Bulacan-based Mighty Corporation, the only wholly Filipino-owned cigarette manufacturer in the country, found an ally in the Catholic Church in the midst of alleged illicit trade practices thrown at the company.
Archbishop Rolando Tirona of the Archdiocese of Caceres in Naga City, Camarines Sur described the Wong Chu King family, the owners of Mighty Corporation, as an upright family and said, “It’s highly uncharacteristic for them to be involved in the illicit trade practices of technical smuggling and tax evasion.”
Archbishop Emeritus Diosdado Talamayan of the Archdiocese of Tuguegarao City also echoed the same sentiments and emphasized, “For many years, I have personally known Mrs. Nelia Wong Chu King, chairman of the board of trustees of the Wong Chu King Foundation (WCKF), the corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm of Mighty Corp.”
Talamayan added, “She and her family are great devotees of the Our Lady of Piat, and they have erected a chapel in Malolos City, Bulacan, dedicated to the Our Lady of Piat, which was blessed by many bishops led by Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales in 2012.”
The Wong Chu King Foundation (WCKF) was also commended for the renovation of the Basilica Minore of the Our Lady of Piat Church in Piat, Cagayan in 2012, and also the renovation of the Diocesan Shrine of Immaculate Conception in Naic, Cavite last year.
Auxiliary Bishop Ricardo Baccay of Tuguegarao City described WCKF’s work as “a step in the right direction.”
WCKF was founded in 1990 with the aim of perpetuating the memory of Wong Chu King, the family patriarch, a philanthropist who had provided assistance to the poor and the underprivileged in his lifetime. Another vision of the foundation is to encourage and promote education through scholarship programs and raise funds for charitable, cultural and educational purposes.
0 Comments