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QC LGU and BDO Foundation empower small businesses through financial literacy and entrepreneurship training 

A positive start to 2026 welcomed nano-entrepreneurs as the Quezon City Small Business Cooperatives Development and Promotions Office (QC-SBCDPO) and BDO Foundation teamed up for “Ayusin ang Pera, Palaguin ang Negosyo”, a learning session on financial literacy and entrepreneurship held at the Amoranto Sports Complex in Quezon City. The activity was facilitated by Chinkee Tan, who shared lessons with his signature mix of wit, humor, and practical advice.  

More than 200 nano-entrepreneurs learned essential skills, mindset, and attitudes needed to start, manage, and grow a business. Sari-sari store owners, market vendors, and other self-employed individuals with a small capital gained practical insights from the Pambansang Wealth Coach as he drew from personal experiences and challenges. 

Mona Celine Marie V. Yap, City Government Department Head III of the QC-SBCDPO, emphasized that similar capacity-building activities are available to Quezon City small business owners at no cost through partnerships with various organizations, including BDO Foundation. 

“Katulad po ng mga ganitong pa-event, yung mga financial literacy, marami po tayong training that you can avail. Mayroon po tayong free trainings given by our partners (Similar to financial literacy events like these, you can avail free trainings given by our partners),” she said. 

“Sa BDO Foundation, naniniwala kami na kapag may tamang kaalaman sa pera at negosyo, mas nagiging handa ang isang negosyante na magdesisyon nang maayos at magplano para sa kinabukasan (At BDO Foundation, we believe that with the right knowledge in finance and entrepreneurship, business owners will be more prepared to make better decisions and plan for the future),” said BDO Foundation President Mario A. Deriquito in his message of support.    

Aside from the learning session led by Chinkee Tan, participants were also briefed on the Nano-Enterprise Registration Program of the Quezon City Government.  The briefing was aimed at encouraging nano-enterprise owners to register their businesses with the local government. During the session, participants were informed that registered nano-enterprises may avail of tax and registration fee exemptions, in accordance with existing local ordinance. 

The event was also graced by Quezon City District 1 Councilor Charm M. Ferrer, who delivered a message of support in her capacity as Chairperson of the Committee on Micro, Small, and Medium Business Entrepreneurship Development and Cooperatives.  

Through this collaboration, BDO Foundation remains steadfast in its commitment to advancing financial inclusion — empowering business owners with the right knowledge and confidence needed to be more prepared in planning and deciding for their future.  

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LCF News Members News

LCF Announces 2026 Board of Trustees and Committee Leadership

The League of Corporate Foundations (LCF) has announced its leadership roster for 2026, naming its Board of Trustees along with Chairs and Vice-Chairs of its seven program-based committees.

Leading the Board is Shem Jose Garcia, Executive Director of Vivant Foundation, Inc., serving as Chairperson; Edric Calma, Vice President of Knowledge Channel Foundation, Inc., as Vice-Chairperson; Philip Dy, President of Metrobank Foundation, Inc., as Treasurer; and Roberta Lopez-Feliciano, Managing Director of ABS-CBN Foundation, Inc., as Secretary. Trustees include Antonio G. Lambino II, President of Ayala Foundation, Eleanor P. Lansang, Vice President of SM Foundation, and Atty. Joey Ochave, Executive Director of Unilab Foundation.

To steer its program work, LCF also named leadership for its seven thematic committees:

  • LCF Committee on Arts and Culture: Chair Louise Lane Calicdan (Metrobank Foundation, Inc.) and Vice-Chair Fiona Ting (Ayala Foundation, Inc.).
  • LCF Committee on Disaster Resilience: Chair Cenen Milan (Ayala Foundation, Inc.) and Vice-Chair Patrick Aurelio (Radio Mindanao Network Foundation).
  • LCF Committee on Education: Chair Ivette Lynn Ramos (Telus International Philippines Foundation, Inc.) and Vice-Chair Claudine Manuel (Megawide Corporate Foundation, Inc.).
  • LCF Committee on Enterprise Development: Chair Juvylyn Reniva (BPI Foundation, Inc.) and Vice-Chair Blessille Par (Manila Water Foundation, Inc.).
  • LCF Committee on Environment: Chair Soleil Micah Acu (Energy Development Corporation) and Vice-Chair Julia Izah Agida (Megawide Corporate Foundation, Inc.).
  • LCF Committee on Financial Inclusion: Chair Kristine Dianne Millete (Sunlife Foundation, Inc.) and Vice-Chair Jan Marvin Bernedo (Joy Nostalg Foundation, Inc.).
  • LCF Committee on Health: Chair Marievic Mariano (Metrobank Foundation, Inc.) and Vice-Chair Joan Armada-Urieta (Unilab Foundation, Inc.).

The new leadership team will provide strategic guidance and oversight to LCF’s collaborative work on corporate social responsibility across the industries of arts and culture, education, disaster resilience, enterprise development, environment, financial inclusion, and health for the coming year, especially as the organization celebrates its 30th anniversary.

LCF is a Philippine network of corporate foundations and CSR units that advances corporate social responsibility and partnership across sectors.

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SBFI Marks 900th Classroom Milestone through School Building with TLE Laboratories in Zamboanga

More than 8,000 students of Zamboanga City High School Main (ZCHSM) learned to live with limits. With over 200 class sections but only 136 available classrooms, the school operated on a strict two-shift system—some learners beginning their day before sunrise, others ending classes near dusk. Specialized subjects like Technical and Livelihood Education (TLE), which require proper laboratory spaces for hands-on learning, were especially affected. Yet despite the shortage of rooms, students continued to show up, teachers continued to teach, and the school pressed on, holding firmly to the belief that education must go on—no matter how constrained the space or how long the day.

That long-standing challenge found renewed hope on December 5, 2025, when Security Bank Foundation, Inc. (SBFI) turned over a new two-storey, six-classroom building to ZCHSM which housed SBFI’s 900th classroom. The structure will be used specifically for TLE programs, providing students with safe and dedicated spaces for caregiving, dressmaking, drafting, cookery, and other life-shaping skills. The milestone was made even more meaningful as it echoed SBFI’s history with the city—Zamboanga was also the recipient of the Foundation’s 100th classroom back in 2014, making this latest donation a powerful symbol of more than a decade-long commitment to education.

Led by SBFI Chairman Rafael Simpao Jr., the turnover ceremony marked more than the unveiling of a building—it celebrated the resilience of a school that never stopped serving its learners. “This 900th classroom is not just a milestone for the Foundation, but a testament to the countless students and educators who continue to persevere despite limitations,” Simpao said. “Zamboanga City has been part of our journey from early on, and we are honored to continue building alongside this community.”

For Dr. Anna Bella Espinosa, Principal of ZCHSM, the new building answers a need she has seen firsthand since assuming leadership of the school. “Our biggest challenge was never the number of learners—it was finding enough spaces where meaningful learning could happen,” she shared. “TLE subjects demand laboratories where students can practice skills with dignity and safety. This building finally allows our learners to experience what quality, hands-on education truly looks like.”

With the turnover of its 900th classroom, Security Bank Foundation has now donated 901 classrooms to 153 schools in 92 cities and municipalities nationwide, impacting the lives of more than 40,000 learners each year. 

#BetterBankingIsSustainable #BuildASchoolBuildANation #ClassroomsDonation #SecurityBankFoundation