6 entities in Mindanao get special citations from BSP

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Two of the six entities in Mindanao that the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) granted special citations early this week for being its development partners are based in this city, the capital of the Bangsamoro region.

Representatives of the six entities, the branches of the East West Bank in Cagayan de Oro City and Landbank in Cotabato City, Landbank’s cash operations unit in Davao City, the Regional Development Council in the Caraga Region, the Bangsamoro Information Office and the South Cotabato provincial government received the citation plaques from the BSP during a symbolic rite in Davao City last Monday, September 28.

Officials of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and South Cotabato Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. separately told reporters on Saturday that they were elated with the BSP’s special awards, for them an inspiration to intensify their cooperation with its programs and activities.

Cotabato City is one of the three cities in BARMM, where a Landbank branch also received the same award.

The Bangsamoro Information Office, most known as BIO, is BARMM’s main information conduit to the local communities, functioning as a regional news outfit.

The BIO is partly focused on educating BARMM residents on the operational modalities of state entities, including the BSP, the country’s central monetary authority, and commissions whose functions are not devolved to the Bangsamoro regional government.

“We in South Cotabato appreciate the special citation that the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas gave our provincial government,” said Tamayo, who, as governor, is also presiding chairperson of the multi-sector Regional Peace and Order Council 12.

The South Cotabato provincial government is known for its extensive peacebuilding activities in all of its component towns and in Koronadal City, the capital of the province. Tamayo's office is also popular for its active involvement in activities meant to educate South Cotabato residents on the importance of banking to the local economy.

Two BSP officials, Deputy Governor Bernadette Romulo-Puyat and Monetary Board Member Romeo Bernardo, had separately told reporters that the awards given to the six awardees in Mindanao were a tacit recognition of each entity’s efficient cash circulation and digital monetary transactions and relevant information campaigns advancing the Bangko Sentral’s public service thrusts.