To take full advantage of the booming economy of the first-class municipality in the northwestern part of Nueva Ecija, and be one of the key players in providing banking services to its fast-growing populace, FICOBank—with a sense of worthy purpose—transferred its Umingan (Pangasinan) Branch to Guimba, Nueva Ecija.

The municipality of Guimba is located in a geographical area where accessibility to its neighboring towns/provinces/cities is basically built-in. It lies about 36 kilometers away or approximately 30-minute ride from Cabanatuan City—one of the premier cities in the country—and is 153-kilometer northwest of, or two hours away from, Metro Manila via North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX). Its other entry-exit points are: Cuyapo via Pangasinan-Nueva Ecija Provincial Road; Quezon via Guimba-Aliaga Road from SCTEX; Talugtug via Talugtug-Guimba Road; and Pura via Gerona from Tarlac City. Such location gives Guimba a better ingress and egress to/from Pangasinan, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bataan, Zambales and Nueva Vizcaya. In fact, buses of two transport companies (Vizcaya Liner and Florida Bus) from Cagayan Valley, aside from the other transport facilities in Central and Northwest Luzon, are regularly plying the route via Guimba. 

This municipality, touted as the “Organic Capital of Nueva Ecija,” is composed of 64 barangays, 4 urban and 60 rural areas, interconnected by their first-class road network. As a municipality with a rapid-paced—but sustainable—development, Guimba is naturally rich in agricultural endowment. It proudly lays claim to a number of agro-industries, which is even getting bigger each year. With its over 25,800-hectare land area, 92% of which comprises of agricultural lands, Guimba is recognized as today’s top rice-producing municipality in Nueva Ecija. And over 13,700 households, out of its 96,116 total population, as of latest census, depend on agricultural production, as their main source of earnings and livelihood.

FICOBank-Guimba Branch formally launched the first salvo of its operation and banking services to the public immediately after its grand-opening rites on March 28, 2011. FICOBank’s comprehensive mix of deposit and loan products, as well as fee-based services, can be accessed by the townsfolk of the host and neighboring municipalities at its Guimba Branch, which is strategically located at Plaza Carlota, Afan Salvador St., Santo Cristo, Guimba, Nueva Ecija. FICOBank Guimba is headed by its able Branch Manager, Engr. Tolentino D. Tabago, Jr., in place of its erstwhile BM, Mr. Darwin B. Mendoza, who now manages the FICOBank-Cabanatuan Branch. The good-natured members of the branch team of FICOBank Guimba are ever ready to respond to customers’ queries and needs, which can be coursed through telephone/fax no. (044) 611-0905.

With the market presence of FICOBank in Guimba, the borrowing public will no longer worry about the lack of adequate credit support that is apparently hindering the full-scale development of the locality, particularly the agriculture sector. Through the Bank’s competitively-priced Gintong Ani Loan (for large agricultural ventures), Masaganang Ani Loan (for small agricultural projects/activities) and collateral-free Todo Ani Loan (for agri-fishery productions), the agri-households, comprising the majority of the household population of Guimba, can now unleash the full potential of their respective agro-industries, agri-fishery undertakings or agri-related livelihood activities. Of course, the other sectors of the locality can also avail of the commercial, microfinance and other loan products of the Bank.

Development-wise, the transfer of the aforementioned branch will definitely and significantly benefit the recognized major stakeholders—the Bank and the municipality of Guimba, together with its constituents. Both parties are looking forward to the success of their newly-established partnership for development.