SBN-0468: Prioritizing The Agricultural Sector in The Grant of Loans by The Land Bank of The Philippines
SBN-0468: Prioritizing The Agricultural Sector in The Grant of Loans by The Land Bank of The Philippines
SBN-0468: Prioritizing The Agricultural Sector in The Grant of Loans by The Land Bank of The Philippines
'
SENATE
"19 JUL 15 A10 :33
468
S.No. _ _ __
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) is a government financial institution that
ranks among the top commercial banks in the Philippines in terms of deposits, assets, loans
and capital. LBP's original mandate was limited to financing the acquisition by the
Government of land for distribution and resale to small landholders as well as the purchase
of landholdings by agricultural lessees as provided for under Republic Act 3844 or the
Agricultural Land Reform Code. Today, LBP is one of the formal credit institutions with the
highest level of visibility in the countryside. From being the financing arm of the agrarian
reform program, the LBP has since expanded into a full-service commercial bank.
In 2018, LBP reported P867.3 billion gross loan portfolio with the highest year-on-
year growth in a decade 1 • However, much of the bank's loan was offered to industries other
than the agricultural sector. In the same year, of the P798.8 billion worth of loans extended
to all sectors, 64.15% was extended to public utilities, micro, small and medium enterprises
(MSMEs), housing, transportation, education, communications, environment projects,
healthcare and tourism, while another 14.23% was tendered to other sectors like local
government units, government-owned or -controlled corporations (GOCCs), and other
treasury loans 2 • This leaves only 21.62% of the bank's gross loan portfolio to support small
farmers and fisherfolk and to bolster agribusiness, aqua-business and agriculture-related
projects of private enterprises, local government units (LGUs) and GOCCs.
1 Landbank of the Philippines (2019). LANDBANK regular loans up 33% to P799.2B in 2018, records highest growth in 10 years. Accessed
from https://landbank.com/node/4106 on 09 July 2019.
z Landbank of the Philippines (2017). Annex 3: Land bank of the Philippines Performance Highlights 2018. Accessed from
https:/(www.landbank.com/sites/default/files/transparency/LANDBANK PERFHIGH2018 10APR2019rev.pdf on 09 July 2019.
This bill proposes to amend the charter of the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP),
allowing it to focus on the provision of affordable credit to the agriculture sector where
most poor Filipinos belong. It amends the LBP Charter by giving priority to the agriculture
sector and putting a cap to the amount of loans the bank may grant for programs and
projects in sectors other than agriculture. Such move will allow the agricultural sector,
particularly the small farmers and fisherfolks to share in the responsibility and fruits of
growth and development.
This bill seeks to restore the original intent for the creation of the Land Bank of the
Philippines, which is to assist farmers and other agricultural workers, and to contribute to
the fruition of agricultural development projects.
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2
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE )
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
First Regular Session )
S.No. _ _ __ 468
AN ACT
PRIORITIZING THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR IN THE GRANT OF LOANS BY THE
LAND BANK OF THE PHILIPPINES, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT
NO 3844, AS AMENDED