- Aboitiz Foundation and Fulbright Philippines (PAEF) signed an MOU to boost Filipino talent in STEM through scholarships, international training, and research exchanges.
- The partnership focuses on energy, sustainability, and environmental policy, aiming to develop future Filipino leaders with global expertise and innovation capabilities.
- US Ambassador Carlson and DFA Assistant Secretary Chan-Gonzaga witnessed the signing, highlighting the initiative’s role in national development, climate response, and economic growth.
The Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (AFI) and the Philippine-American Educational Foundation (PAEF) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Wednesday to promote Filipino talent in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) through international experience and advanced knowledge in the field.
PAEF Executive Director Julio Amador III stated the MOU enables both organizations to work together on scholarships and provide support for training programs that would enable Filipino scholars to acquire improved careers in STEM, especially in energy, sustainability, and environmental policy.
We at PAEF and the Fulbright Program have the belief that the private sector has a big role to play in national development through offering the opportunity for Filipinos to obtain graduate degrees, pursue researches, and become part of training programs in areas of STEM, energy, natural resources, sustainability, and environmental protection. he stated during the MOU signing in Makati City.
Meanwhile, Aboitiz Foundation chairman Sabin Aboitiz described investing in education as investing in the next generation of Filipino leaders who need to be endowed with knowledge, skills, and global views in order to spur innovation and sustainable growth.
"Education is the best means to ideal, sustainable progress for any nation. Education is not merely about providing more Filipinos with classrooms. It is about providing them with access to the type of education that constructs them and equips them to be leaders", Aboitiz said.
"That's truly the essence of our collaboration. We want our scholars to learn the best in the world and bring them back home to contribute to building a brighter future for the Filipinos". The MOU will allocate money on projects that create holistic human resource development programs to empower future Filipino leaders.
It will promote Filipino student exchanges to US institutions for training and research purposes. It will also bring in international expertise to provide human resource development programs with enhancement in Filipino universities. US Ambassador Mary Kay Carlson and Assistant Secretary Jose Victor Chan-Gonzaga of the Department of Foreign Affairs signed the MOU witnessed by them.
Carlson described such an alliance yields real economic effect since the scholars occupy key roles in the government, private sector, and academe and form the basis of sustained long-term economic well-being for the Philippines and the US. "A highly trained STEM workforce attracts investments and spurs innovation and reinforces the Philippines' competitiveness in the global economy", she added.
At the same time, Chan-Gonzaga said that the collaboration ties in with some of the top priority concerns of the national government during difficult uncertainties, critical transitions, and climate change.
"We feel that this program, especially in the fields of energy, sustainability, STEM, and human resource development, will be significant in realizing (the) Philippines' goals and response to the President's top priorities", he explained.
The PAEF, or Fulbright Philippines, oversees the US government's flagship foreign exchange scholarship program in the Philippines, which seeks to enhance binational research cooperation, cultural exchange, and the sharing of ideas between the two nations. AFI is the CSR wing of the Aboitiz Group dedicated to supporting social development by concentrating on future leaders, employment, and climate action.
