ASK ANY Filipino student what they dream of becoming, and the answers come easily — a doctor, an engineer, an accountant. The harder question is how to get there. For many families, the challenge is not a lack of ambition or ability, but the financial burden of higher education.
Tuition, daily allowances, and board review fees add up quickly — often enough to make promising students give up on college altogether. The burden is even heavier in far-flung communities, where opportunities are fewer, and every peso is stretched further.
Michelle Mariacos knew this well. She grew up in Bakun, a mountain town in Benguet located hours away from the nearest hospital — and she dreamed of becoming a doctor.
What made the difference for her was a college scholarship from Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. and Aboitiz Renewables, Inc., the renewable energy arm of Aboitiz Power Corporation (AboitizPower). The scholarship covered her pharmacy degree at Saint Louis University, which became her stepping stone to medical school.
Today, she is Dr. Michelle Mariacos, a Medical Officer III at Benguet General Hospital. On top of her hospital duties, she organizes healthcare missions for communities like the one she came from.
“The culture of being a good neighbor, which I experienced through the scholarship, became my compass during my studies,” Mariacos said. “That care is what inspires me now as a doctor to serve in our local hospitals and help address the healthcare needs of those in the mountain communities.”
Mariacos is one of 61 scholars supported by the program across host communities nationwide. Thirty-one come from the Tiwi host site, which led this year’s achievements with a lineup of magna cum laude and cum laude honorees. The rest come from North Luzon (14), MakBan (4, now completing board reviews), Northern Mindanao (9), and Southern Mindanao (3). Each scholar receives full tertiary funding, stipends, and licensure review support.
Their dreams take different shapes. In Cagayan de Oro, Monica A. Litohon was partway through her five-year accountancy program at Capitol University when her family’s resources began to run low. The scholarship kept her in school.
“The financial support prevented me from dropping out of school when our resources were low,” Litohon stated. “Having this scholarship gave me the freedom to focus entirely on my degree. Today, I can use my training to help neighborhood families manage their earnings.”
Litohon has since passed her board examinations. She now teaches financial literacy to low-income families in her neighborhood — the same kind of help she once received, passed on to others.
For David Vincent Reonal of Bay, Laguna, the dream was engineering. The scholarship supported him through his electrical engineering degree, and he went on to join the company’s Cadet Engineering Program. He now works in the Control and Instrumentation Department of the MakBan geothermal power plant — a facility hosted by his own hometown.
“We believe in nurturing the potential of our youth and giving them the space to dream and pursue their passions,” said Alexander Coo, Chief Operating Officer of Aboitiz Renewables. “Seeing our scholars thrive as engineers, financial enablers, and medical professionals is a milestone for our host communities. Our focus remains on creating shared value by empowering the next generation to lead overall community development.”
A doctor serving mountain communities. An accountant teaching her neighbors to manage their money. An engineer working at the plant in his hometown. For Aboitiz Renewables and
Aboitiz Foundation, these are what scholarships make possible — and across geothermal, hydro, and solar host sites nationwide, more stories like theirs are only beginning.
