Metrobank Foundation, Inc. (MBFI) and GT Foundation, Inc. (GTFI) hold ceremonial MOA signing with partner universities to sustain efforts in providing access to quality education. Photo shows MBFI president Aniceto M. Sobrepeña (seated 6th from left) and executive vice president Philip U. Dy (seated 7th from left) welcoming guests from academic partners.

 

Metrobank Foundation, Inc. (MBFI) and GT Foundation, Inc. (GTFI) are sustaining efforts in providing equitable access to quality education to successful student applicants as they relaunch their scholarship programs. A ceremonial signing of memorandum of agreement with ten (10) academic institutions was held on April 13, 2023 at the Penthouse of the Metrobank Plaza in Makati City.

The signing ceremony and collaborative dialogue was led by MBFI president and GTFI executive director Aniceto M. Sobrepeña, together with MBFI executive vice president Philip ‘Boyet’ Dy. Present also in the event is Metrobank HRMG talent acquisition head Nicanor Esguerra, Jr.

Two (2) scholarship programs were expanded by GTFI, and one (1) was relaunched by MBFI. In total, these three scholarships will benefit 99 students for their college education.
“Over the years, whenever there is a government’s call for increased support to the education sector, we will always have another [scholarship] program. This time, our aim is to support graduating students who are affected by the post-pandemic financial crisis. We hope to help launch their careers as well by providing them job opportunities within the Metrobank Group. We have tried to reach out to different [college] courses and different provinces to respond to the initiatives of the government,” said MBFI president Aniceto Sobrepeña.

Revitalized ACCESS IV Program

Now on its 4th cycle, ACCESS (Assistance for the Completion of College Education for Superior Students) is MBFI’s primary scholarship program catering to college students pursuing courses in statistics, information technology, engineering, and business administration, among others. To date, the program has produced 514 graduates since 1995.

The scholarship will partially cover the tuition fees of students from first year until graduation. Sixty (60) scholars will be chosen from the following universities: Saint Louis University (SLU) in Baguio City; University of the Philippines Diliman School of Statistics (UPD-Stat); Lyceum of the Philippines University – Batangas (LPUB); Ateneo de Naga University (ADNU), University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJR) in Cebu City, and University of Mindanao (UM) in Davao City.

In attendance during the ceremonies were (above photo from left to right): LPUB vice president for academics and research Dr. Cecile C. Pring; UP School of Statistics dean Prof. Joseph G. Lansangan; SLU president Fr. Gilbert B. Sales, Ph.D; UM vice president for external relations and international affairs Dr. Reynaldo C. Castro; ADNU president Fr. Roberto N. Rivera, and USJR comptroller Dexter B. Cuevas.

“UP is very much committed to promoting access to quality education. I believe this commitment is enhanced through the scholarships and financial assistance made available to our students. As with any other scholarships, ACCESS IV, aside from being a merit or excellence aid, it is specific for those coming from the marginalized sector. This promotes UP’s intention for diversity and inclusion.” said UPD School of Statistics dean Prof. Joseph Lansangan.

“Our university is strategically created in the heart of Cebu City, and we want to extend our market even in the far-flung areas. The scholarship program has great impact, not only in the financial side of the university, but also in the academic and spiritual, because once we invite our students in the university, we imbibe to them caritas et scientia, where they come to inspire other people as well,” said USJR comptroller Dexter Cuevas.

“The students who will be selected for this scholarship program of Metrobank [Foundation] will come from lower-income groups, particularly those who are sons and daughters of farmers in our area, considering our location in Davao City and students coming from the provinces. ACCESS IV will help achieve the mission statement of the university, which is open access to education,” said UM vice president for external relations and international affairs Dr. Reynaldo C. Castro.

Sustaining GT Foundation’s REAP and YES Scholarship Programs

On the other hand, GTFI’s scholarship programs continue to expand through the Reformation and Educational Assistance Program (REAP) and Youth for Excellence and Service Program (YES). GT REAP will provide scholarship support to 3rd year to 4th year college students pursuing the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) track. Successful scholars will also be given opportunities for internship and employment within the Metrobank Group of Companies. GT REAP will be awarded to 29 students from the Manila Tytana Colleges (MTC), Adamson University (AdU), and Technological Institute of the Philippines (TIP).

Likewise, GT YES, as a parallel effort to MBFI’s ACCESS IV, will particularly support 10 engineering students (geodetic, industrial, computer, and electronics and communications) from UP Diliman covering their cost of living expenses from 1st year until graduation. Said initiative is a joint undertaking with the UP College of Engineering, particularly the UP Engineering R&D Foundation, Inc (UPERDFI).

Signing the MOA were (above photo from left to right): AdU director of university relations Sr. Maruja Padre Juan; TIP vice president for student affairs and services Dr. Franklin Alejandrino, UPERDFI president Prof. Rafael V. Mantaring, and MTC president Dr. Sergio S. Cao.

“In Tytana, the flagship program is the BS Nursing program. As you know, nursing is a very expensive course. What we have observed is that we have a number of attritions, students not making in the next level because of the high cost of nursing education. That is what the REAP program of GT Foundation is addressing. In effect, this is a bridging program because we want to help bridge the students from their third year to fourth year level of nursing,” said MTC president Dr. Sergio Cao.

“The students who will be beneficiaries of this scholarship from GT Foundation will be children of overseas Filipino workers who have been displaced by various forces – natural calamities, like what happened in Turkey, wars, like what’s going on in Syria, and some parts of the Middle East where we have overseas filipino workers. [This applies to] local workers as well who have difficulty finding employment because of reasons relating to how our economy is going,” said AdU director of university relations Sr. Maruja Juan.

“There is a significant population of the studentry of the College of Engineering that are really not well-off. Even if the tuition is free, they need support in terms of living expenses. It’s not cheap to survive nowadays as a student. Whatever they gain in their education will eventually redound to the benefit of their families, and their communities. There will surely be a multiplier effect. Eventually, this is going to redound to the benefit of the entire country,’ said UPERDFI president Prof. Rafael V. Mantaring.

After the ceremonial signing, Philip ‘Boyet’ Dy led a collaborative dialogue with the academic partners to discuss how to enhance support for the holistic growth of the chosen and soon-to-be-chosen scholars. Innovations in implementing scholarship programs, best practices in managing student learning, and other collaborations that will benefit the education sytem were part of the conversation.

Since 1995, the various scholarship programs of MBFI has produced over 1,000 college graduates. On the other hand, aside from college students, GTFI’s scholarship programs also cater to supporting scholars taking up technical-vocational education. To date, it has produced 170 techvoc graduates.
For more information about the scholarship programs, please visit www.mbfoundation.org.ph.

Tags: 2023 News