BUSTOS, Bulacan — The Taiwan-Philippines Educational Development Foundation (TPEDF) is sponsoring around 1,000 Filipino scholars to attend various Taiwanese learning institutions.

The project is supported by the Overseas Community Affairs Council and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in the Philippines.

In a statement, the foundation said that besides the scholarship, it is also sponsoring the plane tickets of the Filipino scholars who are recipients of three-year scholarships to Taiwan’s renowned technological universities, with a comprehensive seven-year training program.

Those who complete the academic requirements will be awarded a bachelor’s degree and an opportunity for employment.

The foundation is headed by its Chief Executive Officer, Chai-Liang Lin, together with its Chairman, Kuo-Fang Su, and other foundation stalwarts, Ya-Hui Huang, Chia-Hsiang Lu, Kuo-Chen Wu, and I-Ho Hsieh.

Meanwhile, Minister Dustin Yang of TECO joined the launch of Taiwan’s first Project Ligaya in Bustos on Saturday (July 6). He expressed hope that someday Filipino children might have the opportunity to study or work in Taiwan.

Project Ligaya aims to promote friendship between Taiwan and the Philippines. Its main organizer, Shirleen Hsieh, Taiwan’s 2024 International Youth Goodwill Ambassador of the Overseas Community Affairs Council in the Philippines, conducted the event at the Bahay at Yaman ni San Martin de Porres in Barangay Bonga Menor, Bustos.

Hsieh explained that the pilot project allowed local children to experience Taiwanese culture and paved the way for fostering good relationships between the two countries. She hopes to replicate the event in other parts of the Philippines.

The beneficiaries of the project were 200 children from five different orphanages in Bulacan: Willing Hearts Orphanage Inc. in Santa Maria, Bethany House Sto. Niño Orphanage and Philippine Children’s Mission both in Balagtas, Bahay at Yaman ni San Martin de Porres Inc., and Nazareth Home for Children both in Bustos.

📷 TPEDF