For many Filipino families, sending a child to college is more than an educational milestone. It is a guarantee of possibility—a chance to open doors, create opportunities, and build a future that previous generations may not have imagined.
For the Palawan Group of Companies, that belief has guided its scholarship program for nearly three decades.
The Palawan Group of Companies Scholarship Program (PGC-SP), established in 1998, recently welcomed its 29th batch of scholars. The company formally welcomed the 160 first-year students during an orientation program at its head office in Puerto Princesa City.
Since it began with just 10 scholars, the program has developed alongside the Palawan Group and has now produced nearly 900 graduates.
But for Chairman and Founder Bobby L. Castro, the point is not the number. It is the lives behind it.
A Family That Knows the Value of a Chance
The scholarship program is particularly personal for Castro and his family.
He and his wife, together with their five children, were once scholars themselves. Because they experienced firsthand how educational opportunities can change a family’s trajectory, they eventually decided to create their own scholarship program.
Scholar tayo noon; naging scholar din ang lahat ng anak natin. Panahon na para tayo naman ang tumulong sa iba,”
Castro recalled.
What began with 10 scholars has become a long-term pledge to help young Filipinos pursue higher education.
For Castro, nearing 900 graduates matters because each number represents a young person who once hoped for an opportunity.
That is 900 changed lives. 900 na mga batang nangarap lamang noon, at sa tulong po natin, sila naman ang nagpapaaral ng kanilang mga kapatid ngayon,”
he said.
It shows how education can produce a ripple effect. A scholarship may begin with one student, but its impact can eventually reach an entire family.
Beyond Tuition
Today, the PGC-SP supports 455 scholars in their second to fourth years of college at Palawan State University and Western Philippines University, including students enrolled in five-year Architecture programs.
The program has also grown beyond funding assistance.
Scholars can take part in career orientation and preparation activities, industry exposure, internships, and skills-development programs that introduce them to workplace realities. The program also includes mental health and wellness initiatives, community involvement, and volunteer opportunities.
The goal is to help students prepare not only for their chosen professions but also for the responsibilities and opportunities that come with entering the working world.
The results are already evident among the program’s graduates. Many have become academic achievers and licensed professionals, including Certified Public Accountants, lawyers, engineers, teachers, social workers, psychometricians, and agriculturists.
As of June 2026, 104 scholarship graduates had also become part of the Palawan Group’s workforce.
Putting Love of Country Into Action
For Deputy Chairman and Co-founder Angelita M. Castro, the scholarship program expresses one of the company’s core values: “Pilipinas, Mahal Kita.”
For her, loving the country means more than words. It means action.
Para sa amin, ang pagmamahal sa bayan ay hindi lang salita kundi gawa—sa mga pamamaraan upang makapagbigay ng oportunidad sa ating mga kababayan, lalong-lalo na sa mga kabataan,”
she said.
That philosophy has remained central to the program since its establishment. Rather than simply assisting for the duration of a student’s college education, the initiative aims to help young Filipinos develop the confidence, skills, and feeling of purpose to contribute to their families and communities.
The Opportunity to Give Back
For the newest batch of scholars, the journey is only just beginning.
They join an inheritance that stretches back to 1998, with hundreds of graduates whose education has benefited not only themselves but also the people around them.
That is what makes the scholarship program’s story bigger than the number of scholars it has supported. Education moves forward: one opportunity can lead to another, one graduate can help a sibling, and one family’s circumstances can improve.
Castro hopes the newest scholars will eventually become part of that cycle.
Sana, pagdating ng araw na kayo naman ang nasa posisyon na tumulong sa iba, maalala ninyo ang pagkakataong natanggap ninyo ngayon at maipasa ninyo ang kabutihang iyon sa iba,”
he said.
It is a simple message, but one which captures the spirit of malasakit behind the program: accept the opportunity, make something of it, and, when the time comes, create an opportunity for someone else.
For the Palawan Group, that is what Pilipinas, Mahal Kita ultimately looks like—not simply loving the country in words, but investing in the young Filipinos who will shape its future.
Read more Stories on Simpol.ph
Twenty Five Years With Karaoke Icons 6cyclemind
Hear The Young: Batang Lampara, Batang Kuwentista 2026
Unpacking the Ber Months: Why Does Christmas Start in September in the Philippines
