BDO Network Bank (BDONB) has been more than just a business in the communities that it serves. The rural bank has become a valuable member of each community, responding to their financial needs and even beyond.

However, the various lockdowns have put many businesses on hold. As a result, business owners and their employees find themselves struggling to maintain their livelihoods.

A loan as a lifeline

As sales dwindle for many businesses due to the lack of customers, loans from banks and financial institutions are necessary to keep them afloat and tide them over until the economy recovers.

This was true for a 51-year old seamstress in Davao City, who was struggling to sustain her sewing and apparel business. She was lucky enough to receive a huge order for washable face masks but she still had a problem. Due to slow business in previous months, she didn’t have enough capital to buy raw materials to produce what her customer ordered.

The seamstress approached several banks and lending institutions, but her loan application was denied, as they were not granting loans during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). Feeling hopeless, she thought that she was going to lose the big order from the customer and the earnings that she badly needed.

Fortunately, she was approached by BDONB’s MSME Matina Team. Said team has been proactively calling up entrepreneurs to find out how the Bank could help, knowing that businesses urgently needed a financial boost during these times.

After talking to the seamstress, BDONB assured her that it can grant her a loan even during ECQ, taking away her distress and despair. As a result, she was able to fulfill her buyer’s order and provide income not only for herself but for her workers and their families. The masks she made also helped the community at large by providing them protection from the pandemic.

The loan had a ripple effect as it made it possible for the seamstress to buy from her cloth supplier and benefit his business as well.

Walking the extra mile: onsite and online

BDONB employees are known in their communities as reliable partners during times of need, often going the extra mile to make transactions and life in general easier for bank clients. For instance, it’s not unusual for BDONB employees to meet up with clients at the checkpoints to process much-needed transactions if travel restrictions prevent clients from going to the bank.

However, as the pandemic continues to disrupt the way of life, the face-to-face, physical contact, and reassuring personal touch with the community that BDONB employees are accustomed to will have to be put on hold.

The solution that BDONB now offers to its clients, who are used to the warm, assuring community outreach of the bank’s employees, is to create its own social media community. This community will be gathered in the official BDONB Facebook Page, which was recently launched by the rural bank.

“BDO Network Bank has been looking forward to an official Facebook page. And for us, this is the best time, as the team is geared up and more forearmed to support an online community. After a year from our rebrand, we deem this is the best follow through to continuously propagate brand awareness and improve our customer engagement,” BDO Network Bank president J. Antonio S. Itchon said.

“More importantly, we are a proponent of driving inclusive economic growth through our relevant financial products and services. We support our clients aspirations and business needs especially in unserved and underserved communities. By launching our own FB page, we envision to exponentially grow the number of lives that we can change and prosper,” he added.

BDO Network Bank’s Facebook page will serve as its alternative channel in reaching out to the communities it serves. The platform will complement its on ground services such as answering to product inquiries, conducting financial wellness roadshows, and getting customer feedback. All these can be done on its official Facebook page without the need for face-to-face engagement or visiting BDO Network Bank branches.

Visit BDO Network Bank’s Official Facebook page here.