Mighty Corp continues to help people by CSR projects

Bulacan-based tobacco manufacturer, Mighty Corp, and Wong Chu King Foundation has been actively helping out a lot of people via the company's corporate social responsibility projects. 

According to Bishop Rodolfo Beltran of San Fernando City, La Union said that he praised on what Mighty and the foundation for helping the church to spread the faith in the Philippines and for prioritizing apostolic works and education in its programs and projects.

He added that the foundation donated to church projects funding the education of poor but deserving students in Lagawe, Bontoc. 

“The parents of these students are low-income farmers producing only for local consumption,” the bishop said. “So you can imagine the positive impact this kind of support has for them.” He lauded the outreach project that the foundation and Mighty launched for 65,000 organized tobacco farmers of Northern Luzon last February.

Under the agreement, Mighty Corp donated to the farmers 16 hand tractors worth P2.5 million and 90 irrigation pumps worth P1.1 million.

“I’m quite happy about all these projects. It’s a big lift for our farmers, not only in La Union but also the whole of Northern Luzon,” Beltran said. “This is something very beautiful as the hand tractors and water 

pumps encourage our farmers to use modern methods of agriculture.”

The foundation was also commended for the renovation of the Basilica Minore of the Our Lady of Piat Church in Piat, Cagayan in 2012, and the renovation of the Diocesan Shrine of Immaculate Conception in Naic, Cavite last year.

Meanwhile, Auxiliary Ricardo Baccay of Tuguegarao City said about the foundation's work as “a step in the right direction. My diocese, like all dioceses, have serious concerns. If WCKF is out to help schools, putting up libraries is the best form of help it can give.”

“For many years, I have personally known Mrs. Nelia Wong Chu King, WCKF chairman of the board of trustees,” said Archbishop Emeritus Diosdado Talamayan of the Archdiocese of Tuguegarao City. “She and her family are great devotees of Our Lady of Piat, and they have erected a chapel in Malolos City, Bulacan, dedicated to Our Lady of Piat, which was blessed by many bishops led by Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales in 2012.”

Archbishop Rolando Tirona of the Archdiocese of Caceres in Naga City, Camarines Sur, described the Wong Chu Kings as an upright family and said it was “highly uncharacteristic for them to be involved in the illicit trade practices of technical smuggling and tax evasion.”

Wong Chu King Foundation funded chapel in Xavier School

Mighty Corp's CSR arm, Wong Chu King Foundation funded the construction of Xavier School's Sacred Heart Chapel. The said chapel is located at the Senior High School Building. The religious structure is in honor of Mr. Wong Chu King, the patriarch of the family that formed the foundation.

According to Caesar Wongchuking, Wong Chu King Foundation’s vice president says that the Sacred Heart Chapel of Xavier School’s senior high school building is being built for the cause and passion for education by his father.

“Fr. Desautels went door-to-door in Manila for donations to buy the land needed to set up the school,” Wongchuking recalled on how the founders of the school and his father met.  “At 3:30 pm on December 15, 1955, Fr. Desautels closed the deal and purchased the land barely an hour and a half before the 5 p.m. deadline agreed on with the seller of the land on which the school was eventually built.”

“All of us, my siblings and I, graduated from Xavier School and imbibed the Jesuit’s God, education and service-centered mission,” he added.

“This project is our way of honoring our father’s friendship with the Jesuit community and paying forward for the excellent education we received from the school,” said Alex Wongchuking, the foundation’s executive director said.

During the signing the deed of donation for the construction of the chapel, it was attended by Marietta Wongchuking- Co Chien, Wong Chu King Foundation Director; Johnip Cua, Xavier School chairman of the board of trustees; and Fr. Aristotle Dy, school president and director.

With this initiative of Wong Chu King Foundation and Mighty Corp, they vowed to rebuild churches, not only in Xavier...they also reconstruct churches in the country.

Wong Chu King Foundation turned over 18th century church in Cavite

One of the historical landmarks in Cavite, The Diocesan Shrine of Immaculate Concepcion in Naic was recently turned over by Mighty Corp’s charitable arm, Wong Chu King Foundation.

The said church is one of the oldest and largest churches in the country. The Wong Chu King Foundation called their deed as a duty to church and society.

“We cannot allow this historic church to go into a state of disrepair,” said Alex Wongchuking, Executive Director of Wong Chu King Foundation said.

The said institution has been devoted its resources to rebuilding churches in the country since 2009. They're also helping out students to get educated and other charitable works.

“The church strengthened the Filipino faith and it stands as a mute witness to the martyrdom of the defenders of Philippine freedom and nationhood,” Wongchuking said.

The church in Naic was built by the Spanish friars which has a low-roofed stone structure in 1835. Eventually, it was rebuilt and completed with a neo-Gothic convent complex in 1872.  In 2013, it was renovated done by Wong Chu King Foundation and made a symbolic turnover to church officials last March 30 which coincided the foundation’s 24th anniversary.

According to Cavite Bishop Reynaldo Evangelista says that he was grateful and said the restoration of the church to its original architecture will “encourage people to grow in their faith, in a life of prayer and in a life of holiness, which is God’s desire for all of us.”

  

He also added that the church’s the roof and the walls were crumbling and the church’s interior gradually deteriorating. Suddenly, Wong Chu King Foundation  came in and offered them to rebuild the church.

“With this beautiful church, one can say that the presence of God is really felt by the people,” Bishop Evangelista said.

Aside from rebuilding the church, the foundation also built a new garden with a fountain, Navarette said.

“The project aims to maintain the original structure, essence and sanctity of the church,” he added.

Wong Chu King Foundation offers scholarship grants

The charitable arm of Mighty Corp, Wong Chu King Foundation reaching out to the poor yet deserving students to receive scholarship grants in the northern part of Luzon.

“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 Mighty Corp president Edilberto Adan.

Adan also said the educational assistance that the foundation gives out 100 scholarship grants to deserving students which are children of tobacco farmers in Northern Luzon.

“Formal schooling is often too expensive and priced well beyond the reach of the poor, including tobacco farmers,” he said.

The said program is one of three components of a P10-million joint CSR project of Mighty Corp. and the National Federation of Tobacco Farmers and Cooperatives Inc.. It aimed to benefit 65,000 farmers in the northern part of Luzon.

“This is our way of thanking the farmers for helping to make our company what it is today,” said Adan.

“We are happy that Mighty Corporation, through its Wong Chu King Foundation, has stood firm on its commitment to help 65,000 tobacco farmers in the Philippines,” said Mario Cabasal, NAFTAC national president.

Meanwhile, according to Mighty Corp’s executive vice president and spokesperson Oscar Barrientos said the foundation initially offered scholarships to the dependents of active Mighty employees. Later on, it was expanded for dependents of retired Mighty employees and unfortunate but deserving students 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 scholarship program is in support of the National Tobacco Administration’s scholarship program for poor but deserving graduating high school students and dependents of tobacco farmers.

The foundation has six high school and 14 college students unde their scholarship program.

Mighty Corp: Doing good deeds thru their Corporate Social Responsibility program

Filipino-owned tobacco manufacturer, Mighty Corp also focus on their Corporate Social Responsibility program thru Wong Chu King Foundation.  

According to San Fernando City Bishop Rodolfo Beltran, he commended on what the foundation and Mighty helped the community by spreading the faith in the Philippines. Also they prioritized apostolic works and education in its projects.

He added that they donated to church projects and funded scholarships to deserving students in Lagawe, Bontoc. The charitable arm of Mighty picked four seminarians and students of vocational courses.

“The parents of these students are low-income farmers producing only for local consumption,” the bishop said. “So you can imagine the positive impact this kind of support has for them.”, he added.

The bishop also praised Mighty Corp for their outreach project in which benefits 65,000 organized tobacco farmers of Northern Luzon. Last January, the signing of agreement on the project between Mighty and 200 farmer leaders of the National Federation of Tobacco Farmers and Cooperatives Inc was held in the North. The members of the cooperatives are from Pangasinan, La Union, Abra, Cagayan, Isabela, Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur.

.

In the memorandum agreement, it stated that Mighty will donate 16 hand tractors worth P2.5 million and 90 irrigation pumps worth P1.1 million to the farmers.

“I’m quite happy about all these projects. It’s a big lift for our farmers, not only in La Union but also the whole of Northern Luzon,” Beltran said. “This is something very beautiful as the hand tractors and water pumps encourage our farmers to use modern methods of agriculture.”

Aside from these donations, the foundation also renovated churches in the country. Some of the beneficiaries are Basilica Minore of the Our Lady of Piat Church in Piat, Cagayan, and Diocesan Shrine of Immaculate Conception in Naic, Cavite.

Meanwhile, Auxiliary Ricardo Baccay of Tuguegarao City lauded Mrs. Nelia Wong Chu King's institution as a step in the right direction. He said that his diocese, like all dioceses, have serious concerns. If WCKF is out to help schools, putting up libraries is the best form of help it can give.

“For many years, I have personally known the chairman, WCKF chairman of the board of trustees,” said Archbishop Emeritus Diosdado Talamayan of the Archdiocese of Tuguegarao City. “She and her family are great devotees of Our Lady of Piat, and they have erected a chapel in Malolos City, Bulacan, dedicated to Our Lady of Piat, which was blessed by many bishops led by Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales in 2012.”

Archdiocese of Caceres' Archbishop Rolando Tirona describes the owner of Mighty Corp as an upright family and said it was “highly uncharacteristic for them to be involved in the illicit trade practices of technical smuggling and tax evasion.”