Dubai OFWs pay it forward with scholarships for Filipinos back home

Marilyn Flores Castro, a former OFW who now owns a group of companies, and Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants - Dubai headed by Lyndon Magsino are currently supporting a total of 30 scholars DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – A group of accountants and a Filipina who runs a group of companies here have separately launched scholarship programs that have so far benefited a total of 30 students in the Philippines. “I myself was a product of scholarship programs in high school and college in the Philippines, so it was my dream to also help students who wanted to finish their studies but didn’t have the financial means to do so,” Marilyn Flores Castro told Rappler in Filipino. Castro, who started out in Dubai as an overseas Filipino worker (OFW), is now the owner of Pinas Group of Companies, which runs six diverse enterprises that grew from an original balikbayan box enterprise launched in 2014. SPONSOR. Pinas Cargo Group of Companies CEO Marilyn Flores Castro says she herself finished her studies because of the generosity of sponsors. PCG photo “I really wanted to study and have a diploma, but my parents didn’t have the means to support my and my siblings’ studies. We were poor. I finished high school on scholarships, while in college I got help from a philantrophist who helped poor students like who were determined to finish schooling,” she added. Castro finished financial and management accounting at Holy Angel University in Angeles City, Pampanga. Now that she’s a businesswoman herself, Castro said, “God has given me the opportunity help others and share the blessings He has provided.” Launched in 2018, her Pinas Cargo Scholarship Program currently supports 25 scholars across different countries. Of these, 22 scholars are pursuing their studies in the Philippines, one in the United Arab Emirates, one in Pakistan, and one in Africa. The program has had six Filipino college graduates, the latest being Jhimton Sasota (left), who completed computer engineering at the Bicol University in Polangui, Albay. Meanwhile, the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants – Dubai (PICPA-Dubai) has also launched a scholarship program for children enabling them to finish K-12. At least five children are beneficiaries of the program and five more are being planned for 2026. It was a “simple yet meaningful missions to help children from less fortunate families in the Philippines pursue their education and build a brighter future,” said PICPA-Dubai founder and head, Lyndon Magsino. GIVING BACK. Lyndon Magsino founded and heads the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountant-Dubai, which sponsors K-12 scholars. PICPA photo “As members of PICPA-Dubai have been blessed with opportunities to grow professionally and personally, we believe it is our responsibility to give back to our communities. This scholarship program is our humble way of becoming a channel of hope, opportunity, and lasting impact in the lives of others,” he added. The group selects “children from families facing genuine financial hardship, those who simply needed an opportunity to continue their education,” Magsino said. The selection entails “recommendations from barangay captains and school principals.” ACHIEVER. Aljur Joseph Ocop is a scholar of the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountant-Dubai. PICPA photo Many of the five beneficiaries “were already at risk of becoming, or had become, out-of-school youth,” said Magsino. The scholarship fund is made possible through contributions from PICPA-Dubai members, event participants, sponsors, partners, and donors. – Rappler.com How does this make you feel? Loading