DBP wins Asia-Pacific development finance awards for education and inclusion programs

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DBP wins Asia-Pacific awards

Highlights

Development Bank of the Philippines wins three honors at the 2026 ADFIAP Awards, including Corporate Social Responsibility and two merit awards for inclusion and local economic development.
DBP's flagship education initiative, DBP INSPIRE, is allocated P510 million over five years, providing scholarships and outreach for indigent and public school students.
DBP's ASENSO program supports over 120,000 residents in Calumpit, Bulacan, while branch-lite units in Talakag and Viga expand banking services to remote communities.

Awards recognize education, inclusion efforts

As reported by BusinessWorld Online, state-owned Development Bank of the Philippines, or DBP, receives three honors at the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific Development Awards 2026, including a win in the Corporate Social Responsibility category and two merit awards for financial inclusion and countryside development.

DBP President and Chief Executive Officer Michael O. de Jesus says the bank’s flagship education initiative, the DBP Integrated Scholastic Program for Inclusive and Sustainable Education, or DBP INSPIRE, is recognized for using a ladderized framework that supports students from primary to tertiary education. He says the program provides scholarship grants for indigent high school graduates seeking higher education and also supports public school pupils through outreach efforts such as Brigada Eskwela and the Department of Education’s Adopt-a-School Program.

De Jesus says DBP INSPIRE carries a total allocation of P510 million over five years, positioning it as a major social investment by the bank while supporting the government’s push to strengthen the education sector. He adds that the recognition affirms DBP’s efforts to advance inclusive and sustainable growth.

Support for local economies and underserved areas

DBP also receives a Merit Award in the Local Economic Development category for credit assistance to the local government of Calumpit, Bulacan, for the improvement of its public market under the bank’s Assistance for Economic and Social Development for Local Government Units, or ASENSO. The project benefits more than 120,000 residents in the area and nearby municipalities, linking the lender’s financing role to community-level commerce and public infrastructure.

Another merit award covers DBP’s financial inclusion initiatives, particularly the opening of branch-lite units in Talakag, Bukidnon and Viga, Catanduanes. De Jesus says these facilities help extend essential banking services to remote and unbanked communities in Luzon and Mindanao, reinforcing the lender’s mandate in underserved markets.

DBP is the country’s 10th largest bank by assets and provides credit support to infrastructure and logistics, micro, small and medium enterprises, environment, and social services and community development. ADFIAP, founded in Manila in 1976, is a regional association of development banks and financial institutions, and its annual awards program in Colombo, Sri Lanka recognizes member projects that advance economic, environmental and social development.

Our earlier coverage of the Philippines’ planned sovereign bond reforms explained how a new pricing convention for peso government bonds and targeted index inclusion could broaden the investor base and improve liquidity. It also stressed that these market upgrades are not enough on their own, noting that real economic gains depend on fiscal credibility and on channeling cheaper funding into productive priorities such as infrastructure, education, and stronger capital-market access for businesses.

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