The Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines – Microenterprise Access to Banking Services (RBAP-MABS) Program, which the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) supported from 1998 to September 2012, has transitioned into RBAP’s FINANCIAL INCLUSION Program (FIP). RBAP’s technical arm, Rural Bankers Research and development Foundation (RBRDFI), is leading the implementation of FIP. Hoping to reach out to RBAP’s broader membership base, the Program aims to continue promoting good practices and principles in microfinance through training and various fora. A program of training will continue to be offered on topics like micro insurance, basic training for loan officers, delinquency management, training for supervisors, mobile phone banking, and more.
Recently concluded, MABS basic training for Microfinance field staff held on November 12-14, 2012 at the RBAP training facility was attended by 38 participants from 13 rural banks. Although intended for microfinance loan staff, participants that attended the training event included bank directors, branch managers, training officers, compliance officers who wanted to understand the basics of the MABS Approach and tools that they could bring back with them to improve their bank’s microfinance portfolio.
RBAP, under the leadership of Atty. Edward Leandro Garcia, Jr, will continue to build on strategic public private partnership to advance the use of technology for rural banking, advocate appropriately designed micro loans, savings, and microinsurance, promote client protection principles and practices, and monitor rural banking sector performance.
Sustainability had been a key platform upon which the MABS program was envisioned when it started in 1988. Happily, going forward, the rural banking sector is assured with continuing to enjoy the association’s advocacy for best practices and principles in rural banking especially in serving the micro, small and medium enterprise owners and their households.”