About CAUSE Philippines

CAUSE Philippines was co-founded by Philippe Bungabong, Rafael Santiago, and Janelle Perez — three students who graduated from high school in 2018 and received scholarships to pursue college in the United States. Janelle, Rafael, and Philippe share a passion for educational equity. They believe that talent is everywhere but opportunity is not, and that everyone, regardless of socioeconomic status, deserves the highest quality of education.

"We believe that low-income Filipino students most intimately know the critical issues of the Philippines. We help them pursue a global college education to develop their talents and broaden their horizons on how they may solve their community’s problems in the future."

Our mission

The Coalition of American University Student Experiences Philippines (CAUSE Philippines) is a nonprofit organization committed to helping low-income Filipino students receive quality college education around the globe. We pursue our mission through mentorship programs and skills-building workshops designed to help our students put their best foot forward in the college admissions process.

The Stats

Total number of mentors since 2018: 150+

Total number of mentees accepted abroad since 2018: 101+

Total amount of scholarship awards received since 2018: $38.2M (₱2.24B)

Sampling of schools our mentees got accepted to: Harvard University, MIT, Princeton University, Stanford University, University of Cambridge, Yale-NUS College, New York University, Smith College, and Wesleyan University.