Trailblazer in Mindoro Rural Banking
Rural banking in the Philippines, just like the habitat
of the
endangered wild animals, is facing enormous challenges. The Tamaraw Rural Bank,
Inc. (TRBI) and the very animal that they share the name are both
struggling with time.
As
the pioneering institution in rural banking in the whole island of Mindoro, it
is a highly reputable bank supervised by the Central Bank of the Philippines.
It has shown so much commitment towards improving the quality of life in its
catchment areas practically in all municipalities of Occidental Mindoro.
Adhered to their commitment of being “Your
Trusted Partner in Progress”, as how its motto puts it, the TRBI exhausts
all its resources to serve the banking needs of the province.
In
retrospect, the rural bank is the precursor of the now-defunct Mina De Oro
Rural Bank, Inc. which was established on October 25, 1956. After nine years,
on March 15, 1965, it officially came into existence. Their principal office is
in San Jose and now have a branch in Sablayan which arose to full
operation in October of 2011. Its branch manager in Sablayan is Mr. Ronaldo V. Robles who had been in the branch for 8 years now. Aside from Robles, Choiline C. Advincula, teller/cashier; Jomar E. Vite, bookkeeper; Ronald T. Bugarin, loan clerk; and Calvin P. Viloza, security guard; are ready to serve you with a smile.
Their
vision is to be a leader in serving the farmers, fishers, and small
entrepreneurs and businessmen and become a responsible rural banking
institution using the highest standards in service delivery and be a staunch
mission partner in the development of local economies. The Tamaraw Rural Bank,
Inc. is a proud member of the Rural Bankers’ Association of the Philippines
(RBAP).
Endangered
Animal
The Department of Environment and
Natural Resources or DENR designated the October of every year as “Special Month for the Conservation and
Protection of the Tamaraw in Mindoro”. The “Tamaraw Month” is provided under Presidential Proclamation No. 273
of 2002. The biggest part of Mt. Iglit-Baco, home for Bubalus Mindorensis, is part of Sablayan. Tamaraw Rural Bank,
Inc. periodically coordinates with the Protected Area and Wildlife Bureau
(PAWB) of DENR about activities related to its commemoration and consequently
on the latter’s participation in the upcoming headcount of the dwarf buffalo
which was considered by many as one of the Philippines’ national treasure. Nine
years ago, the Tamaraw was declared endangered by authorities and experts in
wild animal conservation.
The Tamaraw, in reality, is not a
subspecies of the carabao. They may have many identical physical attributes but
the latter is a bit larger. The Tamaraw has a lot of hair and donning light
markings on its face and has short, V-shaped horns. Mindoro’s unique animal is
part and parcel and important feature of our delicate ecosystems. It is one of
the most prominent biological heritages of our island.
The Tamaraw Rural Bank, Inc. as part
of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) contributed to the conduct of the
recent Tamaraw Count in the Mts. Iglit-Baco Natural Park (MIBNP) by way of
providing uniforms to park rangers and volunteers and other necessities
relevant to the activity. The count held last April 2019 in Occidental Mindoro
has officially recorded a total of 480 participating individuals from 18 vantage points. The Tamaraw Count was initiated in 2000 and
is now an annual event that takes place in said area usually in April of every
month. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), through its
Tamaraw Conservation Program (TCP), takes the main cudgels in the annual count which
aims to monitor the status and population of Tamaraws in their habitat. The
bank supports all the activities in this year’s Month of
the Tamaraw celebration.
For the whole month of October 2019,
there will be motorcade, forum, symposium/ fora, day camp, Dalaw-Turo, quiz
bee, fun run, and bio-camp anchored on this theme: “327 Tamaraw ng Mindoro: Sagisag ng Bawat Pilipino, Pangalagaan at Paramihin
ito.” The Tamaraw Rural Bank will support the Tamaraw Count come 2020 and surely in the years ahead. Last October 5, 2019, Tamaraw Rural Bank, Inc. joined and sponsored the
Padyak-Tamaraw, a national Tamaraw Month bike fest for a cause. The bikers’
rendezvous happened at the Tamaraw Gene Pool Farm, Brgy. Manoot, Rizal.
The uniqueness of the Tamaraw must
be carried in every endeavor, struggle, and inspiration of each Mindoreño. Be
it in rural banking and in environmental conservation.
Banking and Ecological Protection
Under
the leadership of its president and chairman, Mr. Emerito L. Ramos III, the
Tamaraw Rural Bank, Inc. looks forward for getting more clients and in reacting
and improving in many ways, as they strive to be responsible stewards of the
environment. The rural bank acknowledge that they have a responsibility with
their customers, employees, investors and the communities that they serve to
better understand the impact of their operations on pro-environmental activities
of their clients and help reduce the impact of environmental degradation
through their future CSRs.
Mr.
Ramos emphasized that it is their mission to, “take part in providing a bright and promising future of an improved
economy and prosperous lives for Filipinos in the countryside.” Ramos is
the current president of the Confederation of Southern Tagalog Rural Bankers.
Though
a long shot aim, they are looking forward to venture on the juxtaposition of
rural banking and ecological protection. For both the rural bank and the
endangered animal, the Earth is what they all have in common.
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(Photo:
Ronaldo V. Robles)
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