The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) recognized eight institutional partners of its North Luzon Regional Office at the 2024 Outstanding BSP Stakeholders Appreciation Ceremony (OBSAC) on 25 November 2024 in San Fernando City, La Union.
In his message, BSP Governor Eli M. Remolona, Jr. thanked the awardees and expressed his hopes for their continued cooperation: “I look forward to our continued partnership mga kadua. Patuloy nating buuin nang sama-sama ang mas magandang bukas.”
The BSP previously held appreciation ceremonies for partners of its Head Office and its Visayas and South Luzon Offices. The BSP is set to hold an appreciation ceremony for partners of its Mindanao office in the early part of 2025.
Since 2004, the OBSAC has recognized partners supporting the BSP’s mandates, including maintaining price stability, financial stability, and a safe and efficient payments and settlements system.
The BSP also honors organizations contributing to its special advocacies, such as financial inclusion, digitalization, proper handling of banknotes and coins, and cyber hygiene practices.
Below are the outstanding institutional partners of the BSP North Luzon Regional Office:
- Landbank of the Philippines – Tuguegarao Capitol Branch: For its outstanding commitment to ensuring that only fit banknotes remain in circulation in the area, having assisted the BSP in withdrawing a significant number of unfit banknotes from circulation in 2023. Furthermore, the bank has been a leading partner in the use of the BSP’s Cash Service Alliance[2] (CSA) initiative; and in advancing financial inclusion through the promotion of basic deposit accounts with minimum initial deposits.
- Landbank of the Philippines – Dagupan, Pangasinan: For its active CSA participation, its exemplary support of the BSP’s currency recirculation efforts, and its critical role in furthering digitalization in the city by assisting in the implementation and success of the BSP’s Paleng-QR Ph Plus program.
- Department of Trade and Industry Baguio–Benguet Provincial Office: For being a steadfast partner of the BSP in promoting financial education by helping organize learning sessions in Baguio City and across the province of Benguet, teaching nearly 1,000 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and local government unit (LGU) personnel on topics such as personal finance, currencies, and digitalization.
- Department of Trade and Industry Nueva Ecija Provincial Office: For demonstrating a strong commitment to digitalization, spearheading the 100 percent adoption of the Paleng-QR Ph Plus program in all 32 cities and municipalities of Nueva Ecija by end-2024 and organizing digital financial literacy sessions with the BSP for 1,067 market vendors and transport drivers.
- Provincial Cooperative and Enterprise Development Office – Bataan: For being a key partner in promoting financial inclusion and digitalization by facilitating more than 30 digital financial education sessions for nearly 1,300 MSMEs and LGU personnel.
- Provincial Government of Aurora – Investment Promotion Office: For boosting financial literacy in Aurora by holding seminars across all municipalities of Aurora, which was attended by more than 300 MSMEs and LGU personnel, on topics such as currency familiarization and personal finance management.
- Provincial Government of Bataan: For passing the resolution that paved the way for the implementation of the Paleng-QR Ph Plus program, ensuring that 100 percent of Bataan’s cities and municipalities are Paleng-QR Ph Plus-ready as of end-2023, in support of the BSP’s advocacies for financial inclusion and digitalization.
- University of Saint Louis: For integrating the BSP’s Clean Note Policy and coin recirculation efforts into the curriculum of its college and high school students, allowing young Filipinos to comprehend their importance in sustainable economic practices.