MANILA, Philippines- Inaasahan ang pagkumpleto sa panukalang merger sa pagitan ng dalawang state-owned giant banks, Land Bank of the Philippines at Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), sa kalagitnaan ng 2024, base kayFinance Secretary Benjamin Diokno.
Inihayag ni Diokno na naisumite na ng Department of Finance (DOF) ang draft executive order Office of the President na nagsasanib sa dalawang bangko.
“It’s going through what’s called a CSW [complete staff work]. We expect that to be approved soon,” pahayag ng Finance chief.
Sinabi niya na sa ika-apat na quarter ng taong ito ay makararating na ito sa Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
“It has to be approved by BSP. I think it will be approved by the BSP before the end of the year,” paglalahad niya.”
“So around the middle of next year is the full completion. That’s a reasonable timetable. By the first half of the year,” base sa Finance chief.
Pinayagan ni Pangulong Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. ang proposed merger ng Landbank at DBP, kung saan sinabi ni Diokno na maaalis sa merger ang “redundancy and inefficiency in operations.”
Dagdag ni Diokno, makakakalap ng hindi bababa sa P5.3 bilyong savings annually o hindi bababa sa P20 bilyon sa susunod na apat na taon sa isinusulong na merger.
Inihayag naman ni Senator Risa Hontiveros na ang proposed merger ay makalikha ng isang bangko na “too big to fail.”
Naalarma ang DBP sa nasabing merger, at inihayag na 3,000 empleyado, o 75% ng workforce nito ang maaaring mawalan ng trabaho, at isa itong “dangerous experiment”
Anito pa, nangangailangan ito ng batas.
Subalit, isinumite ng Governance Commission for Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations (GCG) sa Office of the President ang pag-aaral nito, kung saan nakasaad na maaaring ituloy ang merger kahit walang batas ukol dito.
“The improved financial position will allow the new entity to lend more for priority projects. With projected operational savings from the merger, it can lend an additional P80.3 billion per year,” naunang iginiit ng Finance chief. RNT/SA
