The Life Lived by Rufina King: A Mother’s Day Homage

This Mother’s Day, we honor the memory of Rufina King, whose philanthropy and generosity influenced the core values of the King Properties we know today. 

Beyond being wife to Juanito I. King and mother to the second generation of the King family, Rufina is every bit a maternal figure to the local community as well. Longtime house staff Nang Leoning fondly recalls how Rufina would regularly share resources with the neighbors, who regarded her with admiration. In her own household, Rufina sowed the seeds of faith from which the sense of social responsibility spouted. 

Wanting their humanitarian efforts to reach far and wide, Rufina and Juanito eventually established the Juanito I. King Foundation, Inc. (JIKFI) in May 1991. This was neither performative nor an act of self-gratification, as they had already dedicated much of their lives and resources to giving back to the community prior to founding the organization. What started as small, daily efforts to bridge the gaps of inequality became a lasting legacy dedicated to uplifting the underprivileged in the Cebuano community. 

Kenneth Raymund King, Managing Director, previously credited grandparents Rufina and Juanito for initiating the tradition of giving back, saying it was the “real reason why [we] celebrate the holidays”. Rufina’s role in co-initiating this laid the foundation for JIKFI’s present success as a champion for the lost and the least. 

More than the reason for JIKFI’s creation, she will forever be remembered as the heart of the foundation.

Over three decades since the founding of JIKFI, Rufina King’s influence has sprung into an everblooming giving tree—one that the current generation of Kings continues to water. This legacy of charity and compassion will not be easily uprooted, be it by storms or the test of time. Today, we celebrate Rufina King—the mother who started it all and continues to live on in her grandchildren’s faith and leadership.