Employees turn entrepreneurs for a cause
For one day, doing business at Security Bank Corp. meant more than ringing up sales.
Employees behind small businesses sold their products at the Frederick Dy-led bank’s annual People’s Fair Marketplace, knowing that every booth also carried a chance to help someone stay in school.
The marketplace formed part of Security Bank’s 75th anniversary celebration, turning employee entrepreneurship into support for the Security Bank Foundation’s “Regalo Mo, Kinabukasan Ko (RMKK) Scholarship Program.”
Held at the SMX Convention Center Manila, the fair gathered businesses run by Security Bank employees.
Participation fees paid by exhibitors were donated to the foundation to help fund the education of deserving but underprivileged students.
For the employees who joined, it gave an ordinary marketplace a different purpose.
Kimberly Malka Soner, a relationship manager from the corporate banking group, says learning where the booth fees will go made participating even more worthwhile.
“It’s a great opportunity to sell while giving back,” Soner says.
That support goes to a scholarship program that is now running in its 16th year.
RMKK provides educational assistance to Security Bank’s agency-hired personnel, including janitors, security guards, messengers, drivers and other support staff, as well as their children.
For the academic year 2026 to 2027, the program is supporting 87 scholars, extending educational opportunities to families with limited financial means.
For Jan Jethro Puzon, another relationship manager from the corporate banking group, the fair also brought something personal to the table.
“I have always believed in giving back—whether through my personal life, our church, or simply helping others when I can,” says Puzon. “Joining the People’s Fair was a chance to support a cause I care about while also cheering on my wife’s baking business.”
That combination—employees becoming entrepreneurs while helping students—has made the annual marketplace an expression of generosity within the bank’s community.
Along with the Security Bank Foundation’s “Adopt a Scholar” campaign, proceeds from the initiative help finance scholarships.
“The People’s Fair gave us the chance to showcase our products, connect with the Security Bank community, and at the same time support initiatives that help students achieve their educational goals,” shares Jose Gil Puey IV, an information technology officer.
For the scholars themselves, business banking segment officer Tristan Joseph Legaspi had a simple message: remain persistent, keep pursuing education and trust that the determination to finish their studies will eventually pay off.
“Keep your persistence and drive for continuous education, and remain hopeful that your determination to finish your studies will eventually be rewarded,” Legaspi enthuses.
The public can also contribute to RMKK through the foundation’s Adopt a Scholar campaign.
Established in 1951, Security Bank is marking its 75th anniversary this year. The universal bank operates across retail, corporate, commercial and business banking, among other financial services.
But at its anniversary marketplace, the currency was not limited to money changing hands.
For employees, every booth fee became something that could last beyond the fair itself—a little more help toward keeping a student in school and, perhaps, opening the door to a brighter future.
