The University of the Philippines inked a memorandum of understanding with Landbank on August 1, as the bank pledged support for UP scholars and faculty, as well as for ongoing efforts towards inclusive admissions and digital transformation.
UP President Angelo Jimenez and Landbank Executive Vice President Leila Martin led the ceremonial signing of the MOU at the Board of Regents Room at Quezon Hall, UP Diliman.
Support for scholars
The key areas of collaboration stipulated in the MOU include Landbank’s donations for the Lingap Iskolar Program, which offers assistance to incoming first-year students from geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas and low-income backgrounds.
“We are bringing in students not because they just simply qualify, but because they need help,” Jimenez emphasized.
The amount to be given to the Lingap Iskolar Program will be pooled from donations from Landbank’s employees.
Jimenez likewise underscored that the bank’s pledge to support the program will not only reinforce the realization of UP’s flagship program on inclusive admissions but also give students from underserved communities the opportunity to succeed.
“The reason we’re doing this is we want them to succeed, and we are serious in our resolve to make them succeed,” he stated.
Faculty grants, free transpo for UPCAT takers
Landbank Senior Vice President Catherine Rowena Villanueva, meanwhile, shared that they plan to sponsor four professorial chair grants for UP faculty.
The bank also piloted assistance in the conduct of this year’s UP College Admission Test on August 2 and 3 — with Landbank branches all over the country initiating information campaigns as well as providing free transportation for UPCAT test takers to and from their testing centers, especially in remote areas.
“The reason we’re doing this is we want them to succeed, and we are serious in our resolve to make them succeed”
UP and Landbank are also planning a partnership for the Expanded Cash-Lite Campus Program, which aims to facilitate secure and convenient cashless transactions, in support of the university’s initiatives in digital transformation and promoting financial literacy.
The MOU signifies the deepening of the collaboration between UP and Landbank, especially on the “mutual and shared mission in making quality education more inclusive and more accessible,” according to Martin.
“We build resolve to move forward knowing that we are picking up support,” Jimenez said as he thanked Landbank.
The MOU shall remain effective for a period of three years, during which UP and Landbank will formulate the final details of the proposed collaborative arrangements to be embodied in a memorandum of agreement.
