IN CELEBRATION of its 100th anniversary, the Philippine National Bank (PNB) launched a 300-page coffee table book titled PNB: One Hundred Years of Service Excellence, filled with the company’s rich history since its formation in 1916.
PNB came into official existence when its president, Dr. Henry Parker Willis, drafted a bill to establish its first office in July 24, 1916. For a time PNB became the de facto central bank of the Philippines, and went on to survive World War II and Martial Law.
“It’s just like any coffee table book — it’s a documentation of the past and the present of PNB. What I liked about it, if you look at the pictures itself, it already tells a story about each bank,” said Christian Jerome O. Dobles, senior vice-president of PNB retail banking group and chairman of the centennial committee.
One chapter navigates through different PNB branches all over the Philippines and the world.
“From all the pictures that you will see, you will notice that PNB is at the center of all the communities we serve. And we are there for a reason,” Mr. Dobles said.
He added that the company is gearing up for the main celebration on July 22. A 100-week countdown and been marked internally by a series of events. Commemorative stamps designed by students from different schools in Manila were introduced to clients a few weeks ago.
Mr. Dobles said the books shows how PNB mirrors the present and past through its products. “The present mirrors the past. If you look at the past 50 years, the products we had before are still with us today such as the bank-on-wheels and slogan of ‘Leaning on,’ among other things,” he said.
MediaWise, PNB’s partner in producing the book, decided to make it more visual but made sure that it “tells a story.”
“We did a concept. Besides it being marketable, or sending a message, we wanted it to be more visual. We got good writers and they did a story about 1916 until today,” MediaWise CEO and publisher, and the book’s executive creative director, Ramoncito O. Cruz said.
The creative team is composed of Krip Yuson, Achilles Mina, Ditas Bermudez, and Arni Bautista for editorial, and Eros Basilio, Alex Dulay, George Cabig, Seymond Earl Nievera, and Nonilon Reyes for design and photography.
“The end pages have that mural of [Vicente] Manansala because when I saw it, I thought it would hold the book together, Mr. Cruz said, referring to the late National Artist’s painting Escolta which is displayed in the PNB.
With an initial run of 2,000 copies, the book will be released right after the centennial celebration.
Woven to the needs of the last century, PNB indeed has a story to tell, said Mr. Cruz.
“It’s a part of the history… and PNB is part of every Filipino,” he said. — Camille Anne M. Arcilla
