MANILA, Philippines – When John Gokongwei Jr. decided to donate nearly half of his fortune to the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation (GBF), it wasn’t just an act of philanthropy; it was his way of showing that his lifelong belief in education was more than just words.

The donation, the largest of its kind in Philippine history, left his family and friends in shock. But to those who knew him well, it was a testament to the values that had guided him from the very start — a man who, despite being forced to leave college due to a family tragedy, understood that education was the key to building not only a business empire but also a nation.

On his 80th birthday, on August 11, 2006, John quietly announced that he would donate half of his personal shares in JG Summit, the conglomerate he had painstakingly built over the decades, to the foundation his family had established to support education.

His son, Lance Gokongwei, now at the helm of the conglomerate, reflected on the moment with a mix of admiration and surprise.

“As my dad’s 80th birthday approached, when he told us he planned to donate half of his personal shares in JG Summit to GBF, I must admit, my sisters and I were surprised,” he said, speaking before the screening of the documentary A Boy, a Bicycle and a Legacy: Remembering John Gokongwei Jr.

“A little bittersweet, but we understood. Dad was known for being very frugal on his personal life. Yet he wanted to donate the bulk of what he had worked hard on for this foundation.”

That donation of shares is now worth more than P50 billion. GBF still remains the single largest shareholder of the Gokongwei family conglomerate, owning 28% of the company with over 2 billion shares.

Why would a man known for his frugality give away so much of what he had spent a lifetime building? His children offered a simple explanation: John Gokongwei wanted to give back to society in a way that truly mattered to him.

“My dad, he really loved this country,” said his daughter, Robina Gokongwei-Pe, in the opening minutes of the documentary. “He felt that it was because of this country that he became successful. And he felt that he had to give back to society after what society had given to him.”

John Gokongwei’s life was shaped by early hardship. Born into a wealthy family in Cebu, his childhood was marked by privilege until the sudden death of his father left the family deeply in debt. The loss was sweeping: gone were the small joys of his violin and Chinese lessons, and gone too were the family’s home, businesses, and the security they once knew.

John never finished college, and the family eventually returned to China, unable to afford staying in the Philippines. (READ: How John Gokongwei built his empire from selling peanuts)

But that didn’t mean he stopped learning. John was a voracious reader, driven by an insatiable curiosity and an ambition that would later fuel his rise as a business titan.

“I was always so impressed with his continuous learning,” said James Go, Gokongwei’s brother and the chairman emeritus of several Gokongwei Group companies, in the documentary. “Even when he was 90, he was still trying to learn. Sometimes he would call me up to say whether I know something. So, I think he never stopped learning.”

Decades after John had already proven himself as a business tycoon, he made an unusual move: he went back to school. At the fresh age of 51, John pursued a masters of business administration at De La Salle University.

“I remember Mr. John coming home from work and staying up late at night so he could pore over his school books and do his homework,” his son Lance said.

“Of course, just like anything else, he wanted to be number one, even in school. So my sisters and I were at his graduation in 1977 when he received his MBA diploma. I think that must have been one of the proudest moments in his life.”

A foundation for education

This deep respect for education was the driving force behind the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation, which funds its charitable endeavors through dividends from JG Summit.

In 2011, John donated around P250 million to De La Salle University (DLSU), which was used to build up the university’s Gokongwei College of Engineering. GBF also made generous donations to other schools, such as a P200 million endowment to Ateneo de Manila University for the John Gokongwei School of Management.

“I’m thrifty on my personal things, but I have P500 million to schools during the last seven years,” John said in an old interview included in the documentary. “I didn’t spend that. I could spend that on my own pleasure, but instead, I gave it back to the community.”

GBF also runs several other programs, such as its Iskolar ni Juan Tech-Voc Scholarship, which covers tuition, transportation, school supplies, uniforms, accommodation, and meals for underprivileged students and eventually grants them employment opportunities in the Gokongwei Group of Companies.

Over the years, Gokongwei Brothers Foundation has supported over 2,700 scholars and 130 school communities. According to GBF executive director Grace Colet, the foundation has already surpassed its goal of impacting 1 million learners, now “potentially impacting 1.5 million learners.”

Lisa Gokongwei, daughter of the late family patriarch, takes great pride in leading GBF as its general manager. After the documentary screening, she shared her hopes for the foundation’s future.

“When I listen to what the scholars were saying, I believe that they felt the same way, that even they were inspired by Mr. John’s story,” she told the media. “That if Mr. John can do it, so can they. And I think that’s what we want. We want the people who watch it to feel that they can do it.” – Rappler.com