CHAIRMAN'S MESSAGE

After many years, since our foundation in 1978, all of us seem to heave a sigh of relief and satisfaction. As we muse to remember those years of doubt and uncertainty we found rushing to our recollections that now we can proudly say that there is a bank we can call our own.

Persons, natural or juridical, always dream to grow and improve. They want to enjoy the fruits of success. But, while it is not easy to grow and improve, yet the more it is not that easy when they have grown and succeeded. As of now, it appears that Cooperative Rural Bank of Bulacan has meteorically grown and reached its peak. Its beautiful name seems to be a by-word in the cooperative banking system in the country as a paragon of speedy growth and success.

Yet that growth carries with it more and more responsibilities not only on the part of the leaders but of the owners and stakeholders as well. Being so, right now, the bank faces a more tough and tangible challenge.  The Board of Directors and the Management team, time and again, have been mulling of means to meet the said challenge – capitalization. How?

There are times when we thought of recommending that we accept the temptations of converting ourselves into an ordinary private rural bank so we may invite rich people to join and invest in us, thus, solving the predicament we are in. But on second thought, by so doing we lose our personality as a cooperative and possibly be controlled by a few moneyed people. Then our beautiful dream will be brought to naught. On the other hand, if we should not, our capitalization problem continues to hang over our head.  There is our dilemma.

We have always intimated to you this perennial problem of capitalization. But regretably, there is no significant response. If ever, there are those who manifested preference to remain members / co-owners but confessed incapacity to contribute to our capital.

More and more opportunities are open to our bank. Funding agencies, public and private; local and foreign, apparently have reposed in us undoubted trust and confidence. Hence, we are duty-bound not to fail them. It is honestly believed therefore that we close ranks and contribute our share.

Reaching the Two Billion mark in resources is no reason for us to be complacent. Rather, such achievement signals much bigger responsibility. Everyone among us is called upon to prove our worth and sincerity of purpose if only to attain a more enlarged and better service particularly to those who are “attached to the soil”.

Gladly, towards our goal, our microfinance service which started in 1998 is now felt in every nook and corner of our province, Bulacan, and even as far as part of Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Quezon City, City of Valenzuela, Malabon City and others.