Foundation forges bridges for a better Filipino future

MANILA, Philippines — The year 2020 has been a challenging one for every Filipino.

The current situation brought by the pandemic created risks to the country’s food security and sustainability, as well as livelihood and employment.

The decline in the Philippine economy has affected all businesses, even large-scale companies and industries, forcing millions to either work from home or enter online business. Consequently, prices of basic commodities boomed for the past months, which is greatly felt by every Filipino family.

Dr. Lucio Tan, chairman and president of the Tan Yan Kee Foundation Inc. (TYKFI), decided to reinforce and expand efforts to address the continuing struggles of his fellow countrymen.

Back in 1986, Tan and his siblings envisioned the TYKFI to become a legacy of caring and commitment of his family to improve the lives of their fellow Filipinos.

Since then, the foundation has embarked on various programs and projects in education, social welfare, health and environment conservation and protection.

Living the legacy, Tan develops strategic plans to further strengthen TYKFI’s existing programs and create new ones to provide better opportunities for the Filipino people in this time of pandemic.

To achieve improved quality of life and sustainable environment, the foundation started the LCT Legacy Forest Project in Nueva Ecija in 2014.

Whilst protecting and restoring the forest, this created livelihood opportunities for local residents who then practiced kaingin, a slash and burn cultivation which resulted in deforestation and degradation of forestlands.

Furthermore, Tan believes that leaving agriculture behind will put the country’s food security at stake, leading to worsening poverty, hunger and malnutrition.

Hence, the foundation focuses more in attaining long-term sustainability by providing more opportunities and stronger sense of purpose for farmers like Efrina Lamsis and Elizabeth Tamondon, two of the local farmers working with TYK farms.

TYKFI also gives livelihood and skills training and knowledge transfer about better farming methods to help them start up their own small-scale enterprise even at home with the assistance of their family members.

“The foundation has helped us significantly. We have built our modest houses and are able to buy other needs like washing machine. The foundation also help us take care of our well-being through their medical mission,” Lamsis said.

Medical mission is one of the projects of the foundation that aims to bring quality health care to remote communities with the help of TYKFI-ABI medical specialty scholar-doctors.

They are licensed medical doctors who received scholarship grants for advanced specialty training abroad in partnership with Asia Brewery Inc., for Tan believes wellness is vital for continuous learning.

Dr. Elton Ong is one of the TYKFI-ABI scholars who embraced the vision and mission of the foundation by selflessly devoting his service to those in need in the countryside rather than having a profitable career in the city.

He became the first and only neurologist in Ilocos Sur about 16 years ago, when he accepted a job offer in a small hospital in the province after declining the offer he received to work in New York City immediately after his scholarship training. Ong still serves as one of the medical frontliners in the area.

On the other hand, a growing number of Filipino youths pass up the chance to get education due to poverty each year. In order to break the stigma on the poorest farming families and far-off communities, TYKFI stepped in to provide children of marginalized farmers equal access to free, holistic and quality education.

Noreen Basatan is one of the more than 100 children of poor farmers, mostly indigenous people, who have been sent by the foundation to a private school in Nueva Vizcaya. Her father tills a small backyard farm to produce vegetables while her mother makes and sells turmeric tea to augment their meager income.

She is very grateful to the foundation for her private high school education as she continues to help her parents sustain their everyday needs. The scholarship she received has definitely helped her gain confidence and boosted her desire to pursue her dreams and build a better future for herself and her siblings.

To serve more, help more

The foundation continues to strengthen and improve its projects in education, health care, social welfare and environmental conservation and protection amidst the pandemic. The LCT Legacy Forest Project plans to expand through another reforestation site in Rizal province this year. This expansion can forge opportunities for local folks who were also affected by the pandemic.

TYKFI will also continue to support the education of deserving farmers’ children, even up to tertiary level.

Furthermore, TYKFI will continue in contributing food and medical supplies where and when needed in response to the pressing need for better health care services and in ensuring food security in the country.

The foundation strongly aims to create a lasting impact on the lives of every Filipino even during these struggling times. As Tan says: “Just as we are stewards of our land and our environment, we will continue to aim for leaving a legacy of commitment to support the people who help us care for the forest and farms that feed, protect and sustain our people for many years to come.”