Quezon city: State-owned Land Bank of the Philippines and the University of the Philippines (UP) recently signed an agreement to provide education, digital finance, and support to UP students. In a statement on Friday, LandBank said the memorandum of agreement signed on Sept. 14 strengthens UP and the bank's partnership, expanding opportunities for students through financial assistance, transportation support, digital banking services, and career development. LandBank President and Chief Executive Officer Lynette Ortiz and UP President Angelo Jimenez signed the agreement at UP Diliman in Quezon City.
According to Philippines News Agency, LandBank's Lingap Iskolar program provides UP students from geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs) with PHP160,000 annual financial assistance beginning Academic Year 2026-2027. Beneficiaries are those enrolled in agriculture-related, finance, or information technology courses at UP constituent universities nationwide. LandBank said scholars will also receive support for their academic and professional development. Upon graduation, qualified scholars may be considered for employment at LandBank, its subsidiaries, and the LandBank Countryside Development Foundation, Inc.
The partnership also covers job fairs and graduate referrals to connect scholars with career opportunities. LandBank's Libreng Sakay program provides transportation support to University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT) examinees from GIDAs. The partnership likewise promotes greater access to digital financial services through the LandBank Cash-Lite Campus program, which enables students, faculty, and other members of the university community to make payments and access financial services digitally.
The program promotes the use of the LandBank Mobile Banking App (MBA) and its PISO Plus Account, which users can open through the app with no initial deposit or maintaining balance required. UP campuses may also use LandBank's Link.BizPortal to facilitate the online payment of tuition and other school fees, offering students and their families an additional payment channel. LandBank said it will also provide a grant for professional office chairs for members of the UP academic community.
Ortiz highlighted the significance of the partnership, stating, "Education is a powerful means of breaking barriers and opening opportunities. Through this partnership, we aim to help talented young Filipinos, regardless of where they come from, pursue their aspirations and use their skills and ideas to contribute to national development." Jimenez, meanwhile, emphasized the program's role in aiding students from GIDAs to access and complete their education, noting, "The Lingap-Iskolar Program is the kind of support that can make a difference between a student simply being offered a place in UP and a student actually being able to accept that opportunity, pursue a degree, and complete it."
