption of alternative work arrangements.

While 2020 was rife with challenges, the year also brought opportunities for reigniting the Filipino “Bayanihan” spirit.  The pandemic did not hinder LANDBANK employees from sharing a part of themselves.  Although done mostly in a remote fashion, the sincere, charitable and passionate commitment to help others is still present in the hearts and minds of the employees and they actually made it happen.  This way, they were able to creatively reshape volunteerism.

Volunteerism Opportunities

Despite having limited mobility and the directive to continue performing their work during this global crisis, 7,393 LANDBANK employees were still able to register a combined total of 41,000 Volunteerific Hours rendered.  They comprise 79% of the total employee population. Average volunteer hours per engaged employee clocked in at 5.22 hours.  For 2020, the focus was on fund generation and limited deployment of volunteers.

The LANDBANK “Hour Time to Share” fund generation campaign had a significant contribution to the relative success of this year’s Volunteerific Program.  Through this donation drive, which ran from December 2019 up to June 2020, LANDBANK employees were able to donate a total of 15,785 volunteer hours which is equivalent to P5.204 million for our 2020 CSR initiatives. From this amount, our employees were able to donate P1.60 million for the purchase of personal protective equipment for the medical practitioners and frontliners of eight COVID-19 centers in Baguio, Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao. 

Moreover, through the Hour Time to Share campaign, LANDBANK employees also support scholars who are taking up agriculture courses.  As of 2020, there are 99 scholars in 17 schools from 17 regions in the country.  LANDBANK, as an institution, supports the academic requirements of the scholars but it is the employees who provide support to the internship or the Education-to-Employment aspect of the program. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the internship program did not push through in 2020 and the P3.604 million allotted for this will have to be repurposed or may be carried over to 2021.

Also, in place since 2019 is the LANDBANK Alternative Mechanism of Benevolent Assistance for the Greater-Good (AMBAG) System whereby donations collected are given to those affected by calamities or fortuitous events, whether these are colleagues from LANDBANK or citizens of severely affected areas.  In 2020, a total of P1.94 million was generated, which benefited fellow LANDBANKers and communities affected by the Mindanao Earthquake, Taal Volcano Eruption and Typhoons Rolly and Ulysses.

Other Volunteerism Initiatives

LANDBANK employees assigned at the Head Office also participated in the Brigada Eskwela Program of Manuel Araullo High School (Ermita, Manila) by financing the purchase of materials for module production while various schools in Leyte and the Province of Cebu received in kind donations from LANDBANK branches in the areas.

During this time of pandemic, the Bank also participated in the National Government’s call for support in the fight against COVID 19 through the deployment of LANDBANK personnel to assist the operations of the Palacio De Maynila Mega Swabbing Center in Malate, Manila. 

Some employees donated food packs to frontliners in their respective areas while others conducted a coastal clean-up drive. Several employees donated materials and supplies for candle making as their support to the alternative livelihood program for the urban poor in their community.

The spirit of Christmas was stoked by the continued conduct of the “LANDBANK Share-A-Gift” Program in partnership with the City of Manila.  In 2020, 500 street dwellers and their children in selected communities in the City of Manila benefited from the activity.  The families received Noche Buena packs donated by the LANDBANK as an institution while school supplies and accessories were purchased using donations from the employees.