George S.K. Ty had big dreams, as he was born into a life of business and that things appeared to be predestined. "When I was young, my grandmother, my mother, and their relatives would say, 'Your father is doing well... someday, you have to be in the place of your father. You ought to be successful in business, and you are born to be a businessman."

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One of those dreams was inspired by his experiencing difficulty in securing a loan for his family's flour business, which accounted for a fourth of the Philippines' flour demand back in the late 1950s and early 1960s. As a result, he decided to put up a bank that would not only make money, but give money away.

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The Bank became successful in a rather short time that Dr. Ty decided to heed the noble calling of giving back to a country that has given him so many blessings. As such, he established the Metrobank Foundation in early 1979— 16 years after founding the Bank—as the primary vehicle for the corporate social responsibility initiatives of the Metrobank Group of Companies. This embodies his philosophy that the success of a nation begins at the most basic level, with each and every one of its citizens leading dignified and productive lives.

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The Foundation was given the wherewithal to demonstrate its commitment to nation-building by assessing and targeting the needs of the underserved sectors, cultivating a culture of excellence among Filipinos, recognizing and fostering exemplary individuals and encouraging their deeper engagement with their community and the nation-at-large. Over the course of 38 years, the Metrobank Foundation has nurtured an extensive network of outstanding individuals and organizations that continue to make a lasting impact on society. In setting up the Foundation, Dr. Ty remained guided by the principle that led to the Metrobank Group’s success: "Leadership in business implies leadership in community service.”

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His desire to honor and nurture outstanding public servants gave rise to the Foundation's recognition programs. The Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos aims to recognize noteworthy public servants from among the ranks of academe, military, and police. The program is implemented under 3 component searches—Search for Outstanding Teachers (SOT) honors those who instill a love of learning and discovery among the youth and to envision a professional and dynamic military and police forces, the foundation established The Outstanding Philippine Soldiers (TOPS) and Country's Outstanding Police Officers in Service (COPS) which seeks to recognize and share stories of valor and sacrifice of our uniformed personnel. On the other hand, to nurture the creativity of talented Filipino artists, the Foundation pioneered the Metrobank Art & Design Excellence (MADE). Dr. Ty seeks to promote relevant discourse on current issues to promote relevant discourse on current issues and introduce our critical thinkers to new audiences with the Metrobank Foundation Professorial Chairs Program. All these have been hailed as hallmark of Filipino excellence.

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Education is one of the advocacies closest to Dr Ty's heart, for he believes that education is the key to unlocking a future of possibilities. This led to the Foundation's multi-pronged approach to education development. National Teachers' Month scales up the Foundation’s teacher-centered advocacy to multi-sectoral partnership honoring teachers on a nationwide scale. The Metrobank-MTAP-DepEd Math Challenge showcases our best and brightest mathematical minds, who have proved, time and again, that they can stand side by side with their global counterparts. And through the Metrogold Scholarship Program, poor but deserving students can dream of building a better life for themselves and their families.

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In acting upon his dream of empowering Filipinos with better opportunities, Dr. Ty has made a mark in securing a promising future for the Philippines by blazing the trail for the continued growth of Metrobank and by the leading Metrobank Foundation as the heart and soul of the Metrobank Group in giving back to society.