Manny V. Pangilinan: Extraordinarily blessed
MANILA, Philippines — For the PLDT-Smart Foundation (PSF), July is the busiest month of the year – save for periods of extreme natural disaster. Why? Because July is CSR Month, and the birth month of our chairman Manny. V. Pangilinan, or MVP.
Unlike for most celebrants, MVP’s birthday is not a time for receiving, but a time for giving. This has been a tradition that naturally evolved owing to the generous character of the celebrant. While MVP is always thinking of how we can be of service throughout the year, we in PSF and the foundations and CSR units of the MVP Group of Companies, make special effort to serve during the month of July.
Thus, July has been marked by “giving” activities through the years. In the past, the MVP Group CSR units led by PLDT Community Relations’ head Evelyn del Rosario would bring MVP and our executives to his hometown, Apalit in Pampanga on July 14, for a Mass and outreach activity like medical missions, donation of classroom buildings or computers.
During the month, PSF also takes the opportunity to raise funds for causes close to MVP’s heart, as his friends and employees would usually want to give back to the man who has given them so much through his successful businesses.
In 2011, PSF raised donations from employees to build a basketball court for the kids of Apalit. For another year, we raised money for a feeding program for the community near Mt. Carmel Church, where MVP used to attend Mass as a child. Just before the pandemic, the MVP CSR Group Foundations – also known as “Tulong Kapatid” – organized the MVP Superhero Run where employees ran for a cause.
This year, while we remain cautious in organizing big gatherings, our efforts to touch lives still continue. PSF together with our PLDT People Group and Kapatid companies and foundations would like to celebrate July 14 as a day of Extraordinary Blessings. The theme was inspired by the Children’s Storybook we are launching for MVP’s birthday: Extraordinary Manny.
The book recounts MVP’s struggles and discoveries as a child and a young man, to become the extraordinary leader he is today. Authored by Gian Lao, with illustrations by artist Mark Andres, the book gives the reader a privileged glimpse into MVP’s past. Privileged because MVP rarely talks about his childhood.
When asked why he wrote the book, Gian says: “I came up with it because Esther Santos of PLDT-Smart Foundation asked me to! But really...
“Spend enough time with MVP and you’ll realize what makes him proudest — and that is the fact that he has accomplished so much in the world of business despite growing up in an ordinary, hardworking Filipino household. His success was earned, not inherited, and that alone makes his story worth telling. It is one that is within reach for the majority of Filipinos who are not scions or heirs — one that shows one good way to take something ordinary and turn it extraordinary.”
With support from First Pacific HK, PSF is publishing the book in order to reach children in the 7,600 islands of the Philippines so that they all may be inspired to be extraordinary in their own way.
Ma. Esther O. Santos is the president of PLDT-Smart Foundation.
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