Security Bank Corp. employees turned an annual marketplace into a fundraising platform for education, with participation fees from employee-run businesses supporting scholarships for the families of the bank’s agency-hired personnel.

The initiative formed part of the bank’s 75th anniversary celebration, with the People’s Fair Marketplace at the SMX Convention Center Manila bringing together employee entrepreneurs from across the organization.

Exhibitor participation fees were donated to the Security Bank Foundation’s Regalo Mo, Kinabukasan Ko (RMKK) Scholarship Program, which provides educational assistance to agency-hired personnel, including janitors, security guards, messengers and drivers, as well as their children.

For Academic Year 2026-2027, the 16-year-old scholarship program supports 87 scholars.

Kimberly Malka Soner, a relationship manager from the Corporate Banking Group, said the charitable component encouraged employees to take part in the marketplace.

“When we learned that the booth fees would go directly to the Security Bank Foundation’s programs, we felt even more encouraged to participate. It’s a great opportunity to sell while giving back,” Soner said.

For other employees, the event provided a way to combine entrepreneurship with personal causes. Corporate Banking Group relationship manager Jan Jethro Puzon joined the fair to support his wife’s home baking business while contributing to the scholarship initiative.

“I have always believed in giving back—whether through my personal life, our church, or simply helping others when I can,” Puzon said.

Information Technology Group officer Jose Gil Puey IV said the fair allowed employees to promote their products while contributing to students’ educational goals.

The initiative complements the Foundation’s Adopt a Scholar campaign, which also seeks to expand educational opportunities for deserving students from families with limited means.