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Post-Presidency Service of Cory Aquino through the Metrobank Foundation
by
Aniceto M. Sobrepeña
Metrobank Foundation, Inc. President
(Former President Corazon C. Aquino served as the Chairman of the Board of Advisers of the Metrobank Foundation from 1993 up to the time of her death.)
Former President Cory Aquino joined Metrobank Foundation after her presidency and found a venue to continue serving the people of this country she loved. I was privileged to have served in her administration as cabinet secretary and concurrently head of the presidential management staff until she transitioned from head of state to private citizen. She defined the highest office of the land in the same way she did her position as chairman of the Metrobank Foundation board of advisers. Mrs. Aquino dispensed her energies from a heart for others with a generosity and kindness that was genuine and natural
Mrs. Aquino joined the Metrobank Foundation in 1993 as the chair of the newly-created Board of Advisers. The Board was to guide the Metrobank Foundation as it ventured into other areas of social development in the light of a substantial endowment it has received.
She was pleased to be associated with the Metrobank Foundation but it couldn’t have been half as much as the Foundation’s own to have her working actively towards affirming and establishing the dignity of many deserving members of our society.
Sharing the Metrobank Foundation’s advocacies, Mrs. Aquino made many contributions to our programs through the years. Her presence in the Foundation’s many activities and projects was a source of inspiration not only to us, but also to our partners and beneficiaries.
She was a strong believer in the power of education to transform lives and was instrumental in a number of the Metrobank Foundation’s interventions such as furnishing far-flung schools with school desks, later building much-needed classrooms, supporting the education of bright but financially challenged students nationwide and providing incentives to English, Math and Science teachers for their role in advancing sciences.
One of her initiatives was the Metrobank Foundation’s College Scholarship Program, which was established in 1995. To date, the program has funded close to a thousand scholarship grants all over the country, with some of the best colleges and universities. More than 700 of these scholars have graduated and are now making valuable contributions to their respective communities.
For our outstanding teachers, Mrs. Aquino was a constant reminder of the educators’ special place in the community by inculcating a culture of excellence among the youth. Mrs. Aquino sent this challenge to our outstanding teachers during their very first convention, one of the many milestone events of the Metrobank Foundation that the former president celebrated with us.
During the retrospective exhibit of the 15 years of the Metrobank Foundation’s annual painting competitions, Mrs. Aquino, a talented painter herself, personally greeted our winning artists, who are now among the established names in the local and international art communities.
As Chairman of the Metrobank Foundation’s Board of Advisers, Mrs. Aquino encouraged the Foundation to continue partnering with like-minded organizations to work on common causes. Having worked with several NGOs and other groups that promote social welfare and development in the Philippines, Mrs. Aquino linked the Foundation to this network, resulting in the widening of our social partnerships.
In 2000, the Metrobank Foundation became part of Tabang Mindanaw campaign, which Mrs. Aquino together with then Jaime Cardinal Sin spearheaded to extend emergency relief assistance in the critically-affected areas of the armed conflict in the region. Currently, the Foundation is also part of the Pinoy Microenterprise (PinoyME) consortium convened by Mrs. Aquino in 2006 to bolster microfinance and micro-entrepreneurship in the country. The Foundation’s experiences in forging these partnerships and collaborating with various organizations have shown us the wisdom of Mrs. Aquino’s philosophy of harnessing people power – of coming together to achieve a higher and nobler goal. And that is, the greater good.
The greater good, for which all the work the Metrobank Foundation does, is, for Mrs. Aquino, a vast source of “good news.” She urged the Foundation to share this good news to the public, not only to inform them about the philanthropic work that the Foundation undertakes, but also to inspire them, especially those who have been blessed in life, to do their part.
She directed the respect and admiration given to her towards action that would benefit individuals and communities. Her life was about empowering others. She normally deflected attention from herself and instead engaged those who sought her out to assist in different non-government initiatives for the improvement of lives.
Gift of Gratitude
The Metrobank Foundation is grateful to have been a part of Mrs. Aquino’s efforts to promote the continuing development of our people. Her vision had contributed to shaping the path we have taken in our programs in the field of social development. We honor the meaningful contributions Mrs. Aquino has made in the Foundation over the past 16 years as our beneficiaries and partners pay forward the gifts bestowed on them.
In one of her many encounters with Metrobank Foundation’s outstanding teachers, she read from the book of Romans 12:6-8:
“So we are to use our different gifts in accordance with the grace that God has given us. If our gift is to speak God’s message, we should do it according to the faith we have; if it is to serve, we should serve; if it is to teach, we should teach; if it is to encourage others, we should do so. Whoever shares with others should do it generously; whoever has authority should work hard; whoever shows kindness to others should do it cheerfully.”
We remember and celebrate the life of Mrs. Aquino. It will be difficult to archive her innumerable legacies. Much of it will live in the hearts of the people she touched, the nation she served. A grateful people wish her God speed to a rest she so richly deserves.
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Cory with Headstart kids |
With six children from Headstart, a development partner of the Metrobank Foundation. They are Leticia Baguion, Jerick T. Fegi, Michelle Retoran, John Ronnel Daep, Gregson Fabroa, and Jesse Cabechete. |
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Cory with Headstart kids
With six children from Headstart, a development partner of the Metrobank Foundation. They are Leticia Baguion, Jerick T. Fegi, Michelle Retoran, John Ronnel Daep, Gregson Fabroa, and Jesse Cabechete. |
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Cory with former Board of Advisers |
With former members of the Foundation’s Board of Advisers, namely (from left) Mr. Washington Sycip, Mr. Cesar Virata, Mr. Jimmy Tang, Mr. Patricio Lim, Former Vice-President Teofisto Guingona, and Mr. Diodado Macapagal Jr. (representing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo). |
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Cory with former Board of Advisers
With former members of the Foundation’s Board of Advisers, namely (from left) Mr. Washington Sycip, Mr. Cesar Virata, Mr. Jimmy Tang, Mr. Patricio Lim, Former Vice-President Teofisto Guingona, and Mr. Diodado Macapagal Jr. (representing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo). |
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Cory with the recent Board of Advisers |
Mrs. Aquino with Dr. George S. K. Ty and members of the Metrobank Foundation Board of Advisers, namely (from left) Mr. James Go, Mr. Antonio S. Abacan, Sen. Mar Roxas, Former Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban, Mr. Cesar Virata, Mr. Washington Sycip, and Amb. Domingo Lee. |
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Cory with the recent Board of Advisers
Mrs. Aquino with Dr. George S. K. Ty and members of the Metrobank Foundation Board of Advisers, namely (from left) Mr. James Go, Mr. Antonio S. Abacan, Sen. Mar Roxas, Former Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban, Mr. Cesar Virata, Mr. Washington Sycip, and Amb. Domingo Lee. |
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