The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
State-owned Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) has received three international awards for initiatives promoting education, financial inclusion, and local economic development.
DBP President and Chief Executive Officer Michael O. de Jesus said the bank won in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) category at the 2026 Development Awards of the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP), while securing two merit awards for its financial inclusion and countryside development programs.
“We are deeply honored for these recognitions, which serve as an affirmation of DBP’s efforts to advance national development and inspire us to remain steadfast in our mandate of supporting initiatives that promote inclusive and sustainable growth in the country,” de Jesus said.
The bank’s flagship DBP Integrated Scholastic Program for Inclusive and Sustainable Education (DBP INSPIRE) was named the top CSR initiative for its ladderized approach to education, providing support to students from primary through tertiary levels.
The program offers scholarships covering tuition and other school-related expenses to underprivileged high school graduates pursuing higher education. It also assists public elementary and secondary school students through outreach activities, including the Department of Education’s Brigada Eskwela and Adopt-a-School programs.
DBP has allocated ₱510 million for the five-year program, which de Jesus said supports President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s call for increased government assistance to the education sector.
The bank also received a merit award in the Local Economic Development category for financing improvements to the public market of Calumpit, Bulacan, through its Assistance for Economic and Social Development for Local Government Units (ASENSO) program.
The project has benefited more than 120,000 residents of the municipality and nearby communities.
Another merit award recognized DBP’s financial inclusion efforts, particularly the establishment of branch-lite units in Talakag, Bukidnon, and Viga, Catanduanes, which have brought banking services closer to underserved and unbanked communities in Luzon and Mindanao.
ADFIAP, a regional organization founded in Manila in 1976, comprises development banks and financial institutions across the Asia-Pacific. Its annual awards program recognizes member institutions whose projects contribute to sustainable economic, environmental, and social development.
De Jesus said the recognitions underscore DBP’s commitment to making financial services more accessible, particularly in communities with limited banking facilities.
DBP, the country’s 10th largest bank by assets, provides financing support to four strategic sectors: infrastructure and logistics; micro, small and medium enterprises; environment; and social services and community development.
“Rest assured that DBP will continue to serve as a catalyst for growth and support initiatives that redound to the benefit of our ultimate stakeholder—the Filipino people,” de Jesus said.