PLDT Enterprise, China Bank Savings, and Samsung PH Advance Digital Lending for DepEd Teachers

PLDT Enterprise, China Bank Savings, and Samsung Electronics Philippines strengthen digital loan origination for DepEd teachers and employees through the APD Smart App, Smart connectivity, and Samsung mobile devices. (From L-R: Joshua Montecillo, AVP and Head of Enterprise & International Wireless Product Management

& Marketing, PLDT Enterprise; Jecyn Chua-Teng, VP and Head of Key Industries Group, PLDT

Enterprise; Victor Genuino, President and CEO, ePLDT and Vitro Inc., and Head of Key Industries Group,

PLDT Enterprise; James Christian Dee, President, China Bank Savings; Niel Jumawan, First Vice

President, China Bank Savings; Roman Han, President, Samsung Electronic Philippines; and Kit Andal, Head of Integrated B2B, Samsung Electronic Philippines)

• Digital Lending: PLDT Enterprise, China Bank Savings, and Samsung Electronics Philippines are strengthening CBS’ field-based Automatic Payroll Deduction distribution model by combining the APD Smart App, Smart connectivity, and Samsung mobile devices to help authorized lending personnel digitally facilitate applications closer to DepEd teachers and non-teaching employees.
• Wider Access: The digitally enabled setup is designed to improve mobility, field productivity, geographic reach, scalability, and client accessibility, particularly as CBS personnel serve educators at schools, DepEd offices, and other field locations across the bank’s nationwide distribution network.
• Key Milestone: China Bank Savings is the first DepEd-accredited Private Lending Institution to receive DepEd approval for this specific digital APD initiative using the APD Smart App, marking an important step in bringing digital loan origination closer to educators while operating within the bank’s established information-security and data-governance framework.

For financial services to become truly accessible, banks increasingly need to meet customers where they are. For thousands of educators working across the Philippines, including those in geographically dispersed and remote locations, that can mean bringing digitally enabled banking assistance directly to schools and Department of Education offices.

PLDT Enterprise, China Bank Savings, and Samsung Electronics Philippines are working together to strengthen CBS’ existing field-based Automatic Payroll Deduction or APD distribution model. The collaboration combines CBS’ APD Smart App with Smart connectivity and Samsung mobile devices, giving authorized field personnel the digital tools needed to facilitate APD loan applications while on the move.

At the heart of the initiative is the APD Smart App, China Bank Savings’ internal digital origination platform. Through the platform, authorized CBS personnel can digitally assist with APD loan applications while serving teachers and non-teaching employees at schools, DepEd offices, and other locations covered by the bank’s nationwide field network.

Bringing Digital Banking Closer to Educators

Rather than replacing CBS’ established field-based APD model, the initiative digitally enables and strengthens the way its teams already serve customers. The setup is designed to support faster deployment, mobility, productivity, geographic reach, scalability, and improved client accessibility.

Samsung Electronics Philippines supplied the mobile devices used by CBS APD field personnel to access the APD Smart App. Smart connectivity, meanwhile, helps keep field teams connected as they work across different locations.

Roman Han, President, Samsung Electronic Philippines, said, “Samsung is pleased to partner with China Bank Savings and PLDT Enterprise for this initiative. By bringing together mobile technology, connectivity, and CBS’ digital platform, this collaboration can help bring banking services closer to educators.”

Samsung Electronics Philippines also hosted the contract signing at its Science Hub Tower 4 offices in McKinley Hill, formally marking the beginning of the collaboration.

Strengthening CBS’ APD Model

For China Bank Savings, digitally enabling its APD field teams supports its broader goal of making banking services more accessible to DepEd teachers and employees. The system is intended to give lending personnel greater mobility while helping CBS scale its existing nationwide distribution model.

Importantly, the digital setup continues to operate within the bank’s established information-security and data-governance framework. This allows CBS to pursue greater accessibility and field productivity while keeping the initiative aligned with its existing internal safeguards.

CBS has also achieved a significant milestone through the project. It is the first DepEd-accredited Private Lending Institution or PLI to receive DepEd approval to undertake this specific digital APD initiative through the APD Smart App.

This distinction gives the collaboration significance beyond simply providing devices and connectivity. Digital origination can now be brought closer to educators through the bank’s field personnel, including customers who may be located farther from traditional banking touchpoints.

James Christian Dee, President of China Bank Savings, said, “Serving our customers well means giving our people the ability to respond to them wherever they may be. This mobility initiative gives our lending teams greater flexibility to work in the field while supporting our efforts to make financial services more accessible to DepEd teachers. We value PLDT Enterprise as a partner that has continued to understand and support the way our business has evolved over the years.”

Partnership Built Over Time

The latest project is also another chapter in the long-running relationship between China Bank Savings and PLDT Enterprise, which dates back to 2007.

Their partnership initially involved fixed voice subscriptions and branch connectivity. It expanded in 2018 to support the bank’s APDS loans business, followed by CBS’ transition to SD-WAN in 2022. Wireless services have since continued to be added for various customer lending units.

This progression reflects how the relationship has evolved alongside the changing operational requirements of the bank. The latest mobility initiative moves the collaboration further into digitally enabled field services by combining connectivity with mobile hardware and CBS’ own digital platform.

Victor S. Genuino, Head of PLDT Enterprise Key Industries Group and President and CEO of ePLDT and VITRO Inc., said, “Our partnership with China Bank Savings shows how technology can make a meaningful difference when it is built around how people actually work and how customers need to be served. By enabling their lending officers to stay connected and productive wherever their work takes them, we are helping CBS build a more agile operating model that supports both business growth and its goal of widening access to financial services.”

Technology Supporting Field Teams

What makes the initiative notable is how several technologies and operational elements come together around the people actually serving customers in the field.

The APD Smart App provides the digital origination platform, Samsung mobile devices give authorized personnel the hardware needed to use it outside conventional banking locations, and Smart connectivity helps support access while teams are deployed across CBS’ nationwide APD network.

Combined with the bank’s existing field force, these components create a more scalable and responsive APD distribution model. For DepEd teachers and non-teaching employees, the intended result is straightforward: loan application assistance can be brought closer to where they work rather than relying solely on traditional banking locations.

The collaboration also demonstrates how digital transformation can be applied to an existing service model instead of requiring an entirely new one. By digitally enabling its established APD distribution network, CBS can extend the capabilities of its field personnel while continuing to serve educators through a familiar structure.

About PLDT Enterprise

PLDT Enterprise is the corporate business arm of PLDT, the leading telecommunications and digital services provider in the Philippines. It provides fixed-line, wireless, and ICT solutions designed to help businesses adapt to evolving technological requirements while improving efficiency, continuity, connectivity, and customer experience.

PLDT Enterprise also aims to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through digital transformation, meaningful innovation, and efforts to bridge the digital divide.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future through transformative ideas and technologies. Its portfolio spans TVs, digital signage, smartphones, wearables, tablets, home appliances, network systems, memory, system LSI, and foundry, along with medical imaging technologies, HVAC solutions, robotics, and automotive and audio products through Harman.

Through its SmartThings ecosystem, collaboration with partners, and integration of AI across its portfolio, Samsung aims to deliver seamless and intelligent connected experiences.

About China Bank Savings

China Bank Savings serves the financing and banking needs of educators, SMEs, salaried workers, and retail customers nationwide.

The bank operates through a network of 190 branches, 107 lending centers and branch-lite units, 301 ATMs, and digitally enabled customer touchpoints. Through its focus on accessible and inclusive banking, CBS continues to uphold its brand promise, “Easy Banking for You.”