Foundation offers scholarships to tobacco farmers’ children

Wong Chu King Foundation (WCKF), the corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm of Mighty Corporation or Mighty Corp, has confirmed its commitment to provide a scholarship program is in support of the project provided by the National Tobacco Administration (NTA) to poor but deserving graduating high school students and dependents of tobacco farmers.

In a formal ceremony held in a hotel in La Union recently, Mighty Corp President Edilberto Adansaid, “Education is known to be a powerful equalizer. It gives children from low-income families a fighting chance to uplift themselves and their families from poverty and lead productive and meaningful lives.”

Adan also announced CKF’s educational assistance, consisting of 100 college scholarship grants, to poor but deserving students who are children of tobacco farmers in Northern Luzon. This is one of the three components of a P10-million joint CSR project of his company and the National Federation of Tobacco Farmers and Cooperatives Inc. (NAFTAC) that will benefit 65,000 farmers in various provinces.

The other components under the agreement signed by Mighty Corp with 200 farmer leaders are agricultural production assistance, consisting of 16 hand tractors worth P2.5 million and 90 irrigation pumps worth P1.1 million; and institutional support for the annual search for outstanding tobacco farmers and cooperatives by NTA.

In a report provided by the foundation, WCKF currently supports six high school and 14 college students on scholarship in various schools nationwide. Two of its college scholars graduated last year and serve as inspiration to other fellow scholars.

The first one is James Rommel Silao who graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.S. Chemistry degree from the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, and is now a chemist at Mighty Corp’s manufacturing facility in Bulacan. The other one is Abigail Punongbayan who graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Medical Technology at the University of Sto. Tomas. She is now completing a degree in medicine at the same university.