Philippine National Bank launched the second year of its Sustainability Summit Workshop Series on August 4, reaffirming its long-term commitment to embedding environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles across its operations.
Held at Century Park Hotel in Manila, the summit—titled “Inspire, Innovate, Ignite”—gathered PNB’s board of directors, top executives, and industry leaders for a series of workshops designed to align the bank’s strategies with sustainability and climate resilience goals.
PNB director Geocel D. Olanday, who chairs the Corporate Governance and Sustainability Committee, opened the summit by underscoring the importance of collective responsibility in future-proofing the institution.
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas assistant governor and chief sustainability officer Pia Bernadette Roman-Tayag delivered the keynote, calling on financial institutions to integrate climate risk, operational sustainability, and blended finance models into their frameworks—especially to support SMEs. “Adaptation finance is not just a moral imperative—it’s a strategic one,” she said.
PNB president and CEO Edwin R. Bautista emphasized that sustainability, alongside digital transformation, must drive the bank’s growth. “To future-proof PNB, we must embed sustainability into our DNA,” he noted.
The summit featured expert insights from ESG and digital transformation specialists, including Arpit Shrivastava (Gaia), Rey Chelin Castro (S&P Global), Roger Collantes (Asian Institute of Digital Transformation), and Jed Llanes (Komunidad).
The workshop series builds on the bank’s recent sustainability milestone—its US$300-million sustainability bond issued in October 2024, which was over 3.6 times oversubscribed. Proceeds have been fully allocated to renewable energy and battery storage projects. The bond received a Baa3 rating from Moody’s and was recognized by The Asset with the Best Sustainability Bond – Financial Institution award.
PNB’s continued rollout of its sustainability program highlights its strategic focus on green finance and ESG integration as key drivers of long-term value and resilience.
