From left to right: AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr.; PVB Chairman Roberto De Ocampo, OBE; House Speaker Martin Romualdez; PVB President & CEO Renato Claravall; and Deputy Treasurer Eduardo Anthony Mariño III (PVB Facebook)

House Speaker Martin Romualdez served as keynote speaker during Philippine Veterans Bank's (PVB) recent Annual Stockholders’ Meeting (ASM), where over 3,000 stockholders attended. 

This year's ASM took place at SMX Convention Center in Pasay City last June 11. 

It was Romualdez's second consecutive year to keynote the event. The leader of the 300-plus strong House of Representatives expressed his belief in the continuing growth and progress of the PVB as well as lending his support to the institution.  

Simultaneous with the meeting, the elections for the bank’s Board of Directors and as well as for the members of the Board of Trustees of the Veterans of World War II (BTVWWII) were also held. The winners were announced in the afternoon that same day. 

Romualdez, Leyte's 1st district representative, was one of the key government officials who worked for the passage of Republic Act (RA) No.11597 or the Philippine Veterans Bank Act of 2021. 

Under RA No.11597, which is also its charter, PVB is an authorized government depository bank and offers its banking services to government agencies, government owned corporations, and local government units. The bank extends grants to support projects and activities for the benefit of veterans, their heirs and descendants. 

Chairman Roberto de Ocampo, OBE and by President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Renato Claravall updated and apprised attending shareholders--many of whom came from the provinces--on the latest developments about the bank. 

The bank’s leadership also laid out PVB’s strategies and directions for the rest of the year to the attending shareholders. Both Chairman De Ocampo and President Claravall received fresh mandates to lead the bank’s board.

Aside from Romualdez, the ASM was also attended by AFP Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner, Jr.; and Deputy Treasurer Eduardo Anthony Mariño III, representing Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Ralph Recto as special guests. 

Aside from De Ocampo and Claravall, re-elected to the PVB Board were Gerardo Manuel Luis Anonas, Josephine Diana Calatrava, Francisco Magsajo Jr., Jose Nuñez Jr., Percianita Racho, Cesar Rubio, Ma. Cecilia Soriano, PLt Gen. Reynaldo Velasco (Ret.). Also elected to the board were the new directors Anthony Te, Alfredo Panlilio and lawyer Carlos Alfonso Ocampo who were first elected during the Bank’s Special Stockholders’ Meeting in March this year.

Also elected during the ASM were the members of the Board of Trustees of the Veterans of World War II (BTVWWII). Winning seats for a one-year term were Edwin San Miguel, Engineer Elisor Nierva, Dr. Ma. Melissa Poot, Dr. Marilyn Esguerra, Myra Doncila, Gen. Reynaldo Alcasid (Ret.), Gen. Jaime delos Santos (Ret.), lawyer Salacnib Tulingan, Eduardo Pilapil, Gen. William Esplana (Ret.) and Rosela de Ocampo. 

Through the BTVWWII, PVB is able to provide for the welfare and benefit of veterans and their families through grants-in-aid used for educational, social, charitable, and rehabilitation purposes.