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Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP)
DBP - Trailblazing the economy as a banking partner of the Filipino
Being the country's most progressive development banking institution is no small task. For 54 years after its founding, the Development Bank of the Philippines weathered through economic and political storms, yet is still standing strong and hardy with its branches steadfastly offering a "shade" to all its stakeholders in the task of nation-building.
The Bank's primary mandate is to provide medium and long-term financing needs of enterprises, with focus on small and medium-scale industries, particularly in the countryside. The DBP supports the growth of domestic capital markets and is the country's major conduit of international funds from multilateral and bilateral institutions for official development assistance (ODA) programs and grants.
The Bank also continues its developmental thrusts on economic pump-priming and program-type lending to strategic sectors like infrastructure, transportation, telecommunications, power and energy, SMEs, agriculture and food security, education, health care, housing, micro-finance, and environment.
Recently, DBP was recognized as the first Philippine bank to be ISO 14001 Certified by SGS Switzerland SA for its successful establishment and implementation of an Environmental Management System (EMS). The recognition covers its banking, lending, and investment activities.
DBP also undertakes continuous institutional strengthening efforts to ensure its viability and strategic positioning towards globally competitive operations. DBP likewise continues to lead sustainable economic development, offering innovative products and services while maintaining its social responsibility.
These products include project financing, trade financing and import/export services. It offers banking services, including international banking services, merchant banking services, and treasury products and services. Loans are available through the Bank's retail lending and wholesale lending operations for capital assets investments and working capital.
Infrastructure Building
Consistent with its thrust of developing a strong internal organization and strengthening core competencies, a more secure and reliable infrastructure is being undertaken centering on mission-critical areas such as information security and infrastructure building.
Toto Magsino, Head of the Systems and Methods Office of the DBP, claimed that the Bank is still rebounding from the effects of the Y2K crisis. "We had to rush to make all our applications Y2K compliant. There was not enough time to really fit our strategies and come up with the best architecture that can serve the Bank itself and make it responsive enough to the society given the time frame we had then."
In 1998, there was another transition from the Fidel V. Ramos government to a new one, which had a different view of how government should be, claimed Magsino. "It was very difficult to come up with something more permanent at that time and to think about something strategic, given the urgency of the Y2K crisis. Today is the time to fix what we have, what we really are as a company and what our role is in the society. That's why we are currently putting up the necessary tools and resources so that top management do not have to worry about these technology infrastructure issues."
Remote Access Service (RAS) offers outsourced dial-up connectivity to corporate customers, giving them the ability to give their mobile workers, telecommuters, and branch offices anytime, anywhere dial-up access to their corporate network.
He added, "What we have to come up with is a solution that will help us in our business and is affordable to make us respond to customer demands fast. So crisis or no crisis, this concern is something that we have to make ourselves ready for."
Ludovico M. Padiernos, head of DBP's data center, said DBP has adopted a centralized computing approach where most servers are located at the data center.
Centralized Computing
According to Ludovico M. Padiernos, head of DBP's data center, DBP has adopted a centralized computing system wherein most of its servers are located at the data center. "Since we have more than 30 mission-critical applications running in the Local Area Network of the Bank, we need a network infrastructure that can support these applications' needs."
DBP has looked into acquiring LAN core and edge switches basically focused on performance and security. "We have always believed in a multi-layered approach to address the security issues of the Bank. To achieve this approach, network equipment are needed to implement the changes at the physical and network levels."
She claimed that the global alliances prepared PLDT for the domestic offering. Surveys made with foreign partners around 1997 to 1998 also gave the company indications on the types of solutions that would be required by its clients two to three years from then. Among these solutions included IP VPN, roaming services, and customer network management tools.
The server farm also connects all 68 DBP branches, processing I/O intensive applications such as the accounting software. This application requires a large amount of bandwidth for faster access at the branch level.
DBP chose Fujitsu Philippines, Inc. to provide the Bank with Avaya switches to serve its networking needs. Magsino stressed that the choice was based on the Bank's criteria of affordability. "And aside from offering the switches that actually work, FPI has provided the Bank with the service and support that we require."
"So far we are satisfied with the service of FPI. Whatever we want, we can easily get it, plus the price of the product is competitive," added Padiernos.
Through the help of FPI, the Bank has also installed firewall and anti-virus applications from Trend Micro. Before the end of the year, it will implement a Performance Management System. Systems Administrator, Jared V. Tabino, said as the Bank's goal is to build the infrastructure, it would like to have a clearer view of how its systems are performing and to better manage its Microsoft SQL servers, to be located at different branches.
"We will be coming up with a new Deposit Servicing System, and as part of that project, we will deploy the MS SQL servers to the branches so we want to manage them remotely and be monitored by a Systems Management tool as well," he stressed. This project will be implemented in 2004 to help the Bank become more proactive in managing and supporting its ICT infrastructure.
On Product Leadership, Ramos explained, "We know that the only way to survive this very competitive industry is to innovate and differentiate. Thinking out of the box is a MUST. With Innolab, product concepts can now be readily tested for fast rollout. Opening the Innolab facilities to the academe, the government, and industry partners will facilitate incubation of new ideas for quicker commercial implementation."
She noted that most other carriers offer a limited number of data services. "PLDT's main competitive advantages are the full-range, as well as customized services it offers such as Shop.Work, Embed, and Resort Solutions, the vast resources it has at its disposal (manpower skills, network resources, and financial strength alike), and of course its continuous drive toward innovation by being first and best in market."
Systems Administrator Jared V. Tabino, said the Bank's goal is to build the infrastructure to have a clearer view of how its systems are performing.
Responsiveness and Flexibility
Magsino claimed that this year is a continuance of the basic framework of putting up the Bank's infrastructure. The new deposit system will focus on supporting the Government's Anti-Money Laundering Law. "We are also trying to provide top management with enough tools to draw in information the way they want it, without having to bother the systems development team. There is always a never-ending request for enhancements, changes, additional specifications, and people who will fix the systems. It is usual that the people who built these systems years ago are no longer around to actually fix them."
He further claimed that top management should be able to draw from the Bank's information, which is already routinely provided by its application systems. "This will achieve responsiveness and flexibility on their part, without depending too much on the ICT group. The bottom line is that information is given at the time they need it."
DBP's relevance to the Filipino people's development is the key test of its overall viability as an institution. Its task of countrywide development is multi-faceted and complex indeed. But it also knows that at the end of the day, it boils down to empowering its people.
Aside from providing skills, knowledge and the right attitude, equipping them with the tools such as a reliable ICT infrastructure is needed for the Bank's people to be productive economic agents and responsible citizens.
