TARLAC, Philippines — Carl Vega remembers the time when he felt his dream of becoming a computer engineer was crushed. He was sitting on the corrugated-tin roof of his family’s house, lamenting the fact that he had to quit high school so his tuition fees could be used to care for his cancer-stricken grandfather and ill grandmother.
But Vega refused to be another statistic. When an aunt told him about the possibility of getting a scholarship, he applied for one and won one from the Manila-based Marubeni Scholarship Foundation Inc. He was able to graduate from Don Bosco Technical Institute, Tarlac.
Vega’s high school physics teacher, Arnulfo Castro, recalls how the scholarship helped Vega’s performance in school. “Marubeni not just helped him, but somewhat propelled him to push through with his aspirations to become an engineer,” Castro said. “When Marubeni helped him, he helped others also.”
“Marubeni not just helped him, but somewhat propelled him to push through with his aspirations to become an engineer. When Marubeni helped him, he helped others also.” – Arnulfo Castro, Physics Teacher
Vega was able to graduate from college on another unrelated grant. Today, he works as a senior IT security analyst in a U.S. multinational and has earned enough to not only pay off his parents’ various debts, but also build them a new home. He also sent two of his brothers to university. Looking back at his high school years, Vega says, “The Marubeni scholarship was a big help and a blessing to me.”
It was back in 1989 when The Marubeni Corporation—then celebrating its 80th year in the Philippines—decided to set up a foundation to help students who were seeking a vocational-technical education. A grant of $200,000 was given to help students who wanted to study construction, electronics, auto repair, and hospitality management. Since then, the company has invested another $850,000 and expanded its mission to include improving primary school performance. To date, the foundation has given over 2,500 grants.
Jose Sandejas, a veteran business executive and chairman of the foundation, recognizes the importance of supporting vocational-technical courses. “It’s easy to see 80% to 90% employment after a voc-tech course, compared to a university-level course, which can be down 10% or 20% for popular majors like politics and marketing” he says.
The foundation’s goal is simple: get recipients to support themselves; and later, their families. Its assistant treasurer, Jocelyn Dee, shares: “We’ve heard so many stories from scholars who’ve found jobs. Initially, they’d help their parents. Later, they move on to provide for their siblings’ education.”
Which is exactly what Marubeni scholar Francis Linsangan did.
Linsangan graduated from Father Pierre Tritz Institute-ERDA Tech, an all-scholarship vocational-tech high school in one of Manila’s most impoverished areas. While still in school, Linsangan earned extra cash by repairing electronics for his neighbors. He then got a job as a semiconductor-production engineer. He has since put both his siblings through university, and helped his father open a hawker food stall outside their home. “My dreams are slowing coming true, like having a stable job in an electronics company,” says Linsangan. “And I am seeing a better future for my family because I received the scholarship.”
Peter Magsalin, ERDA Tech’s principal, acknowledges the other positive impact scholarships have on their students.
“If not for the help given to them in their high school education, many of them would have been in jail, on the streets, or otherwise, dead,” he says. “We continue to help our students with the help of our sponsors.”
Naoto Tago, president of Marubeni Philippines, hopes to increase the foundation’s funding and include job placement, to help scholars to secure employment upon graduation.