In 1992, industrialist John Gokongwei Jr. and his brothers—Henry, Johnson, and James—established the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation (GBF), with the goal of making a lasting impact on our nation’s education. Three decades later, the foundation is one of the largest philanthropic educational organizations in the country.
At GBF’s 30th anniversary event, the Gokongwei family officially launched the Gokongwei Group master brand, the umbrella brand name that encompasses all the companies in the family’s diversified business portfolio, which includes some of the Philippines’ largest companies.
Among them are JG Summit Holdings, Inc., one of the largest and most diversified Filipino conglomerates, with subsidiaries including Universal Robina Corporation, Cebu Pacific, Robinsons Land Corporation, Robinsons Bank, and JG Summit Olefins. Also under the Gokongwei Group umbrella are Robinsons Retail Holdings, Summit Media, the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation, and other privately held companies of the family.
“Our name carries with it the legacy of our Founder Mr. John and his siblings – a legacy of integrity and reliability, and one which my siblings, cousins and I in the third generation have been working very hard to live up to. It is our fervent hope that this legacy will live on to succeeding generations of the Gokongwei family so that we can continue to make lives better and … yes to make our forefathers proud,” said Lance Gokongwei, who heads the Gokongwei Group.
Creating Meaningful Breakthroughs
The master brand encapsulates what the various companies in the group’s ecosystem stand for. It embodies the Gokongwei Group’s commitment to carry on its Founder’s legacy of disruptive business innovations and building businesses that improve lives and provide better choices. It also highlights the scale, culture, and integration of the Gokongwei Group of companies.
It is represented by a timeless wordmark in dark blue and green to symbolize the trustworthiness of blue and the growth of green. The tip of an arrow is incorporated in the first G to represent trajectory and forward-thinking.
"This joint launch of the Gokongwei Group’s master brand and the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation 30th Anniversary Kick-Off underscores the essence of our identity," said Lisa Gokongwei Cheng, Gokongwei Brothers Foundation General Manager and Summit Media President and CEO.
"In the Gokongwei Group, we are the stewards of the resources entrusted to us—our businesses and our people. We manage them well and we make sure that they are cared for. In the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation, we are the stewards of our youth, helping them receive quality education and giving them a chance to succeed in life."
Quality Education, 30 Years and Beyond
The Gokongwei Brothers Foundation has always believed in the role of good education in building a strong Philippine economy. For the past three decades, the foundation has equipped learners with the tools they need to grow and develop as well-rounded members of the community. It has also provided the content and technology teachers and other stakeholders need to develop their skills as educators.
GBF has been focusing on elevating educators' professional development to meet current and future learning needs through a number of projects. This includes the TeachSTEM Scholarship program, a partnership with the University of the Philippines National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development (UP NISMED) for the KaSaMa Teachers Community; and Project Future, an educators’ development program developed in partnership with IDEO, a global design-thinking consultancy firm.
Programs that support STEM and digitally-enabled learning have also been developed. Marking the foundation's 30th anniversary is the Juan Community for Education, with Juan Brigada Eskwela and Juan Kapatid Tutorial under the said program.
This year alone, the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation projects to have 913 scholars, learners and educators alike, from various programs, such as Iskolar ni Juan, GBF Nex Gen Scholarship for Excellence, GBF Gokongwei Group STEM Scholarship for Excellence, and STEM Agri Scholarship for Excellence. The foundation has 1,841 lifetime scholars to date.
"I hope that our partnerships’ outputs, outcomes, and impacts cultivated more enthusiasm so that we can reach our ambition of fast-tracking the learning journey of 1 million learners and 10,000 educators by 2025," said Gokongwei Brothers Foundation Executive Director Grace Colet.
