Metro Manila (Philippines) — Her Majesty Queen Maxima of the Netherlands paid a courtesy call on President Benigno Aquino III in Malacañan Palace on Monday morning (June 29) to start her three-day official visit to the Philippines.
The Aquino administration, particularly the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, invited Her Majesty in her capacity as the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development.
According to a BSP statement, her visit will include meeting with leaders from public and private sectors and delivering a speech at the launch of the country’s National Strategy for Financial Inclusion (NSFI).
Later she’s scheduled to visit Cavite to meet with clients and discuss the impact of financial services on their families and businesses.
In a meeting with President Aquino last fall, Queen Maxima praised the Philippines for doing “extremely well as a leader in financial inclusion,” a policy that aims to deliver financial services to low-income segments of society at affordable costs.
Aquino reiterated the Philippines’ commitment to make financial inclusion widespread.
He cited such projects as Convergence on Value Chain-Enhancement for Rural Growth and Empowerment (ConVERGE) and Fisheries, Coastal Resources And Livelihood (FishCORAL) that includes farmers’ and fishermen’s access to financial services.
There’s also the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program that enhances financial inclusion among beneficiaries through the use of mobile phones.
BSP Governor Amando Tetangco announced that after the NSFI launch, the NSFI committee will draft an Action Plan on Financial Inclusion which will be presented to the president within two to three months.
Also in Malacañan to welcome the queen were Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario, Socio-Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, and senior officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Finance and the BSP.
