The Legacy of Friendship: The Gado and Jess Jalandoni Scholarship

The friendship of Ambassador Howard Dee and Edgardo “Gado” Jalandoni began in the early 1980s during the sugar crisis in Negros Occidental. With the Assisi Development Foundation (ADFI), the Chito Foundation, and the Canadian Mission Administered Fund, they launched PLOW (Planters in Land Ownership with Workers), an innovative program granting sugar workers access to land ownership. Gado’s generosity was remarkable—he turned over his entire 450-hectare farm in La Castellana to his workers, a story Howard Dee often retold as an example of investing in the Filipino.

In 1998, Gado’s widow, Asuncion “Nette” Jalandoni, asked Ambassador Dee to help establish a scholarship in her husband’s honor. Thus, the Gado Jalandoni Scholarship was born, providing college opportunities to students in Metro Manila and Negros. Fourteen years later, in 2012, the family of Gado’s brother Jess expanded the program, extending support to students in Iloilo, Antique, Capiz, Nueva Ecija, Laguna, and Samar. The project was renamed the Gado and Jess Jalandoni Scholarship (GJJS).

For 25 years, ADFI has faithfully managed GJJS, ensuring not only financial aid but also holistic formation—daily prayer, quarterly sessions, and volunteer service with groups like AMA and ILAWAN. Today, the scholarship has partnered with 25 schools and four NGOs, enabling over 300 students from poor families to complete their college education. Many have graduated with honors, including Karen Perez, AB Sociology, Ateneo de Manila University, class valedictorian of 2024.

At her 90th birthday in 2020, Asuncion Jalandoni expressed her gratitude with characteristic warmth: “I love you todo-todo halin sa tiil na mahamot hasta sa ulo”—“I love you so much from the bottom of my sweet-smelling feet to the top of my head.” Now 94, she remains an inspiration with her humor and zest for life.

The GJJS stands as a testament to the enduring friendship of Howard and Gado, built on faith, generosity, and a shared mission to uplift Filipino lives through education.