City Savings Bank Supports DepEd’s Digitalization Efforts

“City Savings Bank was founded by my great grandfather, Don Ramon Aboitiz, together with his trusted business partner, Teotimo Abellana, with a simple vision back then to serve people of moderate means. at Aboitiz, everything we do is anchored in our values and our greater purpose. We applaud DepEd for its commitment to improving the quality of education in our country, and rest assured that we in CitySavings and the whole Aboitiz Group are equally committed to enabling teachers and learners to reach their full potential.” ~Ana Aboitiz - Delgado, CitySavings Chairperson of the Board and UnionBank President and CEO

(From left) Department of Education (DepEd) External Partnerships Services (EPS) Director Ciela Mendoza, DepEd Assistant Secretary Cilette Liboro Co, DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara,  City Savings Bank (CitySavings) Chair of the Board Ana Aboitiz - Delgado, CitySavings President and CEO Manuel Santiago, Jr.  CitySavings AVP - Reputation and Brand Management Paula Viegelmann - Ruelan,  and CitySavings SVP - External Relations Head Atty. Roel Eric Garcia.

By signing a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Department of Education (DepEd) on February 17, 2025, City Savings Bank (CitySavings), the thrift division of Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank), which is led by Aboitiz, underlined its dedication to helping educators and students.  The deal solidifies CitySavings' ongoing collaboration with the DepEd as it works to develop learning and teaching support initiatives that complement the government organization's current 5-Point Agenda, which proactively tackles pertinent concerns in the education sector.  

“Through the years, we have been focused on our beloved teachers, serving their needs as we aim to be a teacher’s bank of choice. Since 2008, we have partnered with DepEd to provide relevant, accessible, and sustainable corporate social responsibility programs”. ~Manuel Santiago, Jr., CitySavings President and CEO

To promote digitization initiatives and enhance learning results in public schools, the Bank is donating laptops to a few DepEd divisions nationwide. The government agency's programs that guarantee students and schools are ready for tests are also intended to be supported by this project.

“City Savings Bank has long been a trusted partner not just in banking, but in nation building. Ang inyong ‘Tatak Aboitiz’ na malasakit at integridad ay ramdam din sa edukasyon, lalong lalo na sa pagpapaigting ng ating computerization program. Through your financial literacy programs, affordable loans, as well as your support during National Teachers’ Month and other DepEd events, we have felt your commitment that goes beyond profit. Hindi lang negosyo, kundi misyon ang dala nyo.” ~Sonny Angara, DepEd Secretary

He also commended other CitySavings initiatives to elevating communities through financial inclusion.  

ABOUT CITY SAVINGS BANK

City Savings Bank, Inc. (CitySavings) is the thrift bank subsidiary of Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank) and a member of the Aboitiz Group.

It is one of the largest thrift banks in the country, providing a wide range of mass market financial products and services, such as salary loans to public school teachers, pension loans to GSIS and SSS pensioners, motorcycle loans, government salary loans, AFP salary loans, AFP pension loans for retired pensioners and legal beneficiaries, BFP salary loans, savings, checking, and time deposit products.

Today, CitySavings has more than 140 branches nationwide. It is well on its way to becoming the leading mass market bank in the Philippines, paving the way for inclusive and sustainable prosperity across the country. For more information, visit www.citysavings.com.ph 

Waste Wanted: CitySavings Turns Donated Plastic into School Chairs

"We are proud of our CitySavings Bankers for their all-out support as sustainability stewards. The success of this initiative clearly showed how the spirit of Ubuntu moved us to connect and partner with our stakeholders and communities to minimize our impact on the environment for a better and more sustainable future. This is employee engagement and sustainability in action.” ~Hannah Contreras, CitySavings Human Resources Head

Through its initiative, Turning Plastic into School Chairs, City Savings Bank (CitySavings), the thrift bank subsidiary of Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank), which is led by Aboitiz, makes supporting public schools more environmentally friendly.

 

The goal was to gather however much plastic waste from representatives as could be expected in a month, and it was led by the Branch Tasks and HR divisions of the Bank. During the recycling campaign, nearly 2,000 kilograms of waste plastic were gathered from CitySavings corporate offices and branches across the nation. After that, they were given to Envirotech Squander Reusing Inc., a company in Davao City, which limited the production of the school seats to 30 kilograms of plastic waste per seat.

A sum of 50 seats were created and given to the recipients, Kapitan Tomas Monteverde Sr. Tunasan National High School in Muntinlupa City and Central Elementary School in Davao City, both in support of the Department of Education's (DepEd) Matatag plan to add facilities and services for basic education.

“Our school population has grown from 6,000 to 9,000 students in the past few years. With this, there is a need to increase the number of facilities to be used by our learners at Tunasan National High School. These sustainably produced chairs donated by CitySavings will not just help 25 students, but generations of students to come.” ~Principal Dr. Ador Querubin

Principal Querubin also highlighted how sustainable practices can make the learning environment more conducive and comfortable for students.

“We are very excited to use these unique and sustainably produced chairs given to us by our partners from CitySavings. We will have them in our Reading Village and Reading Kiosk to help encourage our students to read more. Alam niyo na kung saan kayo lalapit kung nangangailangan kayo. Nandiyan lagi ang CitySavings para tumulong (You know who to turn to when you’re in need. CitySavings is always ready to help.).” ~Principal Riza Lobitos of Kapitan Tomas Monteverde Sr. Central Elementary School, In Davao City

The school pledged to support the continuation of this initiative by collecting more empty plastic bottles so CitySavings and its partner can produce more chairs.

As CitySavings incorporates sustainability practices into its operations, the Bank commits to #BEESustainable by continuing its sustainability-driven initiatives that further support our educators and learners while significantly helping the environment.

About City Savings Bank:

City Savings Bank, Inc. (CitySavings) is the thrift bank subsidiary of Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank) and a member of the Aboitiz Group. It is one of the largest thrift banks in the country, providing a wide range of mass market financial products and services, such as salary loans to public and private school teachers, pension loans to GSIS and SSS pensioners, motorcycle loans, company employee loans, government salary loans, and traditional deposit products. 

Today, CitySavings has more than 140 branches nationwide. It is well on its way to becoming the leading digital mass market bank in the Philippines, paving the way for inclusive and sustainable prosperity across the country.

CitySavings and UnionDigital have new leaders announced by UnionBank

“These leadership appointments are key to taking both CitySavings and UnionDigital to the next level of digitally-driven growth and scale, towards our aspiration to be a Great Retail Bank.” ~Edwin R. Bautista, UnionBank President and CEO

According to City Savings Bank (CitySavings), Ana Aboitiz Delgado has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Board of the thrift bank subsidiary of Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank).

Delgado is the Chief Customer Experience Officer, Chief Digital Channels Officer, and Senior Executive Vice President of UnionBank at the same time. Delgado was the driving force behind UnionBank's transformation and redesign of its branches into the Ark, which enhanced the customer experience in real-world locations. He also made significant progress in expanding UnionBank's digital customer base through the company's UB Online mobile app. She also helped negotiate UnionBank and Citibank N.A.'s historic acquisition. Lorenzo T. Ocampo was named vice chairman and CEO of CitySavings alongside Delgado, and Manuel G. Santiago Jr. was named president and CEO of the thrift bank.

Ramon Vicente De Vera will be replaced as President and Chief Executive Officer of UnionDigital by Henry R. Aguda, formerly Chairman of CitySavings, Chief Technology and Operations Officer, and Chief Transformation Officer of UnionBank. The Bank's new role in market expansion will be led by De Vera.

Aguda led UnionBank's pioneering digital transformation as Chief Technology and Transformation Officer. During his tenure as Chairman, CitySavings expanded its reach into mass and underserved markets by utilizing data science credit scoring and acquisition models. As a result, the company was able to expedite the approval of loans for motorcycles and teachers.