SY family-led BDO Unibank Inc. has funded more than P1 trillion in sustainable projects across energy, infrastructure, water, transportation, and community development sectors since the launch of its sustainable finance program in 2010.
In a statement on Monday, the bank said it continues to champion initiatives supporting inclusive growth, environmental stewardship, and long-term economic resilience.
“Championing sustainable infrastructure is more than financing,” BDO Executive Vice President and Head of Institutional Banking Group Charles Rodriguez said.
“It is about laying the groundwork for a sustainable and climate-resilient future. At BDO, we take pride in partnering with companies that drive innovation, uplift communities and fuel national progress,” he added.
For its sustainable projects, the bank’s clients came from multiple sectors.
BDO served as the anchor lender of the syndicated term loan facility for San Miguel Global Power (SMGP) Holdings Corp.’s battery energy storage system (BESS).
SMGP’s 32 BESS facilities nationwide provide a combined capacity of 1,000 megawatt-hours (MWh), enhancing power quality and stability by addressing the intermittency of renewable energy sources.
This supports the development of other renewable sources, aligning with the Philippines’ goal of generating 35 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.
BDO also provided project funding for the development of the largest solar plant in Batangas with Citicore Renewable Energy Corp.’s (CREC) Citicore Solar Batangas 1 project, comprising two solar plants in Tuy, Batangas.
Once operational, the project will have a peak generating capacity of 197 MW, and will cover the power needs of approximately 158,000 households per year.
CREC also pioneered the AgroSolar initiative in the country that enables solar energy generation to co-exist with agriculture.
In addition, BDO also recently financed MTerra Solar, touted to be the world’s largest integrated solar and battery storage facility once completed.
Spanning over 3,500 hectares across Nueva Ecija and Bulacan, this 3,500-megawatt peak (MWp) solar farm also has a 4,500 MWh battery storage system to provide clean energy to about 2.4 million households.
BDO had also given the largest commitment among the six-bank syndicate, with BDO Trust and Investments Group serving as the facility agent and security trustee, while BDO Capital acted as the sole mandated lead arranger and bookrunner.
BDO also functions as MTerra Solar’s main account bank, reinforcing its expertise in structuring large-scale sustainable energy projects.
The bank said that it continues to support green buildings, solar rooftop installations, and resource-efficient infrastructure to help its clients reduce energy use and emissions while boosting operational performance.
“Energy efficiency is clearly a pathway to a greener portfolio,” BDO Institutional Banking Group head of ESG Desk Michelle Patricia Cillan said at the Department of Energy’s Philippine Conference on Energy Efficiency and Conservation.
“While there are challenges to be hurdled, having the right information and understanding our clients’ business models can unlock opportunities for financing,” she added.
BDO said that its sustainable financing activities are anchored on its board-approved sustainable finance framework, currently the most comprehensive framework in the country for green, blue, social and gender financing, with 29 eligible categories certified by Morningstar Sustainalytics.
The bank’s shares on Monday slipped by P1.10, or 0.73 percent, to close at P149.90 apiece amid a 0.78 percent rise for the benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index.
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