BATANGAS Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste has donated P6 billion worth of shares to support underprivileged students and victims of natural disasters.
“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.
He added that he hoped more wealthy Filipinos would follow the lead of global philanthropists like Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. “It is better to give away their wealth to the less privileged than to leave so much behind for their children,” he said.
The shares were turned over to the Lingkod Legarda Leviste Foundation, which is projected to earn an average of P1 billion annually over the next 50 years to fund scholarships and disaster relief programs.
“Given the issues facing our country now, I believe it would be timely for more politicians and DPWH contractors to voluntarily give up more of their wealth—regardless of its source—to help solve our country’s problems,” Leviste said.
To date, more than 150,000 students in his district have received P1,000 in allowances along with school bags and supplies. His office has also distributed over one million relief packs to typhoon victims in the towns of Nasugbu, Lian, Calatagan, Tuy, Balayan, Calaca, Lemery, and Taal.
Leviste expressed hope that his initiatives would inspire others to contribute to poverty alleviation.
In 2024, he sold his controlling stake in SP New Energy Corporation (SPNEC) to Meralco for P34 billion.
