Manila, Philippines – The Palawan Group of Companies has appointed Havas Ortega as its Media Agency on Record (AOR), marking a new phase in its media strategy.
Celebrating 40 years of service, Palawan Group, which operates brands including Palawan Pawnshop, Palawan Express Pera Padala, and PalawanPay, is currently expanding its offerings across pawning, remittance, credit, insurance through Palawan ProtekTODO, jewellery sales, business-to-business services, and its digital app.
The partnership with Havas Ortega aims to create a scalable media model that supports portfolio growth and strengthens ROI discipline across media investments.
“With the widest reach through more than 3,500 branches nationwide, Palawan Group has long served as a trusted, everyday financial partner to millions of Filipinos,” the company said. The collaboration is intended to complement the group’s physical presence with an enhanced digital strategy.
Karlo Castro, president and CEO of the Palawan Group, said, “The Palawan Group has always been built on trust, reliability, and long-term value creation—especially for our ‘Sukis’, the millions of Filipinos who choose us every day. As we accelerate our expansion, we need a media partner that can help us sharpen decision-making, strengthen ROI discipline, and create a future-ready marketing foundation. Havas Ortega brings the right combination of local consumer understanding, strategic rigor, and performance-minded thinking to help us drive growth at scale.”
Bernard Kaibigan, chief marketing officer, also added, “Appointing Havas Ortega is a strategic step toward data-led, future-ready marketing. We want our media choices to reflect real consumer behaviours and needs, while enabling disciplined decision-making.”
He continued, “This partnership also gives us a strong operating rhythm—through tight feedback loops and a cadence aligned to business cycles—so we can move with agility as we scale. As we move forward, we are also investing in innovation, including exploring AI-enabled capabilities, to help strengthen how we serve our customers and communicate the value of our services.”
Moreover, Havas Ortega’s remit as Media AOR covers end-to-end media strategy, planning, and investment management, ensuring that media decisions are informed by consumer behaviour and aligned to business cycles.
On the other hand, Jos Ortega, chairman and CEO of Havas Ortega, said, “Our focus is to help Palawan Group build a modern, scalable media model—one that improves clarity and accountability in investment decisions while staying deeply connected to what Filipino consumers actually need and how they behave. We’re excited by the opportunity over the next 12 to 24 months to help reset how media drives growth—responsibly, measurably, and at scale.”
Additionally, the partnership will operate with tight feedback loops between business, marketing, and the agency, supported by a cadence aligned to business cycles. Integrated planning across marketing, digital, corporate teams, and leadership is also intended to strengthen cross-functional alignment and accountability.
Through this collaboration, the Palawan Group aims to reinforce brand relevance and performance, ensuring that media choices reflect evolving consumer behaviours across its nationwide network and its digital ecosystem.
