UCPB adopts another 48 scholars

MANILA, Philippines – The United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB) – Coconut Industry Investment Fund (CIIF) Foundation has adopted 48 scholars in school year 2011-2012 under the CocoFoundation Scholarship program. One of the most successful scholars is Henzel Mae Manginsay Ymbol, B.S. Mathematics, who graduated as the first summa cum laude of Negros Oriental State University (NORSU). To date, 387 children of small coconut farmers have graduated from various universities and 417 have completed vocational or technical courses under the foundation. Ymbol is the first summa cum laude scholar-graduate of the foundation while four scholars graduated magna cum laude and 55 with cum laude honors. UCPB-CIIF Foundation was established in 1987 to assist coconut-farming families uplift their economic condition. In 2004, the foundation launched the CocoFoundation Scholarship and since then, financial assistance has been granted to 1,433 children of small coconut farmers in 52 provinces – 911 scholars in more than 40 state colleges and 522 students in Don Bosco Training Centers for vocational courses. About 53 percent of the scholars are from Mindanao since the area has the highest density of coconut farmlands while 27 percent are from Luzon and 20 percent from the Visayas.