3 Filipinos hailed as heroes of philanthropy

Three Filipino business leaders landed on Forbes Asia Magazines’ 2018 “Heroes of Philanthropy,” an honor roll of altruists from Asia-Pacific who devote big bucks to support a special cause.

The list includes Fila Isport Life chair Jose Mari “Butch” Albert, Santa Elena Construction & Development Corp. president Alice Galang Eduardo and Susana Abad Santos Madrigal, president of Consuelo Chito Madrigal Group of Companies.

In a press statement, Forbes Asia said it had sifted through dozens of candidates to compile a list of noteworthy givers in Asia-Pacific .

The list spans entrepreneurs, executives and one celebrity.

Unlike the wealth lists, the magazine said these selections were subjective.

The goal is to capture individual philanthropists—those making donations with personal funds and not through their businesses—unless they own a substantial stake in the companies, in which case the giving is considered a part of their fortune, Forbes Asia said.

Albert, 68, was cited for giving in 2014 more than $110,000 to his Operation Compassion’s iRebuild, a program which provides emergency relief and also works to rebuild the community with a long-term view, offering livelihood training and trauma counseling in the country.

The magazine noted that Albert had also devoted $66,000 to support the nonprofit iFoster, created to help find foster homes for abandoned children.

Albert believes that foster parents “just need to have an open heart and let children feel they are loved.”

Another $450,000 was given to a church in a low-income area that provides mass medical care and food to malnourished children, the magazine said.

Eduardo, 53, donated $277,000 in 2014 to build a 320-square-meter isolation ward at the Philippines’ biggest government hospital, aimed at reducing childhood cancer mortality levels.

In 2018, Eduardo shelled out $370,000 to build a nearby dormitory to house patients’ families.

The businesswoman also gave another $370,000 to support Tuloy Foundation, a nonprofit which cares for and educates abandoned children. She likewise spent $185,000 to build 100 homes for Typhoon “Yolanda” victims and provided $184,000 to Habitat for Humanity.

The 63-year-old Madrigal, granddaughter of former tycoon-senator Vicente Madrigal, was cited for giving $1 million to projects tied to her personal life. After a daughter partially lost her hearing, Madrigal donated $93,000 to the Catholic Ministry for the Deaf. Her eldest daughter’s social action prompted a $185,000-gift to help early education of underprivileged children. The same amount was given to a church in honor of her late aunt and philanthropist Chito Madrigal.

Madrigal supported a business and accountancy building for an underfunded state university in honor of her late father, Antonio Madrigal, who ran some of the businesses under the Madrigal conglomerate. Madrigal’s current focus stems from surviving breast cancer. In 2014, she initiated a $18,600-a-year pledge to the Cancer Samurai Scholar Fund to cover medical costs of a needy patient.