The University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) signed a Memorandum of Agreement with GT Foundation and Metrobank Foundation last February 15, 2023, recognizing both foundations as Platinum donors to the Dr. Placido L. Mapa, Jr. Scholarship Endowment.

As expressed by Mr. Aniceto Sobrepeña, GT Foundation Executive Director and also Metrobank Foundation President, the grant is GT Foundation’s and Metrobank Foundation’s way of honoring the late Dr. Placido L. Mapa, Jr., who has been instrumental in the business success of Metrobank and in pursuing the advocacies of Metrobank Foundation.

Through the generous donation of these foundations, UA&P will be able to continue making a significant impact in preparing future leaders. Grantees of the scholarship endowment will be given 100% coverage of tuition and miscellaneous fees, a monthly stipend of P8,000, an internet allowance of P1,000/month, a laptop, and one-on-one mentorship with a member of the UA&P Board of Trustees (BOT). Dr. Placido L. Mapa, Jr. Scholarship Grant is open to all incoming college and junior college students with a high school average of at least 90%, possess exemplary leadership credentials and show potential to be trailblazers and catalysts for change in the community.

Dr. Placido L. Mapa, Jr. as a mentor of industry leaders

After more than two (2) decades of government service, Dr. Mapa, Jr. served Metropolitan Bank & Trust Company (Metrobank) for over 30 years in various capacities. He was President of Metrobank from 1989 to 1991, Vice chairman from 1992 to 2005, Chairman of the Metrobank Board of Advisers from 2006 to 2009, and Senior Adviser from 2010 to 2019. His father, Dr. Placido Mapa, Sr., was the founding President of Metrobank. It may come as a surprise to those who did not personally know him, but Dr. Mapa, Jr. is often remembered not for his numerous professional accomplishments but for his character.

This can be attested to by several business leaders whom he mentored when they were still young executives in the banking and finance industry. One of them is Mr. Aniceto Sobrepeña, who has fond memories of him.

Mr. Sobrepeña testifies that Cidito (as family and friends fondly called Dr. Mapa, Jr.) was a standard of excellence above reproach because of his integrity and fairness. He relates: “All these years while working with him at Metrobank and Metrobank Foundation, Dr. Mapa continued to reflect the embodiment of a character worth emulating. He accords dignity to those he deals with regardless of economic standing or political persuasion.
Some may call this political savvy. However, I think it has more to do with respecting others, much in the line of spiritual tenets which he espoused and lived by.”

Having the opportunity to work closely with Dr. Mapa, Jr. as a young executive, Mr. Sobrepeña recalls how a mentor taught with his silent example the importance of the family. “I recall it was an afternoon where he was on his way to take his children to a play. It seems like such a small detail, but that impressed upon me the value of family life. He was a busy and important man involved with affairs of the State, taking time to be with his family in what might have been an opportunity to rest or do more work. I, myself, would put in long hours during the week and much into my weekend. The impression the visit made benefited my family life. It crystallized priorities for me as I was about to build a family.”

GT Foundation

GT Foundation, Inc. (GTFI) was established on October 7, 2009, as the family foundation of the late Metrobank Chairman, Dr. George S. K. Ty. The purpose of the foundation was to contribute to the upliftment of Filipinos through initiatives contributing to the improvement of the education, health, environment, technology, and innovation sectors.

Over the years, GTFI has provided education to Filipino youth, especially those coming from economically challenged families. GTFI’s Scholarships for Technical-vocational Education Program (STEP) aims to equip out-of-school youth and other marginalized students with skills that will help them gain immediate employment (GTFI website). Under this program, GTFI partners with reputable technical schools in the Philippines, such as Toyota Motor Philippines School of Technology, Don Bosco Technical Institute, Dualtech Training Center Foundation, and Punlaan School.

GTFI not only provides scholarships for technical-vocational education, but it also offers scholarships for college and university degree programs. Valuing the importance of working with different institutions, GTFI is supporting several scholarship programs: the GT Youth for Excellence Service (GT YES) in partnership with Manila Tytana Colleges, University of San Carlos in Cebu City, and UP Engineering Research and Development Foundation, Inc.(UPERDFI).

In 2022, GTFI also launched another formal scholarship program, the GT Reformation and Educational Assistance Program or GT REAP. This program aims to provide funding support to academically deserving but financially challenged 3rd year to 4th year STEM learners to finish their college studies. In addition, through the GT REAP, the Foundation would also be able to provide internship and employment opportunities to
scholars within the Metrobank Group of Companies.

Metrobank Foundation

Metrobank Foundation, Inc. (MBFI) was established on January 8, 1979, by Dr. George S.K. Ty, sixteen (16) years after he founded the Metropolitan Bank & Trust Company (Metrobank). Created to implement Metrobank’s corporate social responsibility, MBFI aims to provide and fund programs focusing on education, visual arts, health, and recognizing excellence among key professions (MBFI website). Consistent with its roadmap, “Excel, Engage, Empower,” the Foundation’s programs seek to inspire people to excel in what they do, engage them and the communities they belong to, and empower them to become agents of positive change and influence—all for the onward pursuit of nation-building. Believing that education is a key factor in poverty alleviation and also one of the major thrusts of the Metrobank Foundation, a scholarship program was established in 1995 aimed at providing quality educational opportunities to academically gifted but financially challenged students.

Scholarships are granted to eligible students enrolled in priority courses in selected partner schools recognized by the Commission of Higher Education (CHED) as Centers of Excellence/Development. Under the Metrobank Scholarship Program (MSP) are the following scholarship programs:

Assistance for the Completion of College Education for Superior Students (ACCESS), which supports college students from 1st year to 4th year enrolled in private universities nationwide; and the MBFI Boysen Scholarship in partnership with Pacific Boysen Philippines, which provides tuition subsidies to BS Architecture students. A shared history and a common advocacy GT Foundation, Metrobank Foundation, and UA&P have a shared history – a history that has been built on a man whose very life became a model of leadership for its institutional pillars.

GT Foundation, Metrobank Foundation, and UA&P have a common advocacy – to help many young people have access to quality education that promotes integral character and professional excellence – and together, they have embarked on a laudable project to add a building block to this advocacy: The Dr. Placido L. Mapa, Jr. Scholarship Endowment.

Tags: 2023 News