Taiwanese donors continue to fulfill commitment to 31 Guinsaugon orphans

By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
June 1, 2007

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte  –  There is a wonderful mythical law of nature that the three things we crave most in life – happiness, freedom, and peace of mind – are always attained by giving them to someone else.

With this as their principle, the Dharma Drum Social Welfare and Charity Foundation and the Rotary Club of Taiwan through Mr. Philipp Tseng, continue to fulfill their commitment to make life full of hope and sunshine for the thirty one orphans of the Guinsaugon Landslide Tragedy.

Today, together with the local partners, the Rotary Club of San Juanico, the Tacloban Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce and the partner government agencies represented by the Philippine Information Agency, Mr. Tseng will distribute the second semester scholarship funding to the thirty one orphan-scholars at the Municipal Gym of San Juan, Southern Leyte.

Mr. Tseng informed that more than P800,000.00 will be distributed to the scholars to pay for the second semester tuition fees, book allowance, board and lodging, subsistence and clothing allowance of the scholars who are mostly in the high school and college level.

Mr. Tseng recalled that three members of the Dharma Drum Foundation joined the Taiwanese Rescuers who responded to the call for help in the Guinsaugon Tragedy in February last year.

The Dharma Drum Foundation through Mr. Tseng Chao-Sung took notice of the situation of the tragedy stricken students and decided to take them under the Foundation’s care by giving them financial assistance in order to be able to finish their studies, become good citizens and be of help to their disadvantaged brethren.

Mr. Tseng said that since the funding needed to enable the young orphans to finish their studies is an enormous amount of more than P9 million, he personally requested for the help of the Rotary Club of Taiwan where he is past president. He also had to solicit from his sister and he himself had to donate one-third of the amount needed.

The Taiwanese donors hope that the 31 scholars will make use of the money wisely so that they will be able to finish their studies within the period of seven years, when the youngest of the scholars is expected to graduate in college. By that time, the scholars will hopefully be able to find a good job and stand on their own already.