For many Filipinos, the name Palawan is still closely associated with two things: padala and sangla.
But after 41 years, the Palawan Group of Companies wants Filipinos to see it as something much bigger.
At a recent media gathering in Makati, the company officially introduced “Palawan for All,” a new campaign bringing its growing lineup of financial services under one umbrella—from its familiar remittance and pawning businesses to digital payments, insurance, credit, business solutions, and even options for building and preserving wealth.
The idea is fairly straightforward: wherever you are in life and whatever your current financial priorities may be, Palawan wants to have something relevant for you.
From the pawnshop to your smartphone
Perhaps the biggest change in Palawan’s 41-year history is where customers can now find it.
For decades, Palawan built its reputation through its physical branches. Those branches remain a huge part of its business, but the company has also been investing heavily in digital services.
Today, Palawan has more than 3,800 branches nationwide, while its PalawanPay e-wallet has grown to 23 million users and counting.
Palawan describes this combination of physical locations and digital services as its “BrickTech” approach.
Instead of forcing customers to choose between traditional over-the-counter transactions and an app, the idea is to give them access to both.
Through PalawanPay, users can send money, pay bills, make QR Ph payments, renew their pawn, and perform other everyday transactions directly from their phones. Those who prefer face-to-face transactions—or need services that require them—can continue visiting Palawan’s branches.
It’s an important distinction in a country where digital adoption continues to grow, but cash and physical financial touchpoints remain very much part of everyday life.
“As our customers’ needs have changed, Palawan has continued to evolve with them. Today, we bring together different brands and services that can support Filipinos in different ways, from sending and receiving money to accessing credit, protecting their families, managing a business, and planning for the future,” said Karlo M. Castro, President and CEO of the Palawan Group of Companies.
“We want to make these financial services more understandable, convenient, and relevant to the everyday lives of Filipinos.”
Palawan is expanding beyond padala and sangla
Palawan for All also serves as an introduction to just how broad the company’s portfolio has become.
There’s Palawan ProtekTODO, which provides affordable microinsurance, while Palawan Gold and Palawan Pawnshop Jewelry offer customers another way to build or preserve value.
Entrepreneurs can turn to Palawan for Business, while Palawan Credit expands the company’s services into financing and credit.
These join the services Palawan has long been known for, including pawning and domestic and international remittance.
Rather than treating each as a separate business, Palawan for All is meant to connect them as parts of a larger financial ecosystem.
For Chairman and Founder Bobby L. Castro, however, that expansion still comes back to the reputation Palawan has spent four decades building.
“Today, millions of Filipinos entrust us with their hard-earned money because we have remained true to our promise of providing affordable, reliable, and accessible services,” he said.
“More than our growth, what makes me proud is knowing that generations of Filipinos continue to see Palawan as a partner they can trust.”
Marian Rivera returns as Palawan ambassador
Also joining the launch was Marian Rivera, who is entering her second year as Palawan’s brand ambassador.
Her partnership with the company focuses heavily on values that Palawan wants associated with the brand—family, hard work, trust, and malasakit—but Rivera also pointed to the very practical changes she has seen in how Filipinos handle money.
“What I appreciate most is that Palawan has grown alongside Filipino families. I’ve seen how the brand has evolved as our lives and financial needs have changed,” Rivera shared.
“Before, sending money home meant going to a branch, but today, with PalawanPay, you can send money, make payments, renew your pawn, and manage everyday financial transactions anytime, anywhere—something that fits the way many of us live today.”
What’s next for Palawan?
Palawan for All doesn’t mean the company is abandoning the services that made it a household name.
If anything, its strategy appears to be the opposite.
Palawan is using the reach and familiarity of its traditional business as the foundation for a much broader financial platform—one that can serve the customer who still prefers visiting a branch as well as the customer who would rather do everything from a smartphone.
“Palawan for All brings these different services together under one promise: to be a financial partner for Filipinos through the different chapters of their lives,” said Bernard V. Kaibigan, Chief Marketing Officer of the Palawan Group of Companies.
“It is a campaign about people, not products. Every Filipino has a different financial journey, but everyone deserves a partner they can rely on, whether they are starting their first job, supporting their family, growing a business, or planning for the future.”
After 41 years, Palawan is clearly no longer content with being known primarily as the place where Filipinos send money or pawn valuables.
With thousands of branches, 23 million PalawanPay users, and an expanding portfolio of financial services, Palawan for All is the company’s bid to become a financial partner Filipinos can keep using even as the way they manage their money changes.
Or, as the brand continues to put it: Matatag, Maaasahan, at Mapagkakatiwalaan.
