MANILA, Philippines – United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB) announced that businessman Menardo Jimenez had joined the reorganized UCPB board of the directors and was elected chairman of the board.

Jimenez was the former president and chief executive officer of GMA Network Inc. for 26 years. He has significant holdings in various industries including broadcast, real estate, manufacturing, print media, agriculture, bio-fuel and food retail. He also sits on the board of several other Philippine companies such as San Miguel Corp., Nuvoland, Inc., Unicapital Finance and Investment, Inc., Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Inc., and Albay Agro Industrial Corp.

UCPB corporate secretary Atty. Jose Barcelon said Jimenez was elected early last week together with eight other new directors, namely Arthur Bautista, Atty. Raul Del Mar, Atty. Nilo Divina, Ma. Angela Ignacio, Higinio Macadaeg, Jr., Jose Alfonso Poblete, Danilo Pulido and John Young.

The nine join incumbent directors Ramon Sy, Datu Mao Andong, Atty. Karlo Marco Estavillo, Cristina Orbeta, Oscar Solidor and Efren Villasenor to complete the 15-man UCPB board of directors.

Of the 15, eight represent the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC) namely, Jimenez, Sy, Bautista, Ignacio, Orbeta, Poblete, Pulido and Young.