2019 Robinsons Warehouse Sale: Shop. Save. Share DTI Fair Trade Permit No. FTEB 19557 Series of 2019 1. Promotion is exclusive to all Philippine-issued Mastercard credit, debit and prepaid cards. 2. Get up to 70% off on selected items from the following brands – Toys “R” Us, Savers Appliances, Robinsons Department Store, Benefit, Elizabeth Arden, Topshop, Topman, Dorothy Perkins, Miss Selfridge, Warehouse, Burton Menswear, Handyman, True Value, Daiso Japan, and South Star Drug. 3. Promotion period is from November 14-17, 2019 from 11:00 am – 8:00 pm at Hall D, World Trade Center
READ MORELeft photo: Now heavily involved in the family business, Arjay Vasquez encouraged his father to invest in mechanization. Right Photo: Husband and wife Romeo and Josefa Consuelo Vasquez showcase their innovative farming technique of growing seeds on trays before they are transplanted to the prepared field. Born to a landless tenant farmer in San Mateo, Isabela, Romeo Vasquez was determined to improve his life. He worked odd jobs to support himself through college, eventually earning an Agricultural Engineering Degree from the Central Luzon State University. After graduation, he worked double jobs in Manila as sales representative for a fertilizer company and as a jeepney driver at night. Then with a growing family of his own, he saved all his extra earnings and commissions to buy farm lots. But in 1986, he was diagnosed with a malignant tumor in his left leg, which had to be amputated. Although his doctor gave him a small chance of complete recovery from the cancer, Romeo refused to give in and instead worked harder for his family. While he remained employed in the fertilizer company, he started cultivating his one-hectare palay farm in his native San Mateo. However, the year 1991 dealt him with both a blessing and a setback – his doctor pronounced him cancer-free, but the fertilizer company he was working for closed down. This prompted him to go back to his farm and, with an additional two hectares mortgaged by local farmers, he created R.S. Vasquez Enterprises as a full-time palay trading, rice milling, and seed production business. Seeking to make quality rice accessible to ordinary consumers, they created their own Mestizo Rice variety, which became sought-after not only in Isabela, but also in neighboring provinces and in Metro Manila. The business gradually expanded, especially after the Land Bank of the Philippines provided credit lines in 2004, which the couple partly used to supply neighboring farmers with their own seed variety for free. In return, the farmers would sell them their harvest. Technology-enabled farming His son, Arjay Rusell, who has been involved in the farm since 2012, encouraged Romeo to invest on mechanization and made sure that the company adopted the latest in rice production technologies. Romeo regularly attended agriculture-related training courses and linked up with the Department of Agriculture (DA) for technical assistance and continuing skills training, which exposed him to various agricultural innovations. R. S. Vasquez Enterprises also began the production of seeds grown in plastic trays containing combined pulverized soil and organic matter. The seedlings are regularly watered before being transplanted to the prepared field using mechanical transplanters. Because of these innovations, the DA named Engr. Vasquez as National Consultant in hybrid rice promotion to teach farmers proper farm waste management, inter-cropping, and other good practices in agribusiness. He has also won various awards through the years, including the Agricultural Entrepreneur Gold Award in The Outstanding Farmers of the Philippines in 2013 and the 3rd place under the Outstanding SME Agri-based Category of the LANDBANK Gawad SME 2018. The business has since then become a family affair, with their sons on top of introducing the latest farming technologies. They now farm several hectares of land and also advocate farm mechanization by helping set up mechanized farm learning centers that teach proper land preparation, farm site development, and irrigation. The Enterprise has also generated more than 80 jobs for the community through its palay trading, seeds production, goat raising, and vegetable production businesses. They recently opened a new agricultural supply business, where they also offer free consultancy on palay production activities and agricultural inputs. Affordable Financing LANDBANK remains aggressive in providing credit support to farmers like Romeo Vasquez, in pursuit of its drive to help more farmers and fishers boost their production and increase their income. “As we make direct financing available to more small farmers and fishers nationwide, we also strongly encourage them to invest on mechanization and adopt other agricultural technologies, as this will significantly decrease production cost and improve their harvest,” said LANDBANK President and CEO Cecilia C. Borromeo. LANDBANK helps small farmers to engage in mechanization through its various credit programs. These include the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ACEF), which helps small farmers and fishers (SFF), their cooperatives and associations, as well as Micro and Small Enterprises, in their crop production requirements and purchase of agri-machineries, equipment, and facilities. Another program that LANDBANK implements is the DA-funded Expanded Rice Credit Assistance under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ERCA-RCEF), which farmers can tap for their rice production or acquisition of rice farm equipment or machinery. This is available to rice farmers registered in the Registry System on Basic Sectors in Agriculture or RSBSA, and to DA-accredited cooperatives. The ACEF Lending Program and ERCA-RCEF now have interest rates fixed at only 2% per annum to make them more affordable for small farmers. The Bank also standardized at 5% per annum the interest rates for most of its direct lending programs for SFFs. These include the Accessible Funds for Delivery to Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (AFFORD-ARBs) Program, which provides loans to finance production of rice, corn, and high-value crops, as well as the acquisition of small farm implements.
READ MOREAgriculture Secretary Dr. William D. Dar (3rd from right), LANDBANK President and CEO Cecilia C. Borromeo (3rd from left), and Cagayan Gov. Manuel N. Mamba (2nd from right) present a ceremonial LANDBANK SURE Aid Cash Card to farmer Gerry Macapulay of Alcala, Cagayan (4th from left) during the launch of the SURE Aid Program in Cagayan. With them are 3rd District Board Member Rodrigo de Asis (extreme left), Municipal Agriculturist Eusebio Manuel (4th from right), LANDBANK Senior Vice President Filipina B. Monje (extreme right), and LANDBANK Assistant Vice President Victor A. Agorto (2nd from left). (Photo courtesy of DA-Communications Group).\ PEÑABLANCA, Cagayan – More than 800 farmers received a total of P12 million in loan assistance from the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) during the launch of the Expanded Survival and Recovery Assistance Program for Rice Farmers (SURE Aid) at the Capitol Gymnasium in this municipality. Agriculture Secretary Dr. William D. Dar and LANDBANK President and CEO Cecilia C. Borromeo led the distribution of LANDBANK SURE Aid Cash Cards pre-loaded with the one-time P15,000 loan assistance to 803 qualified farmers from the Municipalities of Piat, Tuao, Amulung, Iguig, Solana, Alcala, Enrile, and Peñablanca. The zero-interest, no collateral loan is payable up to eight years. They were joined by Cagayan Governor Manuel N. Mamba, DA Region 2 Regional Executive Director Narciso A. Edillo, LANDBANK Northern and Central Luzon Lending Group Head Senior Vice President Filipina B. Monje, and LANDBANK Cagayan Lending Center Head Assistant Vice President Victor A. Agorto. “The Province of Cagayan holds great potential in agriculture and aquaculture. As the provincial government, led by Gov. Mamba, nurtures this sector, LANDBANK is more than ready to provide the necessary developmental assistance to local industries, especially to small farmers, fishers and entrepreneurs,” President Borromeo said. A total of P30 million has been allocated under the SURE Aid Program for the estimated 2,000 farmers in the Province of Cagayan who are tilling one hectare and below. To date, some 41,000 palay farmers from 41 provinces nationwide have benefitted from the SURE Aid Program, with more than P600 million in loan assistance distributed under the Program. Meanwhile, the DA also distributed various agricultural assistance and projects to the provincial government of Cagayan during the event, which included P321 million in hybrid seeds (P195 million for rice and P126 million for corn), and P187 million in agricultural machineries, irrigation facilities, and infrastructures.
READ MORELand Bank of the Philippines is one with the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) in the annual observance of the 18-Day Campaign to end VAW from November 25-December 12, 2019.
READ MOREManila City Mayor Isko Moreno (3rd from left) and LANDBANK President and CEO Cecilia C. Borromeo (4th from left) present the signed Loan Agreement for P10 billion which will finance various development project in the City. Joining them are LANDBANK Executive Vice President for Branch Banking Sector Joselito P. Gutierrez (extreme right), LANDBANK Executive Vice President for Agricultural and Development Lending Liduvino S. Geron (2nd from right), Secretary to the Mayor Bernardito C. Ang (extreme left) and City Budget Officer Atty. Mary Grace Chua (2nd from left). Complementing his vigorous campaign to clean-up the streets of Manila from garbage and eyesores, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno is also focusing on upgrading the city’s health, educational, tourism and public services facilities. On November 11, 2019, the City Government of Manila signed a P10-billion Loan Agreement with Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) under the Bank’s Omnibus Term Loan Facility (OTLF). The approved loan facility will be used to finance the following: (1) construction and renovation of the Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center, the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila School of Medicine Building, the new City Hall building, and the Manila Sky Deck; (2) the rehabilitation of Manila Zoo and the development of Pandacan Depot into a commercial district; and (3) the acquisition of equipment, furniture and fixture for these projects. Present during the loan signing were LANDBANK President and CEO Cecilia C. Borromeo, Executive Vice President for Agricultural and Development Lending Liduvino S. Geron, who signed for the Bank, and Senior Vice President for Corporate Banking Ma. Celeste A. Burgos as witness. They were joined by Executive Vice President for Branch Banking Joselito P. Gutierrez and First Vice President for North NCR Branches Marilou L. Villafranca. Also present were City Legal Officer Atty. Genaro Jose Emeterio S. Moreno, Jr., OIC of the Treasury Department Ma. Jazmin A. Talegon, City Accountant Maria Lourdes R. Manlulu, Secretary to the City Mayor Bernardito C. Ang, and City Budget Officer Atty. Mary Grace Chua. “Over the years, LANDBANK has worked closely with local government units nationwide and has remained the biggest provider of financial assistance and development financing to the sector because we believe that local government is the biggest, if not the most integral, link between the national government and their respective localities,” said President Borromeo. The Bank’s OTLF allows qualified provinces, municipalities, and cities to avail of loans for projects that are listed in their Approved Local Development Plan or Annual Investment Program. This eliminates the inconvenience and associated transaction cost in having to secure loan approval for every single project to be implemented.
READ MOREThe PREMYO BONDs is the latest investment offering of the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) that can give you a chance to win 1 million pesos! Click here for the Notice of Offering and click here for the FAQs. For more information, kindly visit the BTr's website.
READ MORELANDBANK Treasury and Investment Banking Sector Head Executive Vice President Carel D. Halog (right photo) discusses the convenience of purchasing the Premyo Bonds via the LANDBANK Link.BizPortal during its recent launch. The Premyo Bonds launch was led by (left photo) National Treasurer Rosalia V. De Leon (third from right), together with (from right to left) China Bank Capital Corporation President Ryan Martin I. Tapia, LANDBANK EVP Halog, DBP President and CEO Emmanuel G. Herbosa, BDO Capital and Investment Corporation Eduardo V. Francisco, and First Metro Investment Corporation President Rabboni Francis B. Arjonillo. As part of its support to the government’s thrust to make government securities more accessible to the general public, Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) makes available its online payment facility—Link.BizPortal—as a convenient way for its account holders to invest and purchase the Bureau of Treasury’s (BTr) on-going Premyo Bonds offering. LANDBANK announced this initiative during the launch of the Premyo Bonds last November 25, 2019 at the Bulwagan ng Diwang Pilipino, Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) Head Office, Makati City. National Treasurer Rosalia V. De Leon led the launch together with top executives from partner banks in both private and public sectors, namely DBP President and CEO Emmanuel G. Herbosa; BDO Capital and Investment Corporation Eduardo V. Francisco; China Bank Capital Corporation President Ryan Martin I. Tapia; First Metro Investment Corporation President Rabboni Francis B. Arjonillo; and LANDBANK Executive Vice Presidents Carel D. Halog and Alan V. Bornas representing LANDBANK President and CEO Cecilia C. Borromeo. EVP Halog presented a step-by-step process in using LANDBANK’s Link.BizPortal for a more convenient way to invest in the Premyo Bonds. “This is a trailblazing effort to help reach the retail investors as part of the government’s financial inclusion efforts, through LANDBANK’s Link.Biz Portal,” EVP Halog said. Premyo Bonds are part of the government’s savings mobilization program designed to make government securities more accessible to retail investors. Proceeds from these will be used to fund government programs on education, housing, and healthcare, among others. “The Premyo Bonds is a public-private partnership for Filipinos to get into the habit of investing,” Treasurer De Leon said during the launch. For as low as Php500.00, interested individuals, cooperatives, provident funds, and retirement funds can invest in these bonds with a fixed 3% interest rate per annum. Investors also automatically qualify for a raffle entry for a chance to win as much as P1 million and other prizes such as condo unit or house and lot. Offer period will run from November 25 to December 13, 2019. For more information, visit https://www.treasury.gov.ph/premyobonds/.
READ MOREBangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin E. Diokno (3rd from left) leads the launch of the EGov Pay and QR Ph last November 20, 2019 with (left to right) RCBC President and CEO Eugene S. Acevedo, LANDBANK President and CEO Cecilia C. Borromeo, PayMaya Founder and CEO Orlando B. Vea, UnionBank President and CEO Edwin R. Bautista. Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) announced that it has already enrolled nearly 700 merchants to its Link.Biz Portal, which facilitates electronic payment to various government and private merchants, in support of the Government e-Payments (EGov Pay) Program of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). This makes LANDBANK the first bank to implement the EGov Pay. At the recent launching of the BSP’s EGov Pay and National Quick Response Code Standard (QR Ph) Programs, LANDBANK said a total of 349 government agencies and 332 private institutions to date are already enrolled in LANDBANK’s Link.Biz Portal, such as the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), among others. LANDBANK developed the Link.Biz Portal, together with the Philippine Payments Management, Inc. (PPMI) and PESONet, in support of the National Retail Payment System (NRPS), a policy framework that seeks to establish a safe, efficient and reliable retail payment system in the country. “We congratulate the BSP for these milestone initiatives. LANDBANK supports these programs as the safest, most convenient and cost-efficient means of accelerating digital payments across the country. Through our Link.Biz Portal, we are able to help government collect revenues efficiently, which facilitates the prompt delivery of social services to the public through a quick and safe payment mechanism via the internet,” said LANDBANK President and CEO Cecilia C. Borromeo. Link.Biz Portal is designed to allow clients to conveniently pay for products and services online for both government and private institutions, using LANDBANK and other PESONet PayGate participating banks accounts, BANCNET-partner issuing bank accounts, Globe G-Cash accounts, and cash payment option. Meanwhile, LANDBANK said it has also adopted the QR Code for person-to-person (P2P) fund transfers between LANDBANK account holders. The QR Code is a two-dimensional bar code which stores digital information and allows clients to transfer funds to a destination account via an online channel or application, where clients could scan/import the recipient banks’ QR Code via their mobile devices.
READ MOREConsistent with its goal to provide additional means for farmers to access credit assistance, Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) recently launched the nationwide implementation of the Sulong Saka Program which is designed to promote wider crop diversification, particularly for high-value crops. LANDBANK has allotted a total of Php 10 billion for the Program to help small farmers increase their production of high-value crops such as vegetables (highland, lowland, spices, legumes); fruits (mango, banana, pineapple); industrial crops (abaca, bamboo, coffee, cacao, rubber, oil palm); and alternative food staple crops (saba-cardaba, soybean, root crops). “The Sulong Saka Program is part of our aggresive efforts to intensify support interventions to the agriculture sector. With this new lending program, we are helping our farmers avail of more financial support to increase their crop yield and in turn, increase income for their families,” LANBANK President and CEO Cecilia C. Borromeo said. “At the same time, we want our farmers to consider engaging in high-value crop production to improve the country’s crop diversity, which is currently dominated by traditional crops like rice, corn, and coconut,” she added. Aside from promoting crop production, the Sulong Saka Program also supports projects that involve the processing and marketing of high-value crops. Farmers can apply for financial support for the establishment of nursery, budwood or mother and plant or parent clone gardens; new plantation, replanting, rejuvenation, and rehabilitation of old trees; post-harvest projects; as well as trading and export activities. Individual small farm holders can apply for the loan with an affordable interest rate of 5% per annum. Other eligible borrowers include small and medium enterprises (SMEs), cooperatives, farmer associations and organizations, large agribusiness enterprises and corporations, local government units (LGUs), non-government organizations (NGOs), and countryside financial institutions (CFIs). The Sulong Saka Program is a new addition to LANDBANK’s credit loan portfolio for farmers, which already includes the Accessible Funds for Delivery to Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (AFFORD-ARBs) Program, the Sikat Saka Program in partnership with the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Socialized Credit Program under the Sugarcane Industry Development Act (SCP-SIDA) funded by the Sugar Regulatory Administration, the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ACEF), and the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), among others. Interested borrowers may visit the nearest LANDBANK Lending Center or visit the official website at www.landbank.com, or contact the 24/7 customer service hotline at (02) 8-405-7000 or at PLDT Domestic Toll Free 10800-10-405-7000, for more information.
READ MORELANDBANK President and CEO Cecilia C. Borromeo and CHED and UniFAST Governing Board Chairman J. Prospero de Vera III lead the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement for the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) Program. With them were (L-R) Association of Local Colleges and Universities (ALCU) Vice President Elena E. Presnedi, UniFAST OIC Executive Director Atty. Carmelita Yadao-Sison, and LANDBANK Branch Banking Sector OIC, Senior Vice President Ramon R. Monteloyola. In line with its thrust of extending access to formal banking services, the Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) has partnered with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST) to provide efficient and convenient financial support to poor but deserving students. LANDBANK President and CEO Cecilia C. Borromeo and CHED and UniFAST Governing Board Chairman J. Prospero de Vera III formally signed the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to co-implement the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) Program last December 27 at the Centro Escolar University in Manila. Under the TES Program, more than 400,000 student-grantees from public and private higher education institutions nationwide will be issued LANDBANK Cash Cards for their monthly stipends to cover expenses for supplies, transportation, room and board, and other personal and school needs. The collaboration is aligned with LANDBANK’s continuous commitment to promote financial inclusion and widen access to banking facilities by reaching more underserved Filipinos all over the country. “Through the use of our LANDBANK Cash Cards, students will enjoy the ease and convenience of receiving their monthly allowances via our automated teller machines (ATMs) and branches nearest them. More importantly, this ensures the safe and efficient delivery of their stipends for school needs and education-related expenses on time and without any delays,” President Borromeo said. Student-beneficiaries under the TES Program will be able to access their allowances via LANDBANK’s network of 2,195 ATMs and 409 branches nationwide, as well as point-of-sale (POS) facilities. In addition, student-beneficiaries are qualified to use LANDBANK’s phone banking and online banking facilities and services for easier and faster financial transactions. “Rest assured that we will do our share to make this Program successful. We are one with CHED and UniFAST in helping provide inclusive and quality education that will help shape the lives of the country’s future generations,” President Borromeo added. LANDBANK will receive the list of student-beneficiaries from UniFAST, which includes beneficiaries under the ongoing Expanded Students’ Grant-in-Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (ESGP-PA) and students belonging to poor or near-poor households based on the Listahanan 2.0 of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), among others. The TES Program forms part of the implementation of Republic Act 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.
READ MOREAs of Fri, April 25, 2025
| Buying | Selling | |
|---|---|---|
| USD | 56.25 | 56.75 |
| JPY | 0.388752 | 0.403776 |
| EUR | 63.163815 | 65.607824 |
| GBP | 73.988728 | 76.851588 |
| HKD | 7.223177 | 7.761414 |
As of Thu, April 24, 2025
| UITF | NAVPU |
|---|---|
| Cash Management Fund | 1.557366 |
| Money Market Fund | 1.310646 |
| PERA Money Market Fund | 1.023632 |
| Medium-Term Bond Fund | 2.470334 |
| Bond Fund | 2.024273 |
| PERA Bond Fund | 1.198883 |
| Balanced Fund | 2.585336 |
| Growth Fund | 2.562157 |
| Alpha Equity Fund | 2.96484 |
| Blue Chip Equity Fund | 0.954534 |
| Equity Fund | 0.773163 |
| High Dividend Equity Fund | 1.002938 |
| US$ Money Market Fund | 1.431822 |
| Global $ Fund | 1.518293 |
| Money Market Plus Fund | 1.223015 |
