Two Filipinos included in list of philanthropists

SM INVESTMENTS Corp.’s (SMIC) Teresita T. Sy-Coson and Knowledge Channel Foundation Founder Elvira “Rina” M. Lopez-Bautista were included in Forbes Asia’s 2021 “Heroes of Philanthropy.”
On Tuesday, Forbes Asia released its 15th annual unranked list of philanthropists in the Asia-Pacific “who are donating significant amounts from their personal fortunes, as well as giving their time and personal attention to their selected causes.”
The business magazine said the list included those with causes from pandemic relief to climate change and education. Forbes said: “those highlighted on the list have a vision to support solutions that look to make the world a better place.”
SMIC’s Ms. Sy-Coson is leading the group’s philanthropy unit SM Foundation as vice chairman. Her brother Hans T. Sy of SM Prime Holdings, Inc. made it to the same list in 2019 for his work at Child Haus, a temporary home for kids with cancer.
Forbes Asia noted that the SM Foundation has so far donated over P1.5 billion ($30 million) for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), equipment for hospitals, as well as personal protective equipment for healthcare workers.
Ms. Sy-Coson’s parents, Henry T. Sy, Sr. and Felicidad Tan-Sy, founded the SM Foundation in 1983. The country’s richest family also established in 2008 the Henry Sy Foundation, which helps build school facilities for major educational institutions.
The Sy siblings, who inherited the business empire of the late SM founder who passed away in 2019, ranked first in Forbes’ 2021 Philippines Rich List published in September, with a combined net worth of $16.6 billion.
Meanwhile, the magazine noted that the SM Group procured 560,000 doses for the group’s over 120,000 employees as soon as COVID-19 vaccines became available this year.
The group also gave away 150,000 vaccine doses to the government and marginalized communities.
SM Supermalls also hosted vaccination sites in its 71 malls across the country in partnership with local government units.
Forbes Asia also noted that the SM Foundation supported the treatment of 1.2 million underprivileged patients in the past 30 years.
This is on top of its scholarship programs that bridged over 8,000 students to get a college education and attend technical-vocational institutions and for helping build over a hundred schools in the Philippines.
Meanwhile, Ms. Lopez-Baustista is the daughter of Filipino media tycoon Oscar M. Lopez. She founded and is currently the president of educational technology nonprofit Knowledge Channel Foundation, Inc. (KCFI).
The channel produces content that is “designed to meet the educational standards set by the Philippine Department of Education for K-12 students and teachers in the country.”
In March, KCFI launched its “Stay at Home, Learn at Home” campaign, which was funded by the Lopez Group of companies. Forbes Asia noted that it has so far produced 1,500 educational videos for students amid the COVID-19 lockdowns.
KCFI currently has over 150,000 Facebook followers and over 200,000 YouTube subscribers.
Meanwhile, in September, the channel started working with theAsianparent Philippines app with 500,000 users to further increase KCFI’s exposure to Philippine households.
KCFI now has a reach of over 10 million Filipino households. It also said over 7,000 principals, teachers, and parents alike have attended its webinars and online training programs through Facebook. — Keren Concepcion G. Valmonte