MANILA, Philippines—Four Filipinos have made it to Forbes Magazine’s 48 Heroes of Philanthropy list in the Asia Pacific Region.
The four, named in the magazine’s March 16 issue, are Jon Ramon Aboitiz, Manuel V. Pangilinan, Henry Sy, and Alfonso Yuchengco Sr.
Forbes noted that despite the global financial crunch “hammering fortunes all over Asia,” the 48 tycoons and modest donors still “opened up their checkbooks” to help others.
“This is the our third annual Heroes of Philanthropy issue, and the second in which we've compiled a list of 48 leading givers-- four from each of 12 countries,” it said.
Aboitiz, 61, chairs the Aboitiz holding company with investments in energy, construction, logistics, food and banking. He is cited along with his family.
Forbes said Jon Ramon and brothers Roberto and Mikel are the most active family members in the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, which started as a traditional charity in 1966.
The foundation is more of a development institution today.
“It focuses on child welfare, community development, Cebuano heritage, microfinance, youth leadership and the environment, and spent $1.6 million in 2007,” Forbes said.
Over the past five years it has put hundreds of thousands of dollars into renovating public schools in Cebu Province. Its latest initiative is to find homes and livelihoods for the Badjao, nomadic Sulu fishermen, ho have become beggars on streets of Cebu City.
Pangilinan, 62, is chairman of Hong Kong-listed First Pacific and New York-listed Philippine Long-Distance Telephone.
“During his years in Hong Kong he founded, and still chairs, the Bayanihan Center, which provides cultural and vocational activities for Filipino domestic workers there,” said Forbes.
Known as MVP, he is a sports enthusiast and patron of youth basketball and badminton leagues. He has footed the bill for overseas training for national basketball youth teams.
Pangilinan donated funds for the construction at the Ateneo de Manila University of the Manuel V. Pangilinan Center for Student Leadership, which was completed in 2006. He also funded a retreat house, named after his mother, for Catholic sisters in Tagaytay.
Sy, 84, who was also cited along with his family, built the shopping mall empire SM and holds the country's biggest fortune.
He founded and chairs the SM Foundation, whose staff of 20 focuses on health, education and spiritual well-being. The foundation runs clinics near SM malls, repairs pediatric wards and hospices.
In 2007 its mobile health and dental clinics treated 164,000 people in remote areas. The foundation also awards scholarships. It builds Catholic chapels and youth centers, and public school buildings.
Last August, Sy and his family purchased the 107-year-old National University.
Yuchengco, 85, is chairman of the Yuchengco Group, a conglomerate anchored by insurance and banking interests.
He chairs the Alfonso Yuchengco Foundation, which targets health, nutrition and education issues.
“One clinic it sponsors is in Cotabato City, where the beneficiaries are Muslims. At any one time [the foundation] supports 5,000 college scholarships,” according to Forbes.
The foundation also provided initial funding in 2004 for the Philippine Studies Center at the University of San Francisco in the US. Also under the foundation is the Yuchengco Museum in Makati, opened in 2005, which displays his collection of Filipino and Sino-Filipino art.
He also chairs the Yuchengco Center, which is devoted to public policy conferences and research related to the Philippines and Asia, especially relations with Japan, where he was once ambassador.
In 1983, Yuchengco cofounded the Mother Teresa Award, which annually awards P1 million ($25,000) to an individual dedicated to serving the poorest of the poor.
Forbes said the 48 “aren't always the biggest givers.”
“Instead we aim to highlight a varied group of generous people,” it said. “Some are very big givers--Li Ka-shing's vast contributions earn him a place on the list once again. Others don't show up on any of our Rich Lists but have put together useful projects.”
“Kagemasa Kozuki of Japan, a former jukebox repairman who founded videogame maker Konami, gives money to athletes so they can continue training; 31 of them competed in Beijing,” said Forbes.
