JRT Foundation Allots PHP 2.5M for TIKYO Scholars

QUEZON CITY, Philippines — In its mission towards democratizing access to education, JRT Foundation, the charitable arm of Coolaire Consolidated Inc. (Coolaire), has allotted a total of PHP 2.5M so far to its TIKYO Scholarship Program since 2021.

The scholarship provides an annual financial grant of PHP 10,000 to children of Coolaire employees across grade school, high school, and college levels.

“We wanted to relieve our employees of any difficulty […] so we made the choice to subsidize them through student allowances for their children. We wanted to lift from their shoulders the additional burden of looking for sources to tide their children through especially during the pandemic,” said Joel Ryan Tugade, JRT Foundation Vice Chairman and Coolaire President.

Origins: From Food Security to Educational Access

While the JRT Foundation was only officially organized in 2024, the TIKYO Scholarship Program began in 2021. It started with basic necessities through the establishment of urban gardens where employees planted, harvested and distributed among themselves vegetables like lettuce, pechay, and tomatoes during the lockdowns. This food security program continues up to today and has even expanded to other company locations.

“We noticed na ang mga employees namin, especially those in the lowest income bracket, sometimes failed to go to [the workplace] kasi walang pangkain, walang pangcommute,” JRT Co Vice Chairman Patrick Joseph Tugade further shared. (“We noticed our employees, especially those in the lowest income bracket, sometimes failed to go to the [workplace] because they have nothing to eat and no money for commute,” Tugade shared.)

Eventually recognizing that education was another obstacle to be addressed, Coolaire launched its TIKYO Scholarship Program.

The program honors Leonardo “Tikyo” Abeñon—a loyal and dedicated company messenger for 22 years who perished in the line of duty.

Abenon’s son then became the scholarship’s first beneficiary.

Randolf Abeñon, a BS Civil Engineering student at Polytechnic University of the Philippines, affirmed how this program has helped him: “Dati lagi kong iniisip kung saan ako kukuha ng pambili ng gamit sa school, ng pamasahe since malayo nga po ang school. Pero simula noong naging TIKYO Scholar ako, mas nakakapagfocus na ako sa pag-aaral ko.”
(“Back then, I always worried about where to find money for school supplies, for commuting since school is far. But since I became a TIKYO Scholar, I was able to focus better on my studies.”)

Today, the TIKYO Scholarship Program supports sixty-seven students: 37 in high school, 17 in grade school, and 13 in college.

Education As A Pillar for Lifelong Success

The JRT Foundation embodies the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education) by removing financial barriers to education. This has gone beyond financial relief and has since inspired confidence that fuels the students’ pursuit of their dreams.

“Inspirasyon [ang TIKYO Scholarship] para sa akin na magsumikap. Mas nagkakaroon ako ng kumpyansa sa sarili ko dahil alam ko may tiwala sa akin ang JRT Foundation,” Abeñon said..
(“[The TIKYO Scholarship] inspires me to persevere. I am able to gain more confidence in myself knowing that the JRT Foundation believes and trusts in me,” Abeñon said.)

This is the foundation’s core mission: to empower people and provide more equity to ensure that no one is left behind.

Interview and text by Raf Perez Inguito