Filtered By: Money
Money

Forbes Asia honors 2 Pinoys in annual Heroes of Philanthropy


Global media firm Forbes Asia on Thursday released its annual list of Heroes of Philanthropy, recognizing 40 philanthropists from 13 countries across Asia Pacific who have been dedicating their lives to giving generous donations and support for worthy causes.

Among the “most generous” in the region are two Filipinos from the business and medical industry — 80-year-old Geronimo De Los Reyes Jr., the chairman emeritus of Gateway Property Holdings, and 50-year-old acclaimed veterinarian Anton Mari Lim.

De Los Reyes made his mark through his namesake foundation founded in 1995, which has been continuously providing scholarships and support for faculty development and research.

He built a museum to honor Filipino history and culture through photographs of the Philippine Revolution, the Filipino-American War, and the evolving state of the country at the turn of the last century.

Meanwhile, Lim has dedicated his time to the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation, a charity he co-founded in 2010, which aims to build boats for children from the mangrove village of Layag-Layag in Zamboanga City.

Over 11,000 children who used to swim to school have already gained better access to their respective schools, and are now the beneficiaries of 1,045 boats, five schools, and two dormitories.

Acts of generosity

The list also includes a mix of billionaires, businessmen, and captains of industries who are consistently making their mark through acts of generosity.

According to Forbes Asia, China's Pony Ma, chairman and CEO of Tencent Holdings, and Wang Jianlin, chairman of Wanda Group, have pledged 100 million shares of worth $2.3 billion for healthcare, environment protection, and new technology, as well as $150 million to job creation, training, and other assistance in a poor region in southern China, respectively.

In Hong Kong, billions of dollars from Lui Che Woo, founder of K. Wah Group and Galaxy Entertainment, and Yeung Kin-man, founder and CEO of Beil Crystal Manufactory, has been donated for education.

Vineet and Anupama Nayar of Sampark Foundation in India donated more than half of their wealth to rolling out kits with child-friendly teaching aids to 50,000 government schools and three million students across Auttrakhand and Chhattisgarh, while South Korean Lee Joon-Yong pledged $175 million worth of shares for the unification of the two Koreas and the reunion of separated families.

Several other philanthropists from Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand have also been honored for their generous contributions to city rehabilitation, heritage preservation, the arts, agriculture, rehabilitation of mentally-challenged people, community development, wildlife preservation, health care, social services, athleticism, and other worthy causes. — Bianca Rose Dabu/VDS, GMA News

LOADING CONTENT