Honored to represent the Association of Young Filipino-Chinese Entrepreneurs (Anvil Business Club) during the the Republic of China (Taiwan)'s 104th National Day Celebrations, in an evening of invigorated friendship between the Philippines and Taiwan at the Luzon Ballroom of the Sofitel Philippine Plaza in Pasay City.
Attended by a large gathering of over 1,000 guests, the historic event – exceptionally organized by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) – brought together dignitaries from Congress, representatives of various government departments, political parties, media, academia, diplomatic corps, as well as local communities. Among the speakers during the cocktail reception are Dr. Gary Song-Huann Lin (林松煥), Representative of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the Philippines; as well as Chairman Amadeo Perez Jr., Chairman of Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO). Also present during the affair was former Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos, who shared a toast to health and friendship together with Representative Lin and Chairman Perez.
In his message, Representative Lin reminded the audience of Taiwan's related historical ties with the Philippines, likening the aim of the Wuchang Uprising (武昌革命) on October 10, 1911 into the visions of the Philippine National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal in his poem, “My Last Farewell”, in which the aim was to proclaim a modern Republic in which, people can enjoy their liberty, democracy and freedom. "Although it is never easy to realize the dreams of the revolutionaries including Dr. Sun Yat-Sen (孫中山), the Founding Father of the R.O.C." he said, "the R.O.C. in Taiwan has actually realized the said dreams – a free and democratic country, where people can freely use their freedom to pursue their dreams of their lives and develop their potential to the fullest extent without any fear of oppression and harassment."
Taiwan's head envoy also cited the strong economic relations between the Philippines and Taiwan. "Taiwan is the Philippine’s 6th largest destination of export, 9th largest trading partner and the Philippines is ranked as Taiwan’s 11th largest trading partner," he affirmed. "Bilateral trade volume has doubled from US$ 6.05 billion in 2009 in to US$11.60 billion in 2014. In 2014, Taiwan is also the 7th largest foreign investor of the Philippines and there are over 6,000 Taiwanese businessmen operating nearly 600 companies here," he concluded.
For his part, MECO Chairman Amadeo Perez lauded the Taiwan government for its continuous support to the Philippines and expressed hopes that both countries "can nourish the roots of friendship, and that the bilateral cooperation and partnership will grow from strength to strength in the years to come."
The Republic of China (R.O.C.) developed out of the Wuchang Uprising (武昌革命) against the Qing Dynasty (清朝) on October 10, 1911. That date is now celebrated annually as the R.O.C.'s national day, also known as the "Double Ten Day." On December 29, 1911, Sun Yat-Sen (孫中山) was elected president by the Nanjing Assembly (南京組裝) representing seventeen provinces. On January 1, 1912, he was officially inaugurated and pledged "to overthrow the despotic Manchu government, consolidate the Republic of China and plan for the welfare of the people." After Sun's death on March 12, 1925, Chiang Kai-shek (蔣中正) became the leader of the Kuomintang Party (中國國民黨). However, after October 1, 1949, Chiang Kai-shek and a few hundred thousand Republic of China troops and two million refugees, predominantly from the government and business community, fled from mainland China to Taiwan, as the Communists took over the mainland. On December 7, 1949 Chiang proclaimed Taipei, Taiwan, the temporary capital of the Republic of China.
Thanks to Anvil's Director for Cultural Affairs, Jayson Sze, for arranging and extending the event invitation to the Anvil Business Club.
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