Forty days after the passing of Dado Banatao, his legacy continues to move forward. Not as memory alone, but as lives shaped, careers launched, and futures made possible.
Since 2013, the Shell–PhilDev Scholarship Program, implemented by Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc. (PSFI) in partnership with PhilDev, has provided more than financial support to deserving Filipino students pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It has built a pathway from education to industry, grounded in mentorship, leadership development, and long-term opportunity.
Founded through the leadership of Edgar Chua, former Country Chair of Shell Pilipinas Corporation, together with Dado Banatao, a Filipino technologist and philanthropist whose lifelong commitment to advancing STEM education helped shape the program’s vision, the scholarship was anchored on a shared belief: that Filipino talent flourishes when access, guidance, and trust come together. That belief remains at the heart of the PSFI–PhilDev partnership today.
As of the end of 2025, the Shell–PhilDev Scholarship Program has supported 215 scholars nationwide, with 194 graduates, more than half of whom completed their degrees with Latin honors. Among these graduates, 88 percent are now employed or engaged in business, while others have pursued or completed further studies, passed board examinations, or earned national distinctions in their respective fields.
Beyond academic achievement, the program emphasizes readiness for real-world leadership. Scholars benefit from structured mentoring and coaching led jointly by PSFI, PhilDev, Shell leaders, and industry partners. These include one-on-one mentoring, leadership camps, industry immersion activities, and innovation-focused learning programs such as the Young Banatao Learning Lab. Together, these interventions bridge education and industry, helping scholars transition from classrooms to professional environments with confidence and purpose.
The impact of this partnership is evident in the workforce it has helped build. Thirty-four scholars have been employed by Shell, several of whom have received company-wide awards for operational excellence, leadership, and performance. These outcomes reflect not only individual success, but the strength of a development ecosystem designed to nurture talent over time
What distinguishes the Shell–PhilDev Scholarship is its continuity. Support does not end at graduation. Scholars remain connected through mentoring, professional networks, and opportunities to give back, reinforcing a cycle where learning evolves into contribution.
In this way, Dado Banatao’s legacy lives on through systems that endure. His vision was never limited to innovation alone, but to shared progress. Through the sustained partnership between PSFI and PhilDev, that vision continues to take shape in the lives of young Filipinos who now lead, build, and serve in critical sectors of society.
As PSFI and PhilDev move forward, the Shell–PhilDev Scholarship Program stands as a testament to what long-term collaboration can achieve. It affirms that investing in people is among the most enduring forms of nation-building, and that the truest measure of a legacy is the futures it enables.
