Public told to complete bank transactions early

CEBU, Philippines - The public is advised to do banking transactions as early as now as most banks will be closed on December 24 to January 4.

 Dates within that period are either declared holidays or will fall on weekend. All banks will only be open on December 29.

 Cebu Bankers Club president Gino Gonzalez, however, said some bank branches would be open on certain dates during the long holiday break to serve clients.

 Gonzalez, who is also Metro Cebu area head of Philippine National Bank, said PNB branches will be open half day on December 26 even if it is a special non-working day.

 “Each bank will open [some branches] during the holiday tungod sa kataas sa holiday para maserbisyuan ang ubang clients,” he said in an interview yesterday.

 The president advised the banking public to call their banks to know the specific dates when the select branches will be open.

 BDO Unibank recently announced that its select branches will be open on December 24 and 26 while the banking hours of its mall branches on the said dates are shortened.

 Security Bank also said some of its branches will be open during the long holiday break.

 In an advisory released yesterday, Bank of the Philippine Islands said some of its 150 branches nationwide will be open on December 24 (half day), December 30 (whole day) and January 3 (whole day). Its mall branches with weekend operations will also be open during the holidays.

 “We also encourage everyone to complete their banking transactions and to withdraw money from the ATMs well ahead of the holidays,” Rich Manalad of BPI’s corporate communications told The FREEMAN.

 Meanwhile, automated teller machines of different banks will still be able to cater transactions of clients during the Christmas break.

 Gonzalez also told the public to use ATMs attached in banks to avoid the already “crowded” machines in mall establishments especially this shopping season. (FREEMAN)