Gokongwei Brothers Foundation recognized among DepEd Heroes

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MANILA, Philippines —  The Department of Education (DepEd) has recognized the  Gokongwei Brothers Foundation (GBF) as one of its “DepEd Heroes,” honoring the foundation’s strong and sustained partnership in advancing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.

In accepting the recognition, GBF emphasized that the award reflects the collective impact of its collaboration with DepEd and its stakeholders.

“This recognition is not just for our organization — it is for every teacher, learner and partner we have worked with,” GBF general manager Lisa Gokongwei-Cheng said. “Our role has always been to support DepEd’s mission and contribute to meaningful, scalable solutions that improve learning outcomes.”

DepEd’s recognition of GBF as a “DepEd Hero” highlights the importance of strong public-private partnerships in addressing the evolving needs of the Philippine education system.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara expressed his gratitude to GBF.

 “They didn’t have to do it – but they chose to, and they never stopped. For more than three decades, tuloy-tuloy ang suporta ng GBF sa ating mga public schools – mula sa libo-libong scholarships, hanggang sa pag-empower ng ating mga guro at pagpapalakas ng STEM education sa bansa. Dahil sa kanila, mas maraming batang Pilipino ang nabibigyan ng oportunidad na mangarap, mag-aral at magtagumpay,” Angara said.

Launched in August 2025, the “DepEd Heroes” program celebrates the courage, dedication and exemplary service of teachers and education partners across the country. It highlights best practices and meaningful contributions that strengthen the education sector to encourage replication and foster pride and unity within the education community.

DepEd has awarded teachers, students and parents for their exemplary contribution, while GBF is the second organization to be given this award. GBF leaders were recognized for their impactful collaboration with DepEd –  particularly in scaling initiatives that support educators, expand access to STEM education and empower school communities nationwide.

Strengthening education through access and opportunity

GBF’s initiatives have been anchored on its long-standing belief that quality education –  especially in STEM – is key to national development.

Through its scholarship programs, GBF has supported over 3,500 lifetime scholars, providing opportunities for high-potential Filipino learners to pursue STEM-related courses and transition into meaningful careers.

Also, as aligned with DepEd’s educator development goals, GBF scholarships are also being offered to pre-service and in-service public school teachers to strengthen their STEM content mastery and pedagogy.

The foundation has also invested heavily in other capacity building programs, recognizing educators as central to improving student outcomes. Its GBF STEM Collab community, now with over 320,000 members nationwide, serves as a platform for teachers to access professional development, exchange best practices and engage in peer learning.

GBF delivered 26 learning sessions and webinars, issuing CPD units to 103,000 educators across the country over the last two years.  A major highlight was the ARAL remediation learning series, which reached over 210,000 teachers nationwide, demonstrating strong engagement in addressing foundational learning gaps.