MANILA, Philippines - In an ideal world, people go through an income cycle that starts with accumulation and ends with succession.

Yet for those who are lucky enough to have accumulated more than enough, building a legacy comes to mind, especially as they get into their twilight years.

The richest men in the Philippines are no different. Retail mogul Henry Sy, Sr. of the SM Group of Companies; Jaime Zobel, patriarch of the Zobel clan and former chair and CEO of Ayala Corp.; John Gokongwei of JG Summit Holdings; tobacco and beer magnate Lucio Tan; Metrobank?s George S.K. Ty; and Oscar Lopez of the diversified Lopez Group Foundation, Inc. are just some of those who are giving back part of their wealth to society. Education is a common cause or advocacy of these taipans, but their methods vary.

For Ty, improving education must first start with the teachers, who play a major role in shaping the minds of students. Which explains why Metrobank Foundation puts its resources behind its Search for Outstanding Teachers, one of the most prestigious and sought after recognition programs in the Philippines. Over the past 27 years, Metrobank Foundation, where Ty has devoted his energies since retiring from the bank, has recognized 266 of the finest teachers in the country.

On the other hand, the Lopez Group Foundation, Inc., which coordinates the corporate social responsibility programs of nine corporate foundations and 15 companies in the Lopez group, is famous for its Knowledge Channel, which supports the curriculum of public elementary and high schools.

Through Knowledge Channel, students from even the far-flung barangays can access the latest in educational materials. It has so far connected 1,700 public schools, including 124 in Mindanao, with a total audience of 2.7 million students and six million home viewers.

Lopez, chair of the Lopez Group Foundation and patriarch of the Lopez family, remarked in a recent speech that giving back to society has long been part of his family?s way of doing business.

?We consider this a sound policy and a good investment which, in the long run, will pay off because it will mean more business and goodwill for the company and would minimize, if not prevent, the social unrest and disorder which are prevalent nowadays.?

The fifth and sixth generation of Lopezes at the helm of the group still subscribe to that philosophy, and this is apparent not only in the Knowledge Channel, but also in the ABS-CBN Foundation and the Lopez Museum, to name a few.

Gokongwei, another believer in the value of education, set up in 1992 the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation specifically to help uplift the socio-economic conditions of Filipinos by funding educational projects.

These projects include the GBF Technical Training Center for skilled graduates in engineering fields; The Children?s Library, and endowments in leading schools, such as the John Gokongwei School of Management at the Ateneo de Manila University, Xavier School, De La Salle University, University of Asia and the Pacific and the University of San Carlos in Cebu City.

?Tatang? Henry Sy, chair of the Sy Group of Companies, who is estimated to have a net worth of $2.6 billion, also considers education as the primary focus of SM Foundation, which began operations in 1983, mainly through scholarships.

As of last year, close to 1,000 scholars were able to get their degree in business and education through the Foundation?s SM College Scholarship Program, which takes in about 500 more scholars every year. Children of market vendors, tricycle and jeepney drivers, fishers, messengers, janitors, caregivers and other low-income earners are the Foundation?s particular target. The group likewise built 16 SM schoolhouses in select public schools and plans to step up its outreach program.

?It is our way of sharing the many blessings that the SM group has received these past years,? Sy said in a statement.

Brothers Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala and Fernando, who now head Ayala Corp., the country?s oldest and largest conglomerate, support other diverse causes.

Vicky Garchitorena of Ayala Foundation revealed that the World Wildlife Fund is a favorite cause for Ayala chief executive Jaime Augusto, Ayala chief executive, along with the Ramon Magsaysay Awards and the Gearing Up Internet Literacy and Access for Students, a program aimed at providing Internet connection to all public high schools in the Philippines.

Fernando, on the other hand, is active in Habitat for Humanity, Ayala Foundation in the United States, and the Center for Excellence in Elementary Education.

Their father, Jaime, worth an estimated $2.6 billion, and chair of Ayala Foundation, is most identified with his promotion of Filipino art and culture.

Cynics would say that these philanthropists are driven by more than just charity, because they can always deduct their donations from their taxes.

But the country?s top business leaders know better: They believe that giving back is its own best reward.