Company Name: Land Bank of the Philippines
Company Owner: Mr. Alex V. Buenaventura
Company Address: LandBank Plaza Bldg., 1598 M. H. Del Pilar cor. Dr. J. Quintos Sts., Malate, Manila 1004
Official Contact #: (+632) 405-7000
Company Website: https://www.landbank.com/
Company Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/landbankofficia
Contact Person:
Contact #:
Product/Services: Banking Services
Corporate Social Responsibility
Gawad e-Dukasyon Program
I. Summary of Information
PROFILE
DESCRIPTION
Implementation Period
Phase I: 2013-2014
Phase II: 2015-2016
Impact Area
More than 4,000 public schools connected to Knowledge Channel
General public
Program Partners
Knowledge Channel Foundation, Inc. (KCFI)
II. Objectives
To develop an educational video series for Technology Livelihood Education (TLE) for Grade 8 (Phase I) and Grades 9-12 (Phase II) on agriculture and agripreneurship, complemented by educational games and/or activities for students, coupled with lesson plans for teachers.
To develop inter-active computer-based e-learning modules to complement the episodes; session guides or lesson plans for teachers; and to test the impact of the episodes in the attitudes of the students towards agriculture.
To help high schools students understand the relevant concepts on agriculture, to learn the skills, with the end view of encouraging them to pursue higher studies engaged in agriculture or related fields.
III. Results and Impact
The Philippines being an agricultural country, many if not majority of the Filipinos in rural communities are engaged in agriculture-related work or businesses.
Agriculture does not only provide the daily nutritional sustenance of Filipinos, but it also contributes immensely to the economy and plays a major role in the improvement of the country’s economy. It can contribute much more if more young people will consider and pursue agriculture as a serious area of study and career option.
However, according to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), there is a steady decline in the enrolment in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries courses in colleges and universities in the country for the past 10 years. From 94,900 enrollees in 2001, it is now down to 49,823 in 2011 or an almost 50% decrease.
Thus, LANDBANK partnered with Knowledge Channel Foundation, Inc. (KCFI) to develop a series on agriculture-entrepreneurship (“agripreneurship”) to create awareness and educate the learners to take up courses and/or eventually engage in activities which deal with agriculture and agripreneurship.
LANDBANK signed a Deed of Donation with KCFI on February 20, 2013 for the LANDBANK Gawad e-Dukasyon Program, initially involving the production of three (3) videos on sustainable agriculture/farming and fisheries practices and technologies, to be aired over Knowledge Channel, coupled with e-modules that will be made available on the internet.
The videos were used as learning materials for the Department of Education’s Alternative Learning System and Informal Education Program as well as for Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
Phase I was completed in January 2014 and rolled-out in via KCFI by June 2014. It is currently being aired four (4) times during the scheduled airing week, and to continue for five (5) school years.
1. Three (3) “AgriCOOLture” videos (Phase I). The Program produced 3 videos with the following topics that were aired in K-Channel:
Agriculture Science and Livestock
Crop Production
Aquaculture
2. Beneficiaries. The Program was beneficial to the following:
4,007,943 learners from more than 4,000 public schools connected to K-Channel through on-air broadcast and video on-demand.
More than 10,000 out-of-school youths and mature learners enrolled in DepEd’s Alternative Learning System (ALS)
More than 100,000 teachers of formal schools and community learning centers with access to K-Channel.
Learners of private and public schools, and their parents and siblings in the 1,500,000+ households all over the country with access to K-Channel.
The general public with access to K-Channel and its on-line portal.
3. Focused Group Discussions (FGD). The LANDBANK-KCFI program team conducted FGDs to measure the effectiveness of the videos. The researchers went to Naic Coastal High School in Naic, Cavite and San Roque National High School, in Antipolo City, Rizal. For the urban sample respondents, students of Mandaluyong High School in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila were taken.
Each sample class representing average-performing Grade 8 high school sections per school took part in the evaluation. The students in the sample classes participated in the paper and pencil tests. Each class was given an episode to view. The following were the results:
Generally, students found the show interesting and educational. For instance in episode 1, they mentioned “potentials of Agriculture as a field of study and as a profession” as concepts learned. In episodes 2 and 3, the students realized the economic and societal importance of agriculture and the job opportunities they can get to support their needs.
The students like shows of this kind: magazine format with a few appropriately injected humors which made it enjoyable and effective.
The use of contemporary Filipino and a few English lines were favored, and in fact made the episodes very comprehensible.
IV. Innovations
1. The video series offered a unique and fresh approach—to presuppose that the pursuit of agriculture could be a viable, if not a lucrative business opportunity—a concept that veers away from the traditional view that agriculture is a back-breaking job that does not earn much.
2. It was able to touch base with the youth as it featured popular TV/movie actors that the youth identified with as episode hosts: Aaron Villaflor (Phase I) and Enchong Dee (Phase II-proposed).
GAWAD KABUHAYAN PROGRAM
I. Summary of Information
PROFILE
DESCRIPTION
Implementation Period
Phase 1: 2013-2014
Phase 2: 2015-2016
Impact Areas
Phase 1: Typhoon “Sendong” Victims
· Calaanan Phase III Relocation Site, Cagayan de Oro City
Phase 2: Other Victims
· Daanbantayan, Cebu (“Yolanda”)
· Calauan, Laguna (“Sendong/Glenda”)
· Bayanihan Village, Cagayan de Oro City (“Sendong”)
Program Partner
Habitat for Humanity-Philippines
II. Objectives
To aid the recovery of affected families displaced by Typhoon Sendong in Cagayan de Oro City, as well as victims of other super typhoons in other areas, by equipping them with skills vital to accessing and developing opportunities for livelihood, promoting self-reliance.
To develop a pioneer program employing a “recovery through livelihood” concept that will complement LANDBANK’s social mandate of promoting the well-being of marginalized sectors of society.
The associations that were formed for the social enterprises will be assisted by LANDBANK in terms of capacity-building in order for them to “graduate” into full-pledged cooperatives. As cooperatives, they will have access to the various loan windows offered by the Bank.
III. Relevance
In 2012, Habitat for Humanity-Philippines (HFHP) submitted a funding proposal to LANDBANK to build houses in Cagayan de Oro City, specifically for the victims of Typhoon Sendong.
Realizing that relocated families in evacuation centers usually end up leaving or going back to their previous areas of residence because of lack of livelihood opportunities, LANDBANK proposed the “LANDBANK Gawad Kabuhayan Program,” a ‘recovery through livelihood’ program for families affected by Typhoon Sendong in Cagayan de Oro City.
On February 8, 2013, LANDBANK and HFHP signed a Deed of Donation and launched the partnership in Cagayan de Oro City.
The program is a collaboration among Habitat and its partners, through funding from LANDBANK, that aims to promote self-reliance among an estimated 3,355 families affected in six (6) relocation sites in Cagayan de Oro, namely Calaanan II, Calaanan III, Indahag I, Indahag II, Xavier Ecoville, and Taguanao.
Residents of Calaanan Phase III relocation site in Cagayan de Oro City completed the livelihood trainings for the following:
Hollow-block production
Food processing/preparation
Public transport business operation
Upon completion of the three (3) livelihood programs, the team assessed the needs of the other relocation sites initialed identified for the implementation of Phase 1. They concluded that the other evacuees have more or less already settled down and have started anew in the sites.
Thus, Habitat proposed three (3) new sites for Phase II (Cebu, Laguna and Cagayan de Oro City), which was approved by the LBP Management Committee, using the remaining approved budget for the program, with no additional costs.
IV. Results and Impact
1. Aided in the recovery of affected families by equipping them with skills vital to accessing and developing opportunities for livelihood. This augmented the income of households in the relocation sites.
Hollow-blocks making. A total of 40 unemployed victims of Typhoon Sendong (or 40 families) were trained in hollow-block making. Each training recipient earned an extra income estimated at P4,000.00 to P5,000.00 per month. The hollow-blocks produced were used to construct housing units in several relocation sites established by HFHP in the city.
Food processing. About 30 “Sendong” survivors were trained in baking and food processing of jams and marmalade preserves. Each of them earn about P100 per day. They have established a bakery and has formed the United Food Processors and Producers Cooperative (UFPPC).
Public transportation operation. LANDBANK donated (3) multi-cab units that provide livelihood to typhoon survivors and transportation access for the relocation site community after the city government recently awarded to them a new transport route. They have established the Habitat Homeowners Transport Cooperative (HHTC).
2. Fostered a social cohesion that helped in the emotional healing of the communities that were traumatized by the typhoon/floods.
V. Innovations
According to Habit for Humanity, this is the first Habitat site all over the world that integrates skills training program in Habitat’s disaster recovery efforts.
Because of its success, the program will be replicated in other Habitat sites nationwide.
LANDBANK will assist the trained residents in the relocation sites to form cooperatives to help ensure the success of their respective livelihood programs thru capacity-building workshops.
VI. Awards
LANDBANK Gawad Kabuhayan is one of the Bank’s programs cited as “Outstanding Development Projects” by the Association of Development Financing Institution in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP) under the Corporate Social Responsibility category of the ADFIAP Awards 2014.
BANGON Mini-Farms Program
Recognizing the need to teach self-sufficiency to the survivors of Typhoon Yolanda in Leyte, LANDBANK, through the LANDBANK Countryside Development Foundation, Inc. (LCDFI), developed the “Bangon Mini-Farms Program: Sustainable Integrated Organic and Natural Mini-Farm Program”, a holistic livelihood program (from training to marketing).
The Bangon Program, rolled out in January 2014, is an innovative livelihood program that seeks to provide both daily sustenance and steady and increased income for a small farmer family to address the advocacy “Ending Hunger and Poverty, One-Farmer Family at a time.”
Each mini-farm features an intensive farming scheme consisting of a natural (odorless) piggery, free-ranging chicken coop, a fish pond, vegetable production, a kitchen/medicinal garden, and a small farmer’s house-all contained in a 1,000 square meter lot area.
It is a systems approach consisting of a series of Trainings – Technology Transfer Execution workshops, showing how one thousand (1,000) square meter farms with twenty four (24) square meter pig houses, using the natural, organic, and microbial technology, with a support organization, are networked into a supply chain.
Mr. Gil Carandang, recognized as the “Father of Organic Farming in the Philippines”, conducted the hands-on training which highly promoted natural organic farming as a more productive and cost-efficient means of livelihood.
The trainings and seminars for pilot farms conducted were:
Farm-tested Composting and Bio-Organic Preparations
Protocols for Organic and Natural Vegetable Farming
Protocols for Natural Piggery
Protocols for Urban Gardening
Weather Mitigants
Results and Impact
There were Four (4) Workshop series that were implemented at the following areas:
Bangon Alpha-Sector - Capoocan, Leyte, January 2014
Bangon Bravo-Sector - Tacloban City, Leyte, February 2014
Bangon Charlie-Sector - Palo, Leyte, March 2014
Bangon Delta-Sector - Tabango, Leyte, May 2014
Follow-up sessions on Review of Technology and Field Preparations, Test Production of Vegetables and Pigs, and Test Marketing and Full Pig-Growing Cycle were also given in 3 to 4 week intervals.
Mini-farms were organized into Sectors and Clusters strategically located so farmers can plan for production, have a support organization, bring and sell their own organically-grown produce, and establish a chain of farmer’s markets for the farmer-partners.
Disaster Relief Operations and Donations to Calamities
Because local government units (LGUs) are one of the most important priority sectors of the Bank, LANDBANK provides donations and conducts relief operations during disasters and calamities.
Both the Bank and its employees provide assistance when needed. Some of the highlights of these activities in 2013-2014 are as follows:
1. Typhoon “Yolanda”
In the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda, a total of 161 provinces, cities and municipalities in the Visayas and Palawan received varying amounts of financial assistance from LANDBANK (Php200,000.00 per province; Php100,000.00 per city/municipality), totaling Php17,600,000.00.
Graduates of the Bank’s Management Training Program (MTP) and Officers Development Program (ODP), together with other LANDBANK volunteers forewent the comforts of an air conditioned office and braved the heat and exhaustion at the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) at the Port of Manila, as they joined the relief operations spearheaded by the DSWD and the DOF.
LANDBANK was tapped to assist in relief goods repacking and loading activities. A total of 547,070 family packs of relief goods were prepared at the MICT relief hub. Of these, 445,270 family packs were loaded in containers and shipped to Tacloban City for distribution. Almost 300 trainees of the Philippine Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force also assist in the repacking and loading of the relief goods per shift. First aid assistance and meals were provided by LANDBANK for all volunteers.
2. PDRF. Also in relation to Typhoon Yolanda, LANDBANK donated Php1,000,000.00 to the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation (PDRF) to fund the rehabilitation of affected areas under its “Help Ph” project. President Pico was also named as a board member of PDRF, which is chaired by Mr. Manuel V. Pangilinan.
For their part, LANDBANK employees, both from the head office and branches, voluntarily donated a total of 200 large/balikbayan boxes of relief goods containing assorted clothes, toiletries and food items. These were forwarded to the Cebu and Iloilo Command Centers for distribution to families affected by Typhoon Yolanda.
3. Grant-A-Wish Project. As school children in Leyte faced a bleak and gloomy Christmas 2013 after their homes and schools were devastated by Typhoon Yolanda, Landbankers brought them a bit of a smile through LANDBANK’s “Grant-A-Wish Project.”
A total of 351 students from Grades 1 to 6 from Can-Adieng Elementary School in Ormoc City received assorted food/grocery items, clothes and school supplies last Jan. 10, 2014. Late 2013, the kids wrote their personal wishes in Christmas cards that were hung on the Christmas tree at the LBP Plaza lobby. Landbankers then picked the cards and fulfilled the children’s wishes from their own pockets.
4. HABAGAT (August 2013): Because of the onslaught of “Habagat” in the later part of 2013, LANDBANK donated goods and services (funds and volunteers) to conduct relief operations in the following affected areas:
DATE
VENUE
NO. OF BENEFICIARIES
August 21 (Wed)
(c/o Couples For Christ)
Santuario de San Pedro Bautista Parish (San Francisco Del Monte, Quezon City)
1,000
August 24 (Sat)
(c/o Fr. Paschal Gorgona)
San Roque Parish Church (Cabrera St., Pasay City)
2,500
August 31 (Sat)
(c/o Caritas Manila)
(c/o Couples for Christ)
1. Our Lady of Assumption Parish (Asuncion St., Malate, Manila)
2. St. Anthony de Padua Shrine (Singalong corner San Andres Sts., Manila)
3. San Jose de Trozo (1430 Masangkay St., Sta. Cruz, Manila)
4. Couples for Christ-Laguna (Landayan, San Pedro and Dela Paz, Biñan)
1,000
600
100
800
September 13 (Fri)
(c/o Imus Branch)
St. Michael Archangel Parish (Bacoor, Cavite)
1,500
TOTAL
7,500
5. BOHOL EARTHQUAKE: The Bank donated a total of Php3,750,000.00 in cash to the Province of Palawan, plus one city and 26 municipalities for the relief and rehabilitation operations of the affected LGU.
6. Mt. Mayon Eruption. LANDBANK also provided a rice and t-shirt donation worth One Million Pesos (Php1,000,000.00) to the Provincial Government of Albay in October 2013 during the eruption of Mt. Mayon. It was distributed to 7,960 families in the Municipalities of Malilipot, Camalig, Daraga and Sto. Domingo.
Funding Support for Galing Pook
LANDBANK partners with Galing Pook Foundation, Inc. (GPFI) by providing funds for the conduct of the Galing Pook Awards, a prestigious annual search and recognition for innovative practices by LGU on local governance programs.
The Galing Pook Awards is a pioneering program that recognizes innovation and excellence in local governance that started in October 21, 1993 under the joint initiative of the Local Government Academy-Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Ford Foundation, and other individual advocates of good governance from the academe, civil society and the government.
Part of LANDBANK’s role in the partnership is to promote winning programs as models of good governance for adoption by other LGUs/communities thru publication of adoption kits/case books and conduct of roadshows to showcase best practices.
The winning programs are selected based on positive results and impact, promotion of people's participation and empowerment, innovation, transferability and sustainability, and efficiency of program service delivery.
Gawad Patnubay Scholarship Program
The Scholarship
With LANDBANK's mandate of helping spur and sustain countryside development, the LANDBANK Gawad Patnubay (Gawad Pag-aaral Tungo sa Maunlad na Bayan) Scholarship Program is an education-to-employment initiative designed to benefit underprivileged, but deserving students who shall specialize in the fields of agriculture and fisheries.
Highlights:
Over 100 students from various year levels benefited from the program
A total of 40 LANDBANK scholars graduated, and participated in the Education-to-Employment (E2E) Internship Program
19 scholars graduated with honors
100% of graduate scholars who are required to take the Agriculturist Licensure Exam are now professionally licensed, including 1 scholar who placed 6th in the national ranking in 2015
The program aims to develop skills in modern agriculture, renew enthusiasm for the agricultural sector, promote sustainable development, and reduce poverty in the countryside through quality education.
A LANDBANK scholar is entitled to the following privileges:
100% subsidy for tuition fees
Very Competitive monthly stipend
Yearly Book allowance
Research grant/thesis funding
Licensure review and examination subsidy
Financial award for honor students from Php 30,000 to Php 50,000 cash incentive
10-week Education-to-Employment (E2E) Internship Program (Inclusive of airfare, accommodation, food, and stipend)
- 3 weeks capacity building and personal development at the LANDBANK Head Office
- 7 weeks field internship
The Funding
The financial assistance provided by the program is funded by more than 7,000 LANDBANK employees through voluntary salary contribution with a minimum of one hour’s worth of their salary during the last working day of the year.
Additionally, LANDBANK has a counterpart of 50% of the total funding for the formal education program which enables the program to support 110 scholars each school year.
Partner Schools
The scholarship program is open to agriculture students enrolled in our 17 partner state colleges and universities:
Benguet State University (BSU)
Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU)
Isabela State University (ISU)
Central Luzon State University (CLSU)
Univeristy of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB)
Marinduque State College (MSC)
Central Bicol State University of Agriculture (CBSUA)
UP Visayas (Miag-ao Campus)
Negros Oriental State University (NORSU)
Bohol Island State University (BISU)
Visayas State University (VSU)
Jose Rizal Memorial State University (JRMSU)
Central Mindano Univeristy (CMU)
University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP)
University of Southern Mindanao (USM)
Surigao del Sur State University (SDSSU)
Mindanao State University (MSU)
E2E Internship Program
Aside from offering educational funding, the Gawad Patnubay Scholarship Program also has an Education-to-Employment (E2E) internship component. E2E opens opportunities for the scholars to prepare them after graduation, and aims to secure agriculture-related jobs for the scholars at the end of the program.
Upon successful program completion, the scholars will participate in a 10-week intensive internship program composed of three weeks of lectures, seminars, and professional and personality development activities at the LANDBANK Head Office in Manila. Additionally, scholars will experience 7 weeks of field work in LANDBANK or in different partner-institutions such as the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), Philippine Carabao Center (PCC), LANDBANK Countryside Development Foundation Inc. (LCDFI) and HARBEST Agribusiness Corporation to name a few.
Thus far since 2015, over 10 scholars have been deployed to PhilRice, 7 scholars to LCDFI, 3 scholars to the LANDBANK Head Office, 2 scholars to IRRI, and 2 scholars to PCC among many others.
Qualifications for the Scholarship
The following may be eligible to apply for the Gawad Patnubay Scholarship Program:
Must be Filipino citizens.
Have gone through initial screening procedures of partner universities (e.g., entrance exams, submission of required documents, and preliminary interviews, which are standard requirements for enrollment).
Preferably dependents of active members of cooperatives of small farmers and fishers currently being assisted by LANDBANK or LCDFI, or of Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) and Agrarian Reform Communities (ARCs).
Must be incoming first-year to third-year students pursing BS Agriculture, BS Fisheries or any agriculture-related disciplines.
With a general weighted average (GWA) of at least 2.5 or its equivalent in each semester, with no grades lower than 3.0 or its equivalent in any subject.
Must not be enjoying any other financial assistance, grant, or scholarship from other external sources (e.g., foundations, government and private scholarships, pre-need educational plans).
Annual family income must not exceed PHP150,000.00 as stated in their BIR income tax return, with exemptions as determined by the project team on a case-to-case basis. For example, parents with four or more children/dependents may have an income that could exceed PHP150,000.00— this may be taken into consideration when the application is evaluated.
How to Apply
Students who are enrolled in one of the 17 partner schools and taking up an agriculture-related course may submit the application form and all the other requirements to the respective University Student Affairs Office on or before the published deadline.
The application form may be downloaded through this link.
The requirements upon submission are the following:
Duly filled-out scholarship application form
Photocopy of the certified true copy of birth certificate PSA certified birth certificate
Two 2”x 2” ID photos
Medical certificate
Photocopy of recent ITR of parents or BIR certificate of tax exemption
Certified true copy of grades:
- For incoming 1st year – secondary student’s permanent
records or Form 137 with GWA not lower than 85 or its
equivalent and no failing grades in any subject
- For incoming 2nd year to 3rd year college – summary of
grades with a GWA of 2.5 per semester or its equivalent
with no grade below 3.0 or its equivalent in any subject
Certificate of good moral character coming from the school or university’s Office of Student Affairs
One letter of recommendation from a previous teacher/professor
Current resumé and list of activities, awards, and honors
500-word essay on “Why I am pursuing an agriculture-related career”
Barangay clearance from the applicant’s home barangay
For more inquiries, send an email to lbp-cad@mail.landbank.com or download the brochure through this link.
GAWAD SIBOL PROGRAM
(ADOPT-A-WATERSHED PROGRAM I, II & III)
Summary of Information
PROFILE
DESCRIPTION
Implementation Period
Phase I: 2006-2011
Phase II: 2012-2015
Phase III: 2015-2018
Impact Areas
Rehabilitation of denuded watersheds nationwide:
Phase I: 14 hectares
Angat-Ipo River in Bulacan (4 has.)
Bago River in Negros Occidental (2 has.)
Binahaan River in Leyte (2 has.)
Lasang River in Davao del Norte (2 has.)
Magat River in Nueva Vizcaya (2 has.)
Silway River in South Cotabato (2 has.)
Phase II: 40 hectares
Bugallon, Pangasinan (10 has.)
San Jose del Monte, Bulacan (10 has.)
Don Salvador Benedicto, Negros Occidental (5 has.)
Sapang Dako Watershed, Cebu City (5 has.)
Paquibato, Davao City (5 has.)
Olympog, General Santos City (5 has)
Phase III: 60 hectares
La Union (5 has.)
Isabela (5 has.)
Nueva Ecija (5 has.)
Batangas City (5 has.)
Albay (5 has.)
Iloilo (5 has.)
Cebu (5 has.)
Tacloban (5 has.)
Zamboanga Sibugay (5 has.)
Lanao del Sur (3 has.)
Davao del Norte (3 has.)
South Cotabato (3 has.)
Metro Manila (6 has.)
Program Partners
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)
Various Peoples’ Organizations (POs) nationwide (different partner PO per site)
Objectives
Reforest and protect denuded watersheds in nationwide.
Increase biodiversity (plants, animals and insects) in the planted areas.
Contribute to the National Greening Program (NGP) of the DENR.
Enter into a tri-partite partnership with the DENR and local community groups (indigenous people and peoples’ organizations) to ensure success and continuity of the program.
Plant fruit-bearing trees, instead of the usual hardwood variety which will provide upland dwellers with an additional source of livelihood.
Help mitigate the impact of global warming and climate change, and minimize floods during typhoons in the covered areas.
Fostered volunteerism among LANDBANK employees and their families.
Relevance
In the 1900s, the Philippines had 21 million hectares of old-growth forests covering 70 percent of the land area. Today, we barely have 5 million hectares or only about 20 percent of the country’s original forest cover, making the Philippines the only country in Southeast Asia with the thinnest forest cover.
To help address this social issue, LANDBANK entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in August 2006, for the “Adopt-A-Watershed Program” covering 14 hectares of denuded forestlands in six (6) pilot areas nationwide.
The MOA expired in December 2010. A Terminal Report was submitted by the DENR in November 2011 which noted the success of the project. The same Report recommended that the project be expanded as part of the National Greening Program (NGP) of the Aquino administration.
Thus, LANDBANK and DENR renewed its partnership in 2012 for a three-year “Adopt-A-Watershed Program II” (2012-2015) that will rehabilitate a total of 40 hectares of denuded forests in six (6) sites nationwide (2 sites for each of the three major islands in the country: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao)
Results and Impact
In 2013, the program continued to progress in its second year. However, in celebration of LANDBANK’s 50thanniversary, a special tree-planting project, dubbed “50k@50th: 50,000 trees for LANDBANK’s 50th Anniversary,” was conceived.
50k@50th, which complemented the Bank’s existing Adopt-A-Watershed Program, mobilized LANDBANK volunteers and their families in planting 50,000 seedlings in selected watersheds all over the country from January 17 until August 10, 2013.
The DENR provided seedlings free of charge, together with the preparation of the planting site.
Like the Adopt-A-Watershed Program (Phases I & II), the tree planting is LANDBANK’s contribution to the NGP of President Aquino, which is a massive forest rehabilitation program nationwide.
* Under the Adopt-A-Watershed Program
Innovations
Adopt-A-Watershed Program Phase 2 is an improvement from Phase 1 since it is now a tripartite agreement among LANDBANK, DENR and the respective Peoples’ Organization (PO) currently residing in the area.
Involving the POs in the area ensures that the seedlings are taken care of (e.g. weeding, fertilizer application) in the planted sites, ensuring a higher rate of survival. The POs also receive some token amount as incentive for their efforts.
During Phase 1 of the Program (2005-2010), hardwood tree species were planted in the watersheds. For Phase 2, fruit-bearing trees were introduced so that the upland dwellers/communities may benefit from the fruits of the trees.
Families and friends of LANDBANK employees were invited/encouraged to participate, fostering volunteerism and camaraderie.
The reporting procedure on the accomplishments of the program (e.g. number of seedlings and volunteers) was improved in Phase II.
Awards
The Adopt-A-Watershed Program is one of the Bank’s programs cited as “Outstanding Development Projects” by the Association of Development Financing Institution in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP) under the Corporate Social Responsibility category of the ADFIAP Awards 2014.
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