October 7, 2025
AKFI turns over P3 million for Tzu Chi Palo livelihood
By Joy Rojas
Tzu Chi Foundation Philippines CEO Henry Yuñez led volunteers in receiving a check for P3 million from representatives of Angelo King Foundation, Inc. (AKFI) on October 4 at the Kaisa Heritage Center in Intramuros, Manila. The donation is earmarked for the purchase of tricycles, which will give livelihood opportunities to residents of Tzu Chi Palo Great Love Village, Leyte. In May 2024, AKFI donated funds for the construction of Tzu Chi Palo Great Love Village’s Multipurpose Hall and Livelihood Training Center.
AKFI also pledged P1 million to Tzu Chi for its ongoing relief efforts for the victims of the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that rocked Cebu on September 30.
“Angelo King Foundation, Inc. looks for partners with track records. Tzu Chi has good programs for its livelihood projects so we decided to support them,” says AKFI Vice-president Joaquin Sy.
“Tzu Chi is a brand. It is an organization founded in Taiwan and present in over 60 countries. Although our partnership with Tzu Chi started a few years ago, it is expanding. We try to support however way we can. And we know we’ll have a very good relationship with Tzu Chi in the years to come.”
Last August, AKFI presented Tzu Chi with a P1 million donation to cover the foundation’s relief operations for communities affected by the succession of weather disturbances in July: Typhoons Crising (Wipha), Dante (Francisco), Emong (Co-may), and nonstop monsoon rains. Among the beneficiaries of the generous assistance were the 1,300 residents of Hagonoy, Bulacan, whose communities are perennially submerged in flood water and high tide.
Named after the late Filipino-Chinese businessman Angelo King, AKFI has funded Tzu Chi’s typhoon relief efforts in the past. In 2021, it provided Tzu Chi with the finances to aid victims of Typhoon Odette (Rai) in Bohol, Cebu, and Southern Leyte. A P1 million donation was presented to Tzu Chi volunteers for their relief work for survivors of Typhoon Kristine (Trami) in November 2024.
Representatives from Angelo King Foundation, Inc. (AKFI) and Tzu Chi Foundation Philippines gather for a group photo during the turnover of a P3 million donation from AKFI to Tzu Chi for its livelihood program for residents of Tzu Chi Palo Great Love Village in Leyte. Tzu Chi Philippines CEO Henry Yuñez (sixth from left) receives the check from Dr. Mercedita Macabulos, former medical officer of the Department of Education, Culture, and Sports-National Capital Region.