Cebu, Philippines – Growing up as the son of a farmer, Jerome Mabaso always knew the rhythm of the land—the early mornings, the unpredictability of the harvest, and the hard work that went into every grain of rice. What he didn’t know was whether farming could be a stable career. Like many Filipinos, he thought that success meant going abroad, away from the fields he had always known.
That changed in 2021 when Mabaso took his first step into the Lamac Multi-Purpose Cooperative in Cebu. There, he realized agriculture was a sustainable future. A year later, he became an Access, Curriculum, and Employability (ACE) scholar under the Jollibee Group Foundation (JGF).
The ACE Scholarship Program is JGF’s initiative to empower the youth through education and technical-vocational skills in areas such as agro-entrepreneurship and restaurant operations.
A shift in mindset
Before the scholarship, Mabaso already had hands-on experience from his days at a farm school. But while he understood the labor and technical aspects of agriculture, he had never considered its business side.
His teachers encouraged him to pursue the ACE scholarship, believing it could expand his knowledge beyond farming. True enough, it was during his time in the ACE program that he had a realization that reshaped his future:
“Merong pera sa agrikultura. Hindi naman kailangan mag-abroad.” (“There’s money in agriculture. You don’t have to go abroad.”)
As an ACE scholar, Mabaso learned the ropes of agro-entrepreneurship through his classes. He’s since taken his learnings to his farm by tracking his expenses through proper record keeping and carefully assessing each business decision.
For the first time, Mabaso saw farming as more than just labor—it was an enterprise. Inspired by the stories of small farmers who had turned their plots of land into thriving businesses, he thought, why not me?
Lamac’s youngest agro-enterprise facilitator. At age 25, Jerome is Lamac’s youngest agro-enterprise and Farmer Entrepreneurship Program facilitator. Despite finding himself in front of older, more experienced students, they still take in his lessons on agro-entrepreneurship, while he, in turn, learns from their insights.
Paying it forward
That question led him to where he is today: teaching the next generation of ACE scholars. At 25, he is now the youngest facilitator at Lamac, in addition to being a trainer for the Agro-Enterprise National Certificate II.
Mabaso knows that many young people still see agriculture as a last resort, something unglamorous that does not provide financial security. But he also knows that to see is to believe.
“When I teach, I always start with values. I want to inspire them first,” Mabaso shares, drawing from his experience as a farmer. He sees his teaching role as a bridge connecting farmers to a future where they can take ownership of their craft.
For ACE facilitators like Mabaso, this is only the beginning. He’s helping young farmers cultivate a future where agriculture is seen as a path to success.
Thanks to everything he’s been through and how he intends to pay each learning forward, each new batch of scholars is his way of ensuring that the future of farming in the Philippines is in good hands.
About Jollibee Group
Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC), also known as the Jollibee Group, is one of the world’s fastest-growing restaurant companies, with a mission to deliver great-tasting food, bringing the joy of eating through its 19 brands with over 9,700 stores across 32 countries.
The Jollibee Group’s portfolio includes nine wholly owned brands (Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Mang Inasal, Yonghe King, Hong Zhuang Yuan, Smashburger and Tim Ho Wan), five franchised brands (Burger King, Panda Express, Yoshinoya, Common Man Coffee Roasters, and Tiong Bahru Bakery in the Philippines), and ownership stakes in other key brands like The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (80%), Compose Coffee (70%), SuperFoods Group that operates Highlands Coffee (60%), and bubble tea brand Milksha (51%). The Company also has membership interests in Tortazo, LLC, along with Chef Rick Bayless, for Tortazo in the U.S. and has recently invested in Botrista, a leader in beverage technology.
The Jollibee Group’s global sustainability agenda, Joy for Tomorrow, underscores its commitment to sustainable business practices across food safety, employee welfare, community support, good governance, and environmental responsibility, among others. These focus areas are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
The Jollibee Group has been recognized as the Philippines’ Most Admired Company by the Asian Wall Street Journal, named one of Asia’s Fab 50 Companies, and listed among Forbes’ World’s Best Employers and Top Female-Friendly Companies. The Company is also a three-time Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award recipient and featured in TIME’s World’s Best Companies and Fortune’s Southeast Asia 500 List.
