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FWD Philippines and the Security Bank Foundation have launched the “Future Leaders College Scholarship Program,” aimed at supporting the education of promising next-generation leaders.
The initiative will provide annual scholarships to 10 dependents of agency personnel, covering their entire college education.
“We at FWD are excited to launch this partnership to help provide better opportunities for more young Filipinos to achieve their dreams. As the insurer of the next generation, we believe that by touching more lives through education and financial literacy, we can empower aspiring leaders to build their best futures,” said FWD Philippines President and CEO Soon Liang Lau.
Security Bank Foundation, meanwhile, views this program as an effort to empower youth through education, recognizing scholarships as foundational to equal opportunity and social mobility.
“We believe that with proper education, one should be able to succeed in life no matter what social or economic background they may have. Security Bank Foundation is incredibly grateful for the generous support of FWD towards our communities and investing to create future leaders,” said SBFI Chairman Rafael F. Simpao, Jr.
The announcement comes as educational inequities continue to challenge Philippines’ growth. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority’s 2020 Census, 10.7 million young people — roughly one in four aged five to 24 — are out of school. Many face financial barriers that limit access to higher education, especially in low-income households.
Corporate-backed scholarship programs are increasingly filling gaps left by public funding, a trend seen across Southeast Asia where governments partner with private companies to bridge educational inequality.
In the Philippines, organizations such as the Ayala Foundation and Gokongwei Brothers Foundation have also expanded tertiary scholarship programs, recognizing that higher education correlates strongly with improved lifetime earnings and social mobility.
For FWD, the scholarship program complements its broader community initiatives, including financial literacy workshops and disaster resilience projects.
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