ADFIAP Chairman, Ambassador Jesus P. Tambunting, who is also Chair & CEO of PlantersBank, made a call recently to ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda to re-introduce ADFIAP and establish a closer working relationship with the Manila-based regional development bank. It will be recalled that the ADB was instrumental in the creation of the Association 30 years ago. It was during the ADB’s Sixth Regional Symposium for Development Finance Institutions in Asia-Pacific in October 1976 in Manila that provided the forum for ADFIAP’s founding.

Amb. Tambunting and President Kuroda also discussed potential regional cooperation initiatives to promote a private sector perspective and policy-orientation for member-DFIs of ADFIAP. This private sector outlook proposition stemmed from the ADB’s outstanding growth achieved by its Private Sector Operations Department headed by Mr. Robert Bestani and for this reason, ADFIAP believes that the PSOD would be the ideal link to the Association.

Earlier on, ADFIAP and ADB worked closely on various programs such as the “Executive Development Program for Pacific DFIs which was supported by the EDI/World Bank (1981-1984); Regional Symposium on Financial Control, Accounting, and Auditing Practices of DFIs, Manila 1987; Symposium on Legal Issues on Debt Recovery, Credit and Security, Manila 1993; and Symposium on Technology Ventures in Small and Medium Scales Industries, Seoul 1994.

ADB has also been represented and spoke at many ADFIAP Annual Meetings and has always kept its doors open to visiting ADFIAP member-banks in Manila that wish to know more about the working programmes of the Bank.

Ambassador Jesus Tambunting was accompanied by Mr. Octavio Peralta, ADFIAP Secretary General; and Ms. Sandy Lim, ADFIAP Senior Executive for membership.