In partnership with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST), state-run Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) launched the LANDBANK Mastercard Prepaid Card (LMPC) for the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) Program on January 15, 2021.
The LMPC is a general-purpose reloadable card for TES beneficiaries that functions as an electronic wallet and can be used as a debit or ATM card.
Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and House Speaker Lord Allan Jay Q. Velasco extended their congratulations through recorded video messages during the launch.
“The virtual holding of this ceremony is an affirmation of this administration’s unyielding commitment to make quality tertiary education more accessible for Filipino students, especially now that we are dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic,” President Duterte said.
The virtual launch via Facebook Live was led by LANDBANK President and CEO Cecilia C. Borromeo, CHED and UNiFAST Governing Board Chairman J. Prospero de Vera III, and UniFAST Executive Director Atty. Ryan L. Estevez.
President Borromeo announced that TES beneficiaries may withdraw their stipend using their LMPC through LANDBANK’s 2,320 ATMs and 411 branches nationwide.
“We welcome this opportunity to provide efficient and secure banking services to student-beneficiaries. As your partner bank, we will ensure that the students will receive their monthly stipends in a timely, safe, and convenient manner,” President Borromeo said.
Aside from accessibility and convenience, the LMPC also offers cashless payments, electronic funds transfers, and online account management, among others, as part of LANDBANK’s response to the growing demand of safer and digital financial solutions.
Moreover, TES beneficiaries will also benefit from the other features of the LMPC such as 3DSecurity for secure online transactions, contactless “tap” payments, and reloading of funds at any LANDBANK branches or Agent Banking Partners across the country.
“The LANDBANK Mastercard Prepaid Card that we are launching today will help ease the burden of our TES beneficiaries in receiving their TES amidst the restrictions of COVID-19,” said CHED Chairman De Vera.
Also present during the virtual launch were Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations Managing Director Atty. Joseph Noel M. Estrada, Association of Local Colleges and Universities UniFAST Commission Chairperson Dr. Elena E. Presnedi, and Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges President Dr. Tirso A. Ronquillo.
The TES Program is a joint venture among CHED, UniFAST, and LANDBANK that aims to prioritize support to more than 400,000 students from the poorest of the poor households. It also forms part of the implementation of Republic Act 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.
