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Aubrey Rose Inosante - The Philippine Star
June 6, 2026 | 12:00am
Photo shows DBP president and chief executive officer Michael de Jesus and Bayanihan Bank Inc. president/director Jose Paolo Palileo (second and third from right, respectively) during the loan signing ceremony between DBP and Bayanihan Bank Inc. at the DBP head office in Makati. Also present are DBP senior vice president Soraya Adiong (second from left), DBP vice president Maricris Santiago (right) and Bayanihan Bank Inc. independent director lawyer Albert Concha Jr. (left).
MANILA, Philippines — State-run Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) has approved a P100-million credit assistance to Quezon-based rural lender Bayanihan Bank Inc. to boost financing for small-scale farmers and fisherfolk looking to expand their operations.
DBP president and CEO Michael de Jesus said the loan assistance under its Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development (AFRD) credit facility would enable the rural bank to relend to sub-borrowers in the agri-fishery sector.
“We view this partnership with Bayanihan Bank as a strategic move to ramp up DBP’s support to the agriculture and fishery sector, in recognition of the critical role that it plays in promoting inclusive economic growth, particularly among the marginalized communities,” De Jesus said.
Established in 1960, Bayanihan Bank provides financial services to rural communities and empowers micro and small business owners, particularly in Quezon province, Laguna, the National Capital Region and Pangasinan.
De Jesus said the loan would enable the rural bank to finance its borrowers’ critical requirements, including working capital, acquisition and upgrading of equipment and improvement of related facilities and allow them to boost their productivity and income.
As of end-April, DBP has approved P578.7 million in loans for 32 borrowers under the AFRD program, benefiting more than 1,500 farmers and fisherfolk across the country.
According to De Jesus, DBP is eyeing more tie-ups with cooperatives, rural banks and microfinance institutions “to better fulfill its developmental mandate by extending financing assistance to sectors that need it the most.”
DBP is the ninth-largest bank in the country with total assets of P1.04 trillion and provides credit support to four priority sectors of the economy.
