Ateneo Social Entrepreneurship Center Kwan Loren Foundation Launched |

Ateneo de Manila University signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Robbie Kwan Laurel on Tuesday, July 9, 2024. Under the MOU, Kwan Laurel, founder and former CEO of Sunfu Solutions and an Ateneo University alumnus, will donate to support social entrepreneurship and collaborative efforts between SOH, JGSOM and the Ateneo Center for Social Entrepreneurship (ACSEnt) through a multidisciplinary approach to entrepreneurship and research.

The donation, called the Kwan Laurel Fund for the Ateneo Center for Social Entrepreneurship, is dedicated in memory of Kwan Laurel’s grandfather, Tiu Ching Po, also known as Victor Tiu Laurel, who emigrated to the Philippines at the age of 13 and taught himself English, Spanish and the local language. Even after becoming a copla king and forming close friends with Presidents Manuel Quezon and Jose P. Laurel, he always had a heart for the poor and downtrodden of his hometown.

Present from the Ateneo at the signing ceremony were Fr. Roberto C. Yap, President of the University; Fr. Jose V. C. Quilon-Quilon, member of the Ateneo Board of Trustees; Dr. Patricia Lambino, Dean of the College of Humanities (SOH); Dr. Roberto Martin Galan, Dean of the John Gokongwei Graduate School of Management (JGSOM); Fr. Norberto Bautista, Director of the Office of University Development and Alumni Affairs (OUDAA); Dr. Norman Tanchingco, Director of OUDAA Advancement; Dr. Jonathan Chua, former Dean of the College of Humanities; ACSent Director Ana Marina Tan; and Maria Teresa D. Villanueva, Director of University Marketing and Communications.

Meanwhile, Kwan Laurel was accompanied by his wife, Dr. Aljolie Y. Laurel, and their daughter, Nadine Y. Kwan Laurel, who graduated from the Ateneo University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Business Administration and then spent two years as a public school teacher teaching in underprivileged areas.

“We are so grateful to the Kwan-Laurel family for this enormous donation to the Ateneo Social Entrepreneurship Center,” JGSOM Dean Dr. Galang said in his opening remarks. “When we began our discussions with Robbie, it was clear that he really wanted to support the university and the various communities we have here.”

“And we are very happy to enter into this partnership agreement with him because we believe that his contribution will support the development of many social enterprises as this sector is one of the most dynamic yet most neglected in the country,” he added.

Dean Lambino also offered words of thanks. In addition to thanking Kwan Laurel, she also expressed her gratitude to those who helped make the donation a reality, including Dean Galang, who worked on the proposal, and her predecessor, Dean Chua, who introduced her to Kwan Laurel in the first place.

In her speech, Dean Lambino cited several parables from the Gospels, including the Parable of the Sower, in which she equated the endowment with sowing seed in fertile soil.

Ateneo de Manila President Father Yap also expressed his gratitude to Kwan Laurel for his donation to ACSent.

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Father Robbie Kwan Laurel,” Father Yap said. “Your generous donations and unwavering commitment to the Ateneo de Manila have greatly uplifted our community.”

Father Yap also mentioned Kwan Laurel’s past donations to the Ateneo, the first of which was made in April 2022. Kwan Laurel Humanities FoundationThe fund was established in honor of the Kwan Laurel brothers’ parents, Roberto and Erlinda, and was intended to support speaking events, workshops and similar activities to help develop SOH.

The second largest donation was made in December 2022 by Kwan Laurel. Another donation to Ateneo and SOHPart of this new donation, called the Kwan Laurel Grants for Promising Doctoral Candidates, was earmarked for the continuing education of seven SOH faculty members who were then completing their doctoral studies. Another part was earmarked for the Kwan Laurel Grants for Creative Research Activities in the Humanities, intended to support projects that had not been prioritized for funding by other grants within and outside the Ateneo.

For his part, Father Yap pointed to Kwan Laurel’s continued support of the humanities, which is an integral part of Ateneo’s core curriculum.

“There are very few donors who really support the humanities,” Father Yap said.

“Ateneo has a category called ‘Culture Bearers’ and I think they will nominate you. [Mr Kwan Laurel] “As a cultural bearer,” he added, “you’re a manager, you’re a business leader, of course. But you’re also an entrepreneur, a social entrepreneur, and you’re also very good at the humanities. So it’s a great combination.”

After the signing, Ateneo officials presented Kwan Laurel with a replica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue carved by national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal as a token of their appreciation.

Afterwards, the attendees posed for photographs. Among others, Kwan Laurel and his wife posed with Father Bautista, who performed the wedding, and Father Quilon Quilon, who flew in from Cebu for the signing ceremony. Kwan Laurel first met Father Quilon Quilon when he was raising funds for the elderly Jesuits in Angono and the Loyola Retreat House.