Dr. Lucio C. Tan: Business is a two-way street

"No one would remember the Good Samaritan if he only had good intentions. He had money as well."

This quotable quote by former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher applies well to taipan Lucio C. Tan, the man who seems to have the so-called Midas touch and whose name is a byword in the Philippine business community.

This man has been faithfully abiding by a self-imposed golden rule of sharing and caring, a social commitment which he so religiously fulfills.

For Tan, who was also given the cognomen of tobacco and beer magnate, business is a two-way street where one has to share with others what he has so richly received.

For this compleat businessman whose corporate concerns extend beyond Philippine shores to foreign lands notably his ancestral land of China, charity is a social commitment that must be tackled with the same vigor and enthusiasm as he does a new investment.

He has maintained a blissful balance between giving and receiving that makes his life complete.

His philanthropic endeavors cover a wide range of activities including education, arts, medical research, the environment and house, livelihood, medical care, infrastructure development and sports.

Tan has organized a host of charitable foundations that carries the banner of his humanitarian undertakings.

Listed as the major ones were the Tan Yan Kee Foundation (TYKF), the Foundation for Upgrading the Standard of Education (FUSE), the Asia Brewery Medical Specialty Scholarship Foundation Inc. (ABMSSFI) and the Philippine Airlines Foundation.

Around these foundations operate his satellite projects such as the "Operation Barrio School Building Project" of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Books Across the Sea," the "Voice of Our Youth" impromptu speaking competition, as well as a continuing anti-drug campaign and the construction of hospitals and churches.

Established in 1986, TYFK’s goal is to help improve the quality of life and education of Filipinos. After 15 years, the foundation has donated nearly P1 billion to various causes and projects. For the past three years, the foundation has earmarked P100 million annually to finance its projects and programs.

TYKF’s financial support has financed the construction of hundreds of classrooms and schoolbuildings for elementary and high school students nationwide. It has also tied up with the Habitat for Humanity Project of former US President Jimmy Carter in building houses for the homeless.

In coordination with the University of the East, the foundation has earmarked P100 million for poor but deserving scholars enrolled in such competitive courses as mathematics, science, information technology and engineering. Faculty members qualified to take masters or doctorate degree courses are among those benefitted by the program.

Just recently, the TYKF donated a multi-million peso CT Scan facility to the AFP Medical Center whose patients include war veterans, Filipino soldiers and their dependents.

Established in April 1994, FUSE serves as a catalyst and government partner in upgrading the quality of education by improving the teaching skills of English, science and mathematics teachers.

It aims to elevate and maintain a high standard of education through improved teacher training in communication skills, upgraded curricula, teaching and learning materials.

FUSE holds annual teacher training workshops throughout the country, focusing on English, science, math, accountancy and engineering courses. The foundation is one of the movers of CONSTEL – Continuing Studies Via Television — which has produced telecourses on elementary science, chemistry, physics and English.

Through Tan’s generous support, over 30,000 VHS tapes containing these telecourses were reproduced and given free to almost 1,500 schools nationwide.

ABMSSFI was established in 1986 to send graduates of local medical schools to the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong for further studies and training in their chosen field of specialization.

It holds a forum every second Monday of the month at the Century Park Hotel with physicians from the foundation rendering medical advice to the participants. These medical experts, who formed themselves into the Association of Asia Brewery Medical Scholars (AABMS), have to date conducted 102 medical fora.

PAL Foundation was established in 1992 under the office of PAL president Avelino Zapanta, with Tan as ex-oficio chairman. Among its activities is to bring relief goods and ferry rescue teams to victims of natural calamities as well as attend to the needs of poor patients.

For more than 20 years, Tan was a major donor and prime mover of the Operation Barrio School Building Project of the FFCCCII. Of the more than 2,100 schoolbuildings built under the project throughout the country for the last two decades, he contributed over P150 million to construct over 200 schoolhouses.

In the early 1980s, Tan provided P1 million seed money to set up the Philippine counterpart of an international book donation program dubbed Books Across the Sea. Since its inception, the project has distributed nearly nine million books to almost 40,000 schools and libraries nationwide, with Tan shouldering all expenses for book importation, freight, customs duties, warehousing and delivery.

In coordination with the Department of Education, Culture and Sports, Allied Banking Corp., which he owns, and the Rotary Club, Tan has sponsored "Voice of Our Youth," the country’s first impromptu speaking competition. Held every two years, the contest aims to help young high school students in developing world-class proficiency in English communication.

Tan’s Fortune Tobacco Corp. also sponsored the Hope Caravan after the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo to bring much needed medicines and relief goods to victims of the calamity as well as of typhoons.