Pangilinan donates to Wharton School scholarship grants, research laboratory

PLDT, Inc. Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan has donated $1 million to The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania to establish an MBA fellowship fund and support a behavioral research laboratory, the company said in a statement.

“We are exceedingly grateful for MVP’s gifts to the school. Thank you for all your contributions,” said Dean Erika H. James of The Wharton School during an e-meet where representatives of the school expressed their gratitude to Mr. Pangilinan, himself a Wharton graduate.

His gift donation will be allocated equally between the fellowship fund and the Tangen Hall Mechatronics Laboratory.

The fund, which will be known as the MVP Fellowship Fund, will be created to provide financial support to Master of Business Administration (MBA) graduate students in Wharton.

The grant will give priority to students from the Philippines, followed by those from ASEAN countries, and subsequently, international students.

The Tangen Hall houses the Mechatronics Lab, which provides opportunities for students to conduct their research. The behavioral laboratory supports data collection for behavioral research on business-related topics.

Ms. James thanked Mr. Pangilinan for the “meaningful gift” and in recognition of his generosity, a plaque — Manny V. Pangilinan WG ’68 — will be placed outside the Mechatronics Lab.

Mr. Pangilinan, who is thankful for the opportunity to assist his alma mater and its students, said a lot of community spirit exists among Wharton graduates. He recounted that he was only 19 years old when he attended The Wharton School through a scholarship grant. He graduated in 1968 with a Master’s degree in Business Administration.

Principal donors’ names will be included on a newly constructed donor wall, to be installed in Steinberg Hall-Dietrich Hall.

“This wall will serve as an enduring reminder to the Wharton community that this world-class experience simply would not be possible without support from their greatest champions,” said Alissa Lurie, Wharton’s regional director for external affairs.

Mr. Pangilinan, who is also PLDT president and chief executive officer, has been helping schools and universities in the Philippines as well as teachers and students through the companies under his leadership.

For the past five years, he has funded 14 professorial chairs and four teaching and research grants at the University of the Philippines College of Engineering. He is also sponsoring a P4-million scholarship grant to students from San Beda University.

Guided by the principle of “no student, no learner is left behind,” Mr. Pangilinan is pouring support to the Department of Education and the country’s public schools through the various programs of his companies.