Investing in RTBs is a smart and responsible way to earn a decent return on investment

Retail Treasury Bonds (RTBs) are indeed a safe and reliable form of investment, particularly for those who want to earn a decent return on their money without exposing themselves to significant risks. These bonds are issued by the government and are backed by the full faith and credit of the Republic of the Philippines, which means that investors can be assured of their safety.

 

Moreover, investing in RTBs is also a convenient way to support the government's efforts to fund its various projects and programs. By investing in RTBs, Filipinos can contribute to the development of the country's infrastructure, education, healthcare, and other vital sectors.

 

BDO Capital's encouragement to continue supporting government-issued bonds is also timely, given the challenging economic conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many investors are looking for safe havens to protect their money and RTBs can provide that security.

 

BDO Capital & Investment Corp. (BDO Capital) encourages more Filipinos to continue supporting government-issued bonds following the rousing participation of local investors in the 29th tranche of Retail Treasury Bonds (RTBs). 

 

BDO Capital President Eduardo V. Francisco said RTBs are safe, reliable and a convenient form of investment, which also helps finance the government's various undertakings across different sectors.

 

"We hope (Filipino investors) will invest again. It's a chance for them to also help the government finance its projects," he said.

 

The Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) was able to raise P283.71 billion from the issuance of the 5.5-year, 6.125% coupon rate RTB 29, allowing the BTr to shorten the nine-day offer period by two days. The overwhelming demand for RTB 29 fully affirms the investing public’s confidence in Philippine paper. On average, orders reached P130 billion per day, according to the BTr, during the offer period. RTB 29 will mature 5.5 years after the issue date, or on August 22, 2028.

 

After the offer period, investors can still purchase RTBs in the secondary market at prevailing market rates.

 

Gabriel Lim, Corporate Finance head of BDO Capital, echoed Francisco's stance underlining that the benefits of RTB investments are two-pronged.

 

"For every P5,000 (minimum) investment that you put in, not only will you earn interest income for yourself and your family, but you also become an active participant in government projects that benefit Filipinos," he said.

 

Proceeds from RTB 29 will help finance various government projects in agriculture, infrastructure, education, and healthcare sectors.

 

Development Bank of the Philippines and Land Bank of the Philippines were the joint lead issue managers of the offer. On the other hand, aside from BDO Capital, the other joint issue managers of RTB 29 include BPI Capital Corp., China Bank Corp., First Metro Investment Corp., PNB Capital and Investment Corp., SB Capital Investment Corp., and Union Bank of the Philippines.

 

 

Lock-unlock feature ng BDO Online Banking, protects your BDO Debit Card from unauthorized transactions

Isa ka rin ba sa lagi nakakalimot kung san mo nailagay ang iyong ATM card? Yung itinago mo na ikaw lang ang nakakaalam, pag hinanap mo na di mo na alam kung san mo naisuksok?

May mga oras talagang hindi maiwasang mawala ang mga importanteng gamit o makalimutan kung saan ito nakatago. Isa na rito ang ATM o debit card.

Malaking abala kapag nangyari ito lalo na kung may emergency at kailangang mag-withdraw ng cash. Delikado rin kung makuha ng iba ang ATM o debit card at ma-access ang pera sa iyong account. 

 

Payo ng BDO Unibank sa mga bank clients at debit cardholders, i-lock ang BDO Debit Card kapag pansamantalang hindi ito gagamitin upang maprotektahan ito sa mga unauthorized card-based transactions—isa sa mga scams na laganap ngayon. Kung gagamitin na ang ATM o debit card para sa transactions, napakadali lang din nitong i-unlock.

 

"(The Card Lock setting) protects your BDO Debit Card from unauthorized transactions. If you misplace or lose your debit card, you can lock your card to prevent ATM transactions and in-store and online payments from being processed," ayon sa advisory ng BDO sa website nito. "You can simply unlock your card if you want to use it again."

 

Ito ang 4 steps para mag-LOCK o UNLOCK ng BDO Debit Card: 

1. Mag-log in gamit ang BDO Online Banking account sa BDO website (bdo.com.ph).
2. I-click ang Card Security Management sa upper right portion ng home screen.
3. I-slide ang toggle button ng card na gusto mong i-lock o unlock.
4. I-click ang Submit at i-enter ang One-Time PIN (OTP).

Maaari ring mag-LOCK o UNLOCK ng BDO Debit Card gamit ang BDO Digital Banking app sa smart phone: 

1. Mag-log in sa BDO Online app.
2. I-tap ang More > Security Management
3. I-slide ang toggle button ng card na gusto mong i-lock o unlock.

Dagdag pa ng bangko, walang limit sa pag lock o unlock ng BDO Debit Card. 

English teacher Ursus Junatas from Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan captures the challenges and joys of being a public school teacher

To be a teacher, you need to be passionate about your profession. It needs to make you happy and contented. 

In a video he uploaded on social media titled “Bridging the Learning Gap,” English teacher Ursus Junatas from Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan captures the challenges and joys of being a public school teacher today, as the world struggles to overcome the effects of the pandemic. In the video, he is seen traveling across four barangays many kilometers apart just to tutor students and personally hand their report cards to them.

Teaching online is not an option for most teachers since majority of students do not have laptops nor smartphones. Instead, Ursus drives his motorcycle so he can visit his students from one barangay to another. This is his way of providing opportunities to those who may have difficulty getting to school due to distance and financial limitations.

 

“One thing that has always bothered me is how some students fall behind, not because they were not smart enough, but because their parents could not afford school supplies needed in today’s mode of education,” notes Junatas. “As a teacher, it is my job to ensure that students are not forgotten and they feel supported in their education journey.”

 

Netizens expressed their admiration for the teacher's dedication by commenting on his post and praising him for his heroic actions. Here are some of their comments: “Passion it is,” “English tutor ko ‘to, ang galing!” “Galing mo Sir Ursus Villamil Junatas. Deserve mong parangalan ng ulirang Guro award. Keep up the good work sir! So proud of you. #KMJS”

As the world celebrates National Teacher’s Month from September 5 to October 5, teachers like Sir Ursus are an inspiration for everyone and considered as a backbone of society.

Teachers’ jobs have become more difficult in many ways. The pandemic brought challenges in communicating with students whether online or face-to-face. Many teachers also have families to take care of, aside from their personal needs. They also need financial security through times like this. Just as Ursus finds ways to reach out to his students, BDO Unibank, Inc. through its corporate social responsibility arm, BDO Foundation, continues to find ways to promote financial inclusion through partnerships with different government agencies for the benefit of many stakeholders like him.

 

Working closely with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, BDO Foundation collaborated with the Department of Education (DepEd) to implement financial education programs for teachers. 

 

These partnerships benefitted public school teaching and non-teaching personnel as well as students by equipping them with the tools, knowledge, and resources to make sound financial decisions through lessons on saving, budgeting, financial planning, debt management, entrepreneurship, investments, insurance, digital literacy, scam prevention, and retirement planning.  

 

DepEd also issued DepEd Order No. 022, Series of 0221, which aims to intensify the integration of financial education in the K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum in various disciplines across grade levels, and ensure that this will be taught nationwide using the materials developed by BDO Foundation. The policy covers all learners, teaching and non-teaching personnel from public and private elementary, junior, and senior high schools, and learning centers for Special Education, Alternative Learning Systems, Indigenous Learning Systems, and the Madrasah Education Program covering Muslim culture, customs, and traditions.

 

BDO Securities provides investors with relevant content and market expertise

When is the right time to invest in stocks and where? If youre looking for ease and convenience in investment opportunities, you may consider checking out BDO Securities. That is exactly what BDO Securities brings to the table. 

 

BDO Securities’ most distinctive competitive advantage lies in the company’s ability to provide fast, easy, and accessible investment solutions to its valued clients.

l  Quick: On top of the speedy 5-minute onboarding process, investors can also perform real-time funding and withdrawals.

l  Easy: Customers can easily access the local stock market by utilizing BDO Securities’ online platform. 

l  Accessible: BDO Securities provides investors with relevant content and market expertise including commentaries to enable them to make the right trading decisions. 

 

In addition to the in-depth reports given to customers as guide in their trading journey, BDO Securities offers clients access to local equities which can be easily accessed online. From beginners to investment-savvy customers, many investors have turned to BDO Securities due to the ease and convenience of real-time funding that a BDO online account offers.

“At BDO Securities, we offer real-time convenience of doing transactions wherever they are so as not to miss any opportunity. We keep them informed by providing them with solid and relevant insightful research and market updates to ensure that they are equipped to find the right trades,” said Bernhard Aloysius G. Tsai, COO of BDO Securities.

 

BDO Securities was recently named as the Best Retail Broker in the Philippines in the Annual Alpha Southeast Asia Best Financial Institution Awards.

 

Start your stock trading journey now. Visit the BDO Securities website and sign up for an account within 5 minutes.

Hidilyn Diaz: Pano naka-survive sa mga pagsubok sa buhay?

CERTIFIED overseas Filipino ngang matatawag si Hidilyn Diaz dahil maraming beses na siyang umalis ng Pilipinas para mag-train ng weightlifting at lumaban ng competition sa iba’t ibang bansa.

 

Naka-byahe na siya sa Amerika, London, Brazil, Thailand, Japan, South Korea at Indonesia -- mga bansa kung saan maraming OFs ang nagta-trabaho at nakikipagsapalaran para sa mga pamilyang naiwan sa Pilipinas. 

 

Bago siya sumabak sa 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, lagpas isang taon ang inilagi ni Hidilyn sa Malaysia para mag-training. Doon na rin sya inabutan ng lockdown dahil sa COVID-19 pandemic, isang pangyayaring sumubok sa kanyang katatagan. 

 

“Tuwing naaalala ko yung challenges na pinagdaanan ko at ng aking team sa Malaysia, talagang naiiyak ako eh. Napakahirap magpalipat-lipat ng lugar doon para lang hindi matigil ang aking training. Ang taas ng anxiety kase iniisip namin saan kami titira, saan kami pupunta, at saan ako mag-te-training?” pagbabalik-tanaw ni Hidilyn. 

 

May mga oras din na umiiyak na lamang siya at tinatanong ang sarili ng: “Ano ba itong hinaharap ko ngayon? Di ko na yata alam kung paano solusyunan.” Pero sa kabila nito, kinumbinse ni Hidilyn ang sarili na kayang-kaya niyang lagpasan ang mga pagsubok at magiging okay din ang lahat.

Paano nga ba siya naka-survive? 

 

“Iba kapag may nakakausap ka. May kasangga ako hindi lang yung coaching team ko kundi pati na rin friends ko. Napakalaking tulong nila. At syempre, hindi mawawala ang inspirasyon na galing sa aking pamilya at ang prayers ko kay God,” diin ng Olympic gold medalist. 

 

Aware si Hidilyn na ang kwento niya ay hindi naiiba sa kwento ng mga OFs. Mas matindi pa nga raw ang nararanasan ng mga kabayan abroad lalo na noong nagsimula ang pandemya. May ibang natigil sa trabaho pero hindi pa rin umuuwi sa Pilipinas dahil iniisip ang kalagayan ng pamilya at may iba namang nagdodoble-kayod para madagdagan ang income – bagay na hinahangaan ni Hidilyn sa kapwa Pinoy. 

 

“We take it day-by-day and we continue with our dreams. Talagang akma yung linyang we find ways eh. Hindi ka dapat bumitaw kase may paraan para maitawid ang buhay,” paliwanag pa nya. 

 

Kahit hindi pa tapos ang laban ng mundo sa pandemya, naniniwala pa rin si Hidilyn na darating din ang happy ending. “Ang challenge naman hindi binibigay kung hindi kayang lagpasan. Kaya advice ko sa ating mga kabayan, tuloy lang ang buhay. Kayang-kaya ‘yan kabayan!” 

 

Hidilyn Diaz, bumilib sa kayang gawin ng Cash Agad

NAPANSIN ni 2020 Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz na hindi madaling makapag-bangko sa mga probinsya dahil sa layo ng mga bahay mula sa bayan kung saan naroon ang mga bangko. 

 

Halimbawa na lamang ang mga beneficiary o kamag-anak ng mga overseas Filipinos na kailangan pang bumyahe ng ilang oras para lang makapunta sa pinamakalapit na ATM at i-withdraw ang mga padalang remittance. 

 

Kaya laking gulat ni Hidilyn nang makakita sya ng mga Cash Agad point-of-sale (POS) terminal na naka-istasyon sa iba't-ibang micro and small business establishment sa kanyang hometown sa Zamboanga.

 

“Friendly-neighborhood ATM”

 

Ang Cash Agad ay serbisyo na inilunsad ng BDO Unibank noong 2014 kung saan ang mga ATM cardholder ay maaaring makapag-withdraw ng cash gamit ang mga Cash Agad POS terminal sa pinakamalapit na partner stores sa kanilang lugar. 

 

"May Cash Agad sila, kaya nasabi ko noon meron palang ganyan? Kasi nga, galing ako sa iba't-ibang lugar at nakita ko na walang ATM sa mga lugar na yun. Paano na lang yung may pamilya sa abroad, paano nila (overseas Filipino) ipapadala yung pera nila (sa pamilya sa probinsya)? Kapag may Cash Agad partner store na malapit sa inyo, maiwiwithdraw mo ang perang padala sa bank account mo. Ang galing,” ani Hidilyn.

Nagkalat na ang mga Cash Agad partner stores ng BDO na may micro, small o medium-sized na negosyo sa malalayong lugar. Kabilang sa mga ito ang mga sari-sari store, botika, bakery, pawnshop, hardware store, water refilling station at iba pang karaniwang negosyo sa mga probinsya.

 

"Pag may Cash Agad sa lugar nyo, hindi mo na kailangang magbyahe nang malayo para lang makapag-withdraw kasi syempre sa probinsya malalayo ang lugar. Magco-commute ka pa para makapunta sa pinakamalapit na bangko sa city. Nakagastos ka na, ubos pa ang kalahating araw mo," dagdag pa ni Hidilyn.

 

Sa Cash Agad, ang isang cardholder ay makaka-withdraw ng hanggang PHP10,000. Ang maximum withdrawal amount kada araw ay depende sa limit ng issuing bank.

 

May benepisyo rin ang Cash Agad sa mga partner-agent dahil dagdag kita ito sa kanila mula sa convenience fee kada withdrawal. Bukod dito, sa bawat punta ng cardholder para mag-withdraw, malaki rin ang posibilidad na bumili pa ang customer at maging suki ng kanilang tindahan. Wala ring franchise fee para maging Cash Agad partner-agent sa kasalukuyan.

 

Para sa mga kabayang interesadong maging Cash Agad partner-agent para magka-extra income, magpunta lang sa Cash Agad website (www.bdo.com.ph/cash-agad-application), o tumawag sa hotline (02-8840-7575; domestic toll-free number 1-800-10-840-7575) o mag-email sa Cash Agad Sales Team email address (cashagad@bdo.com.ph).

 

Bayad and BDO have been expanding their bills payment network to make transactions faster

Finding ways to continue elevating the payment experience of Filipinos, Bayad and BDO Unibank, recently joined forces to expand the roster of bills customers can pay through various BDO channels. 

Bayad, the most trusted payments authority in the country, is now boosting the bills payment capability of BDO, by allowing Meralco Postpaid, Prepaid (KLoad), and Radius Telecoms customers to pay their bills with real-time posting through BDO’s over 1,500 branches nationwide, and BDO Online Banking channel. 

 

The partnership delivers greater convenience and accessibility to the growing users of Meralco Postpaid, Prepaid (KLoad), and Radius Telecoms nationwide with Bayad as a bills payment partner. 

 

Both Bayad and BDO have been expanding their bills payment network to make transactions faster, more convenient, and safer for customers in light of the pandemic. 

“We are very cognizant of how convenience plays a crucial role in customer experience,

Our Bills Payment facility allows customers of our partners to do their transactions whenever and wherever they may be. For our clients, BDO’s Bills Payment facility allows them to efficiently collect payments onsite and online. Having a good cash flow at this time is very important not only for businesses but also for the people that those businesses sustain—customers, employees, and their families,” BDO Cash Management Services Head Carlo B. Nazareno said.

 

According to Bayad’s President and CEO Lawrence Ferrer, “We at Bayad take on an ecosystem-oriented stance which we believe is key in accelerating growth for our company, partners and industry as a whole. We continue to innovate and introduce key features in our system such as Bayad’s real-time posting of payments to enable higher-value services to our customers and offer them the ease and convenience of transacting with us. We support fellow finance players and we are happy to lend our expertise and network so we can bring financial services closer to Filipinos.”

 

For Banks and Financial Institutions like BDO that are interested to be part of Bayad’s extensive channel network, email financialinstitutions@bayad.com. Bayad enables partners to attain nationwide presence and provides end-to-end support services for efficient payment and collection processing. 

Digital and non-digital cash management systems will continue to be the norm in the coming few years

The limitation of face-to-face interaction during the COVID-19 pandemic led most businesses and employers to find recourse in digital technologies to keep their operations running. The pandemic has been truly disruptive for industries. However, it also brought out opportunities that made options such as remote work, automation, and data-driven decision-making, among others, immediately feasible. The pandemic accelerated the adoption of technologies that could also ensure continuous growth and recovery in the new normal.

 

Among the most notable technologies that have seen growth during the pandemic is that of cash management services. BDO Senior Vice President and Cash Management System Head Carlo Nazareno explained that the importance of an effective Cash Management Services (CMS), especially for SMEs, became undeniable during the pandemic. 

 

“Cash management consists of the strategies and processes that allow businesses, from SMEs to the top 500 or top 50 corporations, to move cash around, to control cash flow. This includes the flow of money from customers to businesses and from businesses to their suppliers, and vice-versa,” he said.

Aligning business operations with consumer needs

 

Globally, businesses have been investing in technologies to make their operations much smarter and most of the developments they introduce is to accommodate the demands created by new consumer behavior.

 

“Global trend for digital payments looks at what the customer is doing and what makes their lives easier. Now, countries are investing in making payments faster or in real time. Real time is the norm. No longer is the usual three-day clearing acceptable. Additionally, open finance and open banking is gaining traction, especially in technologically-advanced countries. Open finance means data is given openly to third party providers so that they can use data for forecasting or for other means to make services quicker. As most consumers are used to accessing information real time, open finance and real time and faster payments allow them to access money in the same way,” Nazareno explained. 

 

CMS allows businesses to transact easily and conveniently with their customers by also allowing for safe, secure, and real time digital payments.  During the pandemic, businesses that can accommodate digital payments were more poised not only to sustain their operations, but to also register growth.

 

Nazareno believes that digital and non-digital cash management systems will continue to be the norm in the coming few years. “SMEs in the Philippines, I am glad to say, have been very open for the most part to these developments in cash flow and cash management. Cash, face-to-face, and personal transactions will never disappear. However, the digital forms of these transactions will become a greater part of our new normal. We’ve had a taste of these benefits and advantages and we’re prepared to embrace them. For me, that’s a major part of the hopeful outlook for 2022,” Nazareno added.

Empowering crucial sectors for economic growth

 

There are about 106,000 small enterprises in the country. Nazareno said it’s the small and medium enterprises that have the most dynamism, capital, and other resources that will help move the economy forward to recovery. 

 

With the benefits that CMS can bring to businesses, BDO has been helping more SMEs with greater vigor during the pandemic. BDO offers reliable digital and non-digital cash management services for their clients. SMEs turned to BDO to set up online banking and online payment platforms. They also availed of automated check writing facilities, ATM payrolls, cash deposit machines (similar to an ATM but for businesses instead of individual depositors), cash deposit pick-up services (via armored vans), and other cash management services.

 

“Through these partnerships between SMEs and BDO, many businesses survived the pandemic and had the chance not only to stay open but to even experience modest to moderate growth during the pandemic. These past two years have been the best evidence that digital and non-digital cash management services help boost business growth,” Nazareno added.

BDO’s efforts to roll out CMS to businesses, especially to SMEs is aligned with the government's initiatives to boost economic growth and recovery in the new normal. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) launched its Digital Payments Transformation Roadmap 2020-2023 in order to provide policy directions as to how businesses and government can work together to convert 50% the total volume of retail payments to digital.

Building an ecosystem

 

BSP noted in its roadmap that the majority of Filipino consumers and businesses still prefer over-the-counter (OTC) transactions, citing that only one out of ten adults use their mobile phones for their financial transactions. Nazareno narrated that many of BDO’s clients went back to transacting in their branches and ATMs when the government eased its lockdown and quarantine restrictions.

 

Nazareno attributed these observed behaviors to the need for a more efficient digital payment ecosystem in the country. Going back to global trends on digital payments, businesses, banks, and the government have to work together to make digital financial transactions secure, faster or real time, and more open. 

 

“How we make information is important for us to promote a more transparent and reliable system not only for digital payments, but also for inventories and for supply chains. People want to know how things are moving and how things reach their intended destination securely,” Nazareno noted.

 

BDO ramped up with its efforts to diversify its cash management products. During the pandemic, it launched the BDO Pay, the bank’s own e-wallet, so that its users can go cashless with their financial transactions. With the app, those with BDO accounts can send money, pay bills, and request payment online. Aside from partnering with businesses to establish their own CMS, BDO expands the base of Filipinos who are comfortable using digital payments by allowing online opening of bank accounts. 

 

“The entire ecosystem of how money moves around between where you have it and where you want it to be for you to have access to the  services you want is not yet smooth. But BDO Pay makes things simpler because it automatically links your card and your bank account to an e-wallet. There’s no need to fund your e-wallet because it’s funded all the time,” Nazareno added. 

 

As more banks roll out initiatives to make digital payments more seamless, more Filipinos may find ways to access financial products easier. In the end, Nazareno believes that it is the consumers who will benefit from these developments. As banks are being challenged to innovate and adopt newer technologies, it is the ordinary Filipino who gets to enjoy more options and more freedom on how to earn and spend their money. 

 

5 Lessons for Strong Business Partnerships

Still going strong and riding on a wave of campus expansion across the country is one of the oldest universities in the Philippines: National University (NU). NU already has 9 branches to date. The venerable yet always dynamic and forward-looking institution has learned so much from the past two years—lessons that university president, Renato Carlos H. Ermita, Jr., wants to share with other entrepreneurs and executives.

“The pandemic caught everyone by surprise, of course. But the intense and widespread community quarantines were really the biggest challenges for businesses in general. In our case, the lockdown came right in the middle and towards the end of the academic year. Our graduating students were finishing their school requirements including exams, projects, laboratory sessions, and then we had to put an abrupt stop to our operations. We had to figure out how to resume academic activities with the least disruption for everyone, whether for students, faculty, and administrative staff,” said Dr. Ermita.

 

In learning to adapt to, cope with, and survive the pandemic’s challenges, the owners and management of NU learned five lessons that businesses, from SMEs to corporations, can learn from.

Lesson 1: Never forget who you are

 

This means knowing and committing to what your core business is and adhering to your corporate values, especially during times of crisis.

 

“Despite the restrictions—from the anxieties about our health, to the lack of transportation, and the suspension of face-to-face classes-we kept a strong focus on who we are as a university: our mission to provide programs that are innovative and relevant to our students, to be able to prepare and qualify them for job opportunities here and overseas,” said Dr. Ermita.

 

Dr. Ermita added that the strong academic team of the University kept them focused on the vision of reaching out and educating more Filipinos. “Together, that focus and that commitment keep our programs up-to-date and attuned with the needs of our students vis-a-vis the various industries they will be entering after graduation.”

 

Lesson 2: Digital and non-digital innovations

 

Dr. Ermita explained that new challenges in the 21st century require a fresh, creative perspective, out-of-the-box thinking, and a passion for innovation.

 

“For example, even before the pandemic struck, the University already had an online platform. In short, we already had the basic infrastructure for conducting online classes. So then, when health protocols put a stop to face-to-face classes, we already had the digital and online structure to build on,” Dr. Ermita said.

 

With a digital, online portal already in place, NU proceeded with adapting its academic content and learning processes to the new “school-from-home” normal. They spent a month preparing learning materials and training their faculty members in the new online teaching platform. By April of 2020, the university was able to resume classes.

 

Lesson 3: Picking the right partners

 

No business during the pandemic can make it all alone. In order to not only survive but also thrive during the pandemic, NU relied on its long-time dependable partners. Dr. Ermita made mention of their partner bank, BDO, which kept on providing crucial banking solutions before and during the pandemic.

 

“Like other organizations, the University had a disruption in its access to funds. With school operations scaled-down and students staying at home to follow safety protocols, it was a challenge to maintain the smooth flow and efficiency of our financial transactions. Whether this was for payments of tuition fees, or payments for diplomas for transcripts and all those things—and then, of course, we also had bills to pay to our utility providers and suppliers. We had financial commitments that had to be honored,” he said. BDO was able to provide the University with very effective services and solutions that addressed these concerns.

 

According to Dr. Ermita, NU and BDO became banking partners in 2008. “From the start of our relationship with BDO, our needs as a university have evolved and BDO was right there to help us adopt new solutions both non-digital and digital. These solutions also evolved from very simple products to more advanced facilities like cheque writing via BDO’s Business Online Banking. We also availed of BDO’s bills payment facilities which really helped our students and their parents transact with the school online.”

 

Lesson 4: Winning, can-do mindset

 

Along with resilience, Dr. Ermita says that NU always maintains a winning, can-do mindset. “I congratulate our students and faculty for staying true to their common goal of achieving quality education and a meaningful learning experience. NU is able to do this because we have a campus culture that fosters a winning, can-do mindset. Whether it’s in academics, or sports, or life in general, we never give up. We always do our best. And if we need to catch up—and there was a lot of catching up to do this pandemic—then we don’t just catch up. We make sure that we win and come out on top. It’s a mindset that our best partners also have in common with us.”

 

Lesson 5: Putting people first

 

Dr. Ermita also said that in running a business, it’s best not to lose sight of the fact that, in the end, what matters most are the people you work with, the people you partner with, and the people you serve.

 

“We are blessed to have very good academic leaders, faculty, support personnel who were tried and tested during this difficult crisis. The faculty, in particular, have shown how much they truly care for the welfare of our students. The same holds true for the people of BDO, who are continually aware of NU’s needs and objectives. The crucial point is really that BDO always keeps track of our development. So, they are aware of our objectives and because of that, they’re able to introduce products and services that continue to help us,” said Dr. Ermita.

 

BDO is a valuable partner to many SMEs, corporations, and organizations. For more information on how to achieve a productive partnership, go to the BDO website, the BDO Facebook Page, or visit your nearest BDO branch.