Wong Chu King Foundation and Mighty Corp Brings Hope to Filipino Tobacco Farmers

Wong Chu King Foundation the corporate social responsibility arm of local cigarette manufacturer Mighty Corporation provided educational assistance to some 100 poor but deserving students and children of tobacco farmers in Northern Luzon.

Mighty Corporation (Mighty Corp) President and Retired General Edilberto Adan said that the college scholarship grant was coursed through the Wong Chu King Foundation and is part of the 10 million pesos joint projects between Mighty Corp and the National Federation of Tobacco Farmers and Cooperatives Inc. (NAFTAC) that aims to help about 65,000 farmers in Pangasinan, La Union, Abra, Cagayan, Isabella, Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur.

“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.” said Adan.

The college scholarship program of Wong Chu King and Mighty Corp is a supplemental program to the scholarship projects of the National Tobacco Administration (NTA) for all graduating high school students and dependents of tobacco farmers.

“This is our way of thanking the farmers for helping to make our company what it is today,”  Adan said during the formal signing of the project at a hotel in Bauang, La Union last February 8.

NAFTAC National President Mario Cabasal said that the group is very happy that Mighty Corp has stood firm on its commitment to help the tobacco farmers in the Philippines.

Mighty Corp Executive Vice President and Retired Judge Oscar Barrientos said that Wong Chu King Foundation initially offered the scholarship program to the dependents of active Mighty Corp employees but later expanded it to include dependents of retired employees with excellent academic records.

“Through this program, we hope to help the farmers and their children become competitive in the global market and earn sustainable incomes,” Barrientos said.

The foundation currently has 6 high school and 14 college students on scholarship in various schools nationwide. Two of the scholars graduated last year.

James Rommel Silao graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Chemistry from UP Diliman. He is now a chemist at the Mighty Corp manufacturing facility in Malolos City, Bulacan.

Abigail Punongbayan, the daughter of Conching Ong Punongbayan, production head of   Mighty Corp, graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Medical Technology at UST. She is now taking up medicine.