Filinvest Celebrates 60th Anniversary With Run For A Child 2016

To celebrate its 60th year in business, Filinvest Development Corporation (FDC) staged Run for a Child 2016, a charity run in Filinvest City, Alabang last January 10. The event benefitted scholars of the Educational Research and Development (ERDA) Foundation.

ERDA Foundation kids and Filinvest Group executives
get ready to run ...

Following two successful charity runs held by the Filinvest Group in 2005 and 2009 where a total of P8.2 million was raised, this year's run included Filinvest Group employees, their families and friends, Filinvest City locators and tenants, and corporate partners. For each participant, Filinvest donated the corresponding amount needed to send one child to school for a year. 

… and they're off! :)

My husband and I joined more than 1,000 registered participants of the fun run last Sunday. After the race, we attended the program held at the Filinvest Tent where ERDA Foundation accepted P6 million worth of donation, symbolizing Filinvest's 60th anniversary. The amount will support the educational needs of 660 elementary scholars, 660 high school scholars and 60 college scholars of ERDA Foundation for one school year. The donation was made through Filinvest Corporate City Foundation and Andrew Gotianun Foundation. 

me and my running buddy

Throughout the Philippines, the Andrew Gotianun Foundation has also donated a total of 36 school buildings  thru the AGAPP Foundation; 28 buildings of which have already been completed or are close to completion with the remaining to be finished soon.

sunrise over Filinvest City Alabang

As in the previous events, Filinvest chose the ERDA Foundation as the beneficiary of Run for a Child 2016. Founded by Fr. Pierre Tritz, SJ in 1974, ERDA has supported over 800,000 indigent children in public elementary schools over the past four decades by providing them money for expenses such as books and school materials and by running complementary programs such as livelihood development, health care and shelter for street children and scavengers.

a performance by ERDA Foundation Kids

For those who are not familiar, Filinvest Development Corporation started from humble beginnings as a small-scale financing company established by Andrew and Mercedes Gotianun in 1955. It is now one of the country’s largest listed companies with businesses that range from property development, to banking and financial services, hotel and resort development, power generation, and the sugar industry.

Its subsidiaries include Filinvest Land, Inc., Filinvest Alabang, Inc., EastWest Bank, FDC Utilities, Inc., Crimson and Quest Hotels, and Pacific Sugar Holdings Corporation. 

impressive show with literally death-defying stunts
by the Cabuyao Acrobats; these kids are really talented! 

Josephine Gotianun Yap, FDC President and CEO, expressed that the company wanted to mark their milestone year in a meaningful way with this charity run. “We believe that the best way to celebrate 60 years of success is by sharing our blessings with those in need.” She added that education of the youth has been an enduring advocacy of the Filinvest Group and the Gotianun family, ever since they started supporting ERDA’s programs in the 1970s. 

Mrs. Gotianun Yap presents a cheque for P6M to Fr. Tritz of ERDA Foundation

“We know that keeping these children in school will give them at least a fighting chance to break out of the cycle of poverty,” explained Gotianun-Yap. “We share in ERDA’s vision of a nation where all children are given educational opportunities that will adequately prepare them for life.”