From the ashes of World War II, Mariano Que built what would become the thriving Mercury Drug Corporation. He opened the first Mercury Drug store on March 1, 1945, in Manila, Philippines.

Orphaned at age 10, he was only able to attend school up to the seventh grade. These formative experiences instilled in him the value of education and a deeply compassionate, generous spirit. “Helping people has been one of the most important values that my father wanted to pass on to his family,” said his daughter, Fortune Que Andrada. “Since he started from humble beginnings, he wanted to be able to help others as he knew what it was to need help.”

Since 1999, the Mercury Drug Foundation has provided medicines and medical services to individuals in underserved communities throughout the Philippines through the Operation Bigay Lunas medical outreach program. “My siblings and I would accompany my parents to visit several sites of Operation Bigay Lunas,” Fortune said. “We saw firsthand how it helped many people. The smiles and relief I saw on their faces made me realize the impact that Operation Bigay Lunas meant to them. This helped us realize the importance of giving back.”

Fortune, her husband, Perfecto A. Andrada, and their children Irene Frances Que Andrada ’15, PharmD, BCGP and Elena Anne Que Andrada ’22, established the Que-Andrada Foundation Endowment Fund at Pacific in honor of Mariano. The Que-Andrada Foundation is supporting the efforts of Pacific’s Medicare Part D Outreach Clinics. Through the power of the Powell Match, the endowment will support an annual health fair focused on reaching the Filipino community.

Fortune noted how the efforts of the Medicare Part D Outreach Clinics mirror those of Operation Bigay Lunas. “It is nice to know prepharmacy and pharmacy students volunteer for this event just like how the pharmacy students from different schools throughout the Philippines volunteer at Operation Bigay Lunas,” she said.

In addition to his philanthropic spirit, Mariano passed on his firm belief in the value of education. “My father strongly believed that education is the best investment and I am glad that my husband and I listened to him because, without a doubt, Pacific is truly a worthwhile investment that no one can ever take away.” Mariano was proud his two granddaughters decided to pursue careers in pharmacy. Fortune shared that from a young age Irene wanted to become a pharmacist. “After being inspired by my father, she knew that she wanted to join the profession to help others,” Fortune said. “She knew that pharmacy would be a great way to serve both patients and doctors.”