MANILA – The late Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Nestor Espenilla wrote notes on yellow paper, proving that you don’t need to be tech savvy to harness digital channels for financial inclusion, his daughter said.
Lawyer Jacqueline Espenilla said her task was to type her father’s handwritten notes on a computer.
“This is what I find very ironic, he really advocated and spearheaded the digital payment systems, bringing our banking system to the modern era. But my dad himself, he was not the most tech-savvy person and I’m a testament to that,” the young Espenilla said.
“Despite him not really knowing how to do things, he made an effort to understand and he saw the potential of it for other people. So he really tried to make sure that this is a platform. This is something that could make everything more accessible to people,” she said.
Under his leadership, the BSP set up an electronic fund transfer system called InstaPay and an automated clearing house dubbed PESONet under a broader regulatory framework called the National Retail Payment System.
A “digital” highway for payments, he said, would make financial services closer to marginalized Filipinos who transact mostly using non-bank channels.
The young Espenilla said her father also had a funny side.
Jacqueline also shared how despite common misconceptions of Central Bank leaders being strict and uptight, her father was actually very kind and in her words, “kolokoy.”
“So whenever he gave advice… it never felt like it was being said in a condescending manner. It felt like the advice of your wisest friend. We always took everything he said to heart,” she said.
Espenilla died last week after a yearlong battle with tongue cancer. (ABS-CBN News)
