Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) President and CEO Cecilia Cayosa
Borromeo was hailed as ‘Outstanding CEO for 2023’ during the annual Association of
Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP) Development
Awards on 16 May 2023 held in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
The “Outstanding CEO Award 2023” is granted by ADFIAP to a practicing Chief
Executive Officer whose exceptional leadership, vision, and achievements have made a significant impact on his or her institution, the development banking profession,
and the country’s development.
The award recognizes Borromeo’s accomplishments in steering the Bank’s
transformation as a development-oriented institution at the forefront of nation-
building.
“I am deeply honored and humbled by this recognition from peers in development
finance. This accolade extends to the men and women of LANDBANK who are
passionate in service, committed to the pursuit of excellence, and inspired to make a
positive difference,” said President Borromeo.
President Borromeo led LANDBANK’s intensified support to agriculture, by almost
quadrupling the number of small farmers and fishers assisted from 889,669 in June
2019 to 3.5 million by the end of 2022, exceeding its commitment to reach 3 million
small farmers and fishers by 2022.
The Bank’s agri loans also grew to P261.7 billion—the highest in the industry—which
supported all components of the agriculture value chain.
Under her leadership, LANDBANK became a key player in advancing the National
Government’s financial inclusion agenda, by onboarding a total of 8.35 million
previously unbanked Filipinos who are registrants in the National ID program.
President Borromeo likewise pushed for the continued expansion of LANDBANK’s
reach, especially in unserved and underserved areas. LANDBANK is the only bank
present in all 82 provinces of the country, with touchpoints in 80% of the 1,634
cities and municipalities nationwide.
It was also during her term that LANDBANK ramped up its digitalization drive
towards providing digital solutions to meet the growing needs of customers, posting
year-on-year growths of 14% amounting to 155.8 million transactions and 126% for
P5.6 trillion in value, respectively, in 2022.
LANDBANK breached the P3-trillion mark in total assets and P30-billion in net income
in 2022, posting an asset growth of 21.5% to P3.1 trillion and a jump of 38.2% in
net income to P30.1 billion, respectively.
President Borromeo’s term also saw the establishment of LANDBANK’s subsidiary,
the Overseas Filipino Bank (OFBank), as a digital bank and the first branchless bank
in the Philippines catering especially to Overseas Filipino Workers and Overseas
Filipinos.
Other ADFIAP Awards
At the awarding ceremony, LANDBANK also bagged an Environmental Development
award for its Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) on Animal Waste Management
project, which promotes biodigester technology as a pollution control system for
piggery farm operations.
Piggery farm operations normally generate methane gas, which is a greenhouse gas
(GHG). Through this technology, methane gas is captured, converted into energy
resource to be utilized for farm operations, enabling reduction of GHG and its
harmful effects.
The Bank also received a Merit Award on Financial Inclusion for offering Online
Deposit Account Opening and Purchase of Retail Treasury Bonds, which allows
clients to open an account and purchase Retail Treasury Bonds (RTB) offered by the
Bureau of the National Treasury (BTr).
LANDBANK is the only government entity that offers an online ordering platform for
bond issuances of the National Government.
ADFIAP serves as the focal point of all development banks and other financial
institutions engaged in development financing across the Asia-Pacific region, with
the mission to advance sustainable development through its members.
The annual ADFIAP Awards recognizes member-institutions that have made
important contributions to national development.
