LANDBANK and the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) have joined hands to advance agricultural education and fully digitalize the delivery of scholarship support for nearly one million Ched scholars nationwide, expanding access to higher learning and inclusive financial services for students across the country.
Landbank president and CEO Lynette V. Ortiz and Ched Chairperson Dr. Shirley C. Agrupis formalized the partnership during the Higher Education Summit held last March 12, 2026 at the SMX Clark Convention Center in Pampanga.
The collaboration brings together Ched’s academic and research ecosystem and Landbank’s development banking expertise to support priority areas that link education, agriculture, and financial inclusion.
They were joined by Landbank executive vice president Marilou L. Villafranca and senior vice president Catherine Rowena B. Villanueva; and Ched executive director Atty. Cinderella Filipina S. Benitez-Jaro and Commissioners Desiderio R. Apag III, Dr. Myrna Q. Mallari, and Dr. Michelle Aguilar-Ong.
“By aligning Ched’s educational mission with Landbank’s development mandate, we lay the groundwork for a system that integrates academic excellence, agricultural modernization, digital transformation, and financial inclusion — all essential pillars of national development,” said Ortiz.
Agrupis said the partnership aligns with the Ched A.C.H.I.E.V.E. Reform Agenda, which translates national higher education commitments into clear priorities.
“Over the years, Landbank has been an important partner in helping government institutions like Ched to deliver programs more efficiently. Hindi na lamang po ito routine coordination, but a more deliberate effort to identify where our mandates intersect and how our collaboration can translate into concrete support for our universities and students,” she added.
The two institutions will collaborate across six priority areas, including scholarship expansion; support for agri-entrepreneurship and innovation; climate-smart research collaboration; strengthening the agri-industrial capacity of State Universities and Colleges (SUCs); career development and workforce integration; and the digitalization of scholarship fund disbursements.
The modernization of scholarship allowance disbursements under Ched’s programs will allow scholars to receive their allowances faster, safer, and more conveniently through direct crediting to their bank accounts.
Beneficiaries may open an account online via the Landbank Mobile Banking App (MBA) or at any Landbank branch nationwide.
The partnership also supports Landbank’s Cash-Lite Campus Program, which has already benefited more than 12,500 students, personnel, and campus partners nationwide and continues to expand across colleges and universities. (PR)