PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur -- The Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) officially inaugurated its newest branch in Pagadian City, the first of 15 new branches that the state-run Bank is set to open in 2022.
The LANDBANK Pagadian-Balintawak Branch is located at the President Corazon C. Aquino Regional Government Center in Brgy. Balintawak, and will provide banking services to at least 50 regional government agencies, as well as various business establishments and private customers.
The new branch complements the operations of the LANDBANK Pagadian Branch located in Santiago District, and will assist in servicing depositors from over 300 combined barangays of Pagadian City and seven nearby municipalities, namely San Miguel, Lakewood, Tigbao, Vincenzo Sagun, Dinas, Tabina, and Margosatubig.
The two onsite automated teller machines (ATMs) of the LANDBANK Pagadian-Balintawak Branch will also help facilitate cash payouts for over 71,000 beneficiaries of the Conditional and Unconditional Cash Transfer programs of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in the area.
LANDBANK President and CEO Cecilia C. Borromeo and Pagadian City Mayor Samuel S. Co led the inauguration rites for the LANDBANK Pagadian-Balintawak Branch on 26 May 2022. They were joined by LANDBANK officials, namely Director Jaime L. Miralles, Executive Vice President Julio D. Climaco, Jr., Senior Vice President Charlotte I. Conde, and Vice President Lina K. Pacio.
“Our new LANDBANK branch in Pagadian reflects our unwavering support to the development of the City and the whole Province of Zamboanga del Sur. We will continue to provide greater banking convenience and accessibility to our growing customers in the Province,” said President and CEO Borromeo.
Mayor Co thanked LANDBANK for opening the Pagadian-Balintawak Branch to help sustain future developments in the regional center. “Your presence here gives us more confidence, gives us great relief that sooner or later, this regional center will continue to develop and expand,” he said.
LANDBANK now operates a total of five branches and a lending center in Zamboanga del Sur. This is complemented by 29 ATMs and three cash deposit machines (CDMs) spread across the Province.
The state-run Bank is targeting to open 14 more branches and branch-lite units in key strategic areas nationwide before the year ends, including 230 new ATMs and 50 CDMs.
To widen its reach in unbanked and underserved communities, LANDBANK is also gearing up to onboard 24 new Agent Banking Partners (ABPs) and install additional 120 point-of-sale (POS) terminals under its Agent Banking Program.
LANDBANK is the only bank present in all 81 provinces in the country with a total of 607 branches and 58 lending centers as of 31 May 2022, servicing the requirements of a diverse customer base, including unbanked and underserved areas. (LANDBANK)