Thursday, November 13, 2008 Plantersbank to open Tagum branch
A TOP official of the Planters Development Bank (Plantersbank) said they will open another branch in Tagum City, making it the third branch in Davao Region and the fifth in Mindanao.
In her welcome remarks during the Plantersbank SME Speakers Series at the Apo View Hotel on Tuesday, Maria Flordelis Aguenza, president and chief operating officer of the Plantersbank, said their business prospects for Mindanao remains positive.
"We are determined to make our contribution to Mindanao's success. We share your vision of a progressive, prosperous city that teems with social and economic opportunities," Aguenza said.
She added that the vision of a progressive region could be achieved by promoting entrepreneurship, which is the driver for job-creation and improving people's income.
She said Plantersbank is operating in five branches in Mindanao, namely: Cagayan de Oro City, General Santos City, two branches in Davao City, and soon in Tagum City.
She added that Tagum branch will be operational by the first quarter of next year.
Aguenza said Plantersbank, which is identified as the only bank in the Philippines that focuses on SMEs, has been in the industry for more than 30 years.
"We did not convert into a commercial bank because we do not want to lose our vision to help the small businesses, we really focus on SMEs," Aguenza in an interview, adding that there are a total of 72 branches of Plantersbank nationwide. Five of which are located in Mindanao, three branches in the Visayas, and the rest are located in Luzon.
"We believe in the small, we believe that when we finance them, they will grow," she said.
Meanwhile, Rico Aloyon, assistant vice-president and head of the Mindanao Lending Department of the Plantersbank, said the bank can grant a loan to a client/partner in an average of P12 million.
"In Mindanao, we have around 500 accounts or clients, 240 accounts are banana growers," he said.
On the other hand, Aguenza said the Plantersbank SME Speaker Series, a forum that tackled management topics relevant to the Filipino entrepreneurs, was first conducted in Cebu, followed by forums in Pampanga, Metro manila, and Calamba.
"Another circuit of forum on management topics will be conducted next year. This forum in Davao was the last activity for the year," Aguenza said.
She concluded that the Speaker Series aims to be a continuing forum that will allow Filipino SMEs to personally meet the gurus and visionaries of management and to acquaint them with the cutting edge ideas in wealth creation, entrepreneurial design, and personal mastery.
For the Davao's forum, Plantersbank has brought one of the country's foremost motivated speakers, Francis J. Kong, who shared valuable insights necessary for "Leading through Difficult Times."
