CONGRESSMAN Leandro Legarda Leviste has donated ₱6 billion in shares and proceeds from share sales to help underprivileged Filipino students and typhoon victims.
From the donated shares, Leviste’s Lingkod Legarda Leviste Foundation aims to generate at least an average of ₱1 billion per year for the next 50 years and serve as a long-term fund to support education and disaster relief in the Philippines.
To date, Leviste has supported over 150,000 students with a ₱1,000 allowance, school bags and school supplies, and has distributed over 1 million relief packs to typhoon victims in Batangas, particularly in the 1st District, which includes Nasugbu, Lian, Calatagan, Tuy, Balayan, Calaca, Lemery, and Taal. Leviste hopes that his efforts can help break the cycle of poverty in districts like his – the poorest in Batangas – by supporting the education of underprivileged students.
Leviste turned his focus to public service in 2024 after selling his controlling stake in SP New Energy Corporation (SPNEC) to Meralco for approximately ₱34 billion. At 32 years old, Leviste is reinvesting the remaining proceeds from his share sales in real estate and equity investments and pledges to eventually give away all of his wealth.
“To be rich in the Philippines is like winning the lottery, and I believe the rich have a moral obligation to share what we have with our countrymen,” Leviste said.
“I hope that an increasing number of wealthy Filipinos will see that it is better to give away their wealth to the less privileged than to leave so much behind for their children, following the example of philanthropists like Warren Buffett and Bill Gates,” he added.
About the Author
