At 4 a.m. in Estancia, a Bank Memo Finally Feels Real

It’s still dark. The air smells sharp with diesel and seawater — and the Estancia Fish Port is already wide awake. Ice crushers rumble, wooden banyeras slide across concrete, and a vendor calls out loud enough to be heard over the noise: “Fresh from Estancia Port! Dali na..” while he films his stall live on his phone.

This is where the country’s “Alaska of the Philippines” wakes up. A town carrying that name because it sits right on the rich Visayan Sea Triangle — historically described as hosting “the largest fish trading post supplying marine resources not only to Panay Island but the whole country.”

Three blocks away on V. Cudilla Avenue, the Land Bank of the Philippines Estancia Branch — open since December 27, 2017 — hasn’t opened its doors yet. But its app just got far more useful. Starting today, Tuesday, July 7, 2026, Landbank waives all interbank transfer fees: clients sending money via InstaPay and PESONet on the mobile app and iAccess pay nothing. Retail and person-to-government payments through QRPh are also free.

This began with Finance Secretary Frederick Go, who chairs Landbank — removing convenience fees for online government payments via QRPh from June 1 until December 31, 2026. Malacañang took notice. On Monday, Presidential Officer Claire Castro said the Palace “urges other banks to follow” what Landbank started, joined already by BPI and RCBC:

BPI already made it permanent last July 1. This isn’t pure generosity — BSP Circular No. 1238 took effect July 4, limiting what banks can charge to the actual “switch cost” — roughly just ₱1.50 per transaction.

Why this hits harder here in Northern Iloilo

The sea is tired. When the catch shrinks, every peso matters. A transfer fee of ₱10 or ₱15 doesn’t look big on a bank schedule — but here, that’s a kilo of ice. That’s jeepney fare home. That’s profit you can’t afford to lose.

More than free transfers: real support for fisherfolk

Landbank has long been backing this sector, with credit programs designed exactly for communities like Estancia:

• ✅ Pagsasakang Pantubig (Sustainable Aquaculture): ₱2.8 billion in credit for fisherfolk associations, cooperatives, MSMEs
• ✅ Commercial Fishing Vessel Financing: ₱2 billion set aside for new or refurbished boats
• ✅ Nationwide: ₱13 billion in loans/grants for nearly 1M farmers & fishers this year; ₱908.77 billion total agri-fishery loans — 58.4% of their entire portfolio
• ✅ AGRISENSO Plus (launched Pototan, July 2025): ₱3.62 billion approved — helping 15,100+ small producers here in Western Visayas

Padala, Seafarers, and Families

Go to Carles, Concepcion, or here in Estancia — almost every family has someone working far out at sea. Western Visayas relies heavily on remittances; nationwide, remittances grew 3% to $38.3 billion in 2024.

That’s why the OFBank partnership matters: seafarers send dollars to OFBank; their families withdraw or transfer instantly — no fees. Paying market dues or business permits? Scanning QRPh is also free until year-end. Small savings stack up fast.

Change you can see

Scroll through social media and you see Estancia moving forward:

• 📱 Vendors like Lorycel Legada livestreaming their morning catch
• 🚢 The new Estancia Feederport arch — “Project of Senator Franklin M. Drilon” — and the rising two-story public market
• 🎉 Mayor Bianca Requinto’s Sutokil Festival supporting small entrepreneurs
• 💳 Lessons learned from Paleng-QR PH Plus in Iloilo City — where vendors like Jasmin Mangalisan called cashless payments “a game-changer”
• 🏗️ National government funding: ₱90 million seafood market coming to boost Northern Iloilo tourism

What it won’t fix

Let’s be honest: Free transfers won’t make the fish come back.

Digital payments now make up 57.4% of retail volume nationwide — but at 5 a.m. at the port, it’s still mostly cash, styrofoam boxes, and trust. Commenters on local videos still remind us: “damo basura sa tubig dira gid sa bagsakan sang isda” — there are real challenges beyond banking fees.

But what this waiver does do: it stops punishing people for choosing digital. No deduction from a boat captain’s share. No extra cost paying permits online. No charge moving earnings between banks.

In a town where one in four live below the poverty line — and where the sea gave 41% less last year — this isn’t just a press release. It’s not just a bank policy.

It’s ice. It’s fuel. It’s the difference between selling out by 7 a.m. — or still shouting “dali na” at noon.