ABS-CBN, RCBC team up for Green ATM program

MANILA, Philippines - ABS-CBN Corp. and Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) have teamed up the first Green Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) campaign in the country.

RCBC president and CEO Lorenzo Tan said they have signed an agreement with ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation Inc. (ALKFI) to transform over 1,000 RCBC ATMs into Green ATMs.

Specifically, ABS -CBN Foundation and RCBC agreed to help each other in properly disposing used lead acid batteries inside ATM machines.

ALKFI’s Bantay Baterya Project has a long standing partnership with Oriental & Motolite Marketing Corp. (OMMC) in ensuring the proper disposal of used lead acid batteries.

OMMC, through Evergreen Environmental Resources Inc., will collect all the used batteries from 1,100 RCBC ATM machines and 422 bank branches and offices nationwide.

Proceeds from this endeavor will be used to further develop Bantay Kalikasan’s ecotourism sites in the Mimaropa islands, Masbate and Sorsogon in Bicol, and Saranggani province in Mindanao.

Tan said this is part of the bank’s program on becoming green and strengthening electronic transactions in RCBC offices to reduce paper consumption.

“I hope we can encourage other banks and other corporations in the Philippines to join this endeavor. There are lots of recyclable materials inculding bateries that we can gather and put into more productive use,” Tan said.

ALKFI managing director Clarissa Ocampo said this initiative could  later be expanded into other relationships, “so it is important to have partners like RCBC to implement our advocacies.”