In 1991, founder of Taiwan-based Tzu Chi Foundation, Master Cheng Yen received The Magsaysay Community Leadership Award from the Philippine Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation. This is the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in Asia. Along with the award came a prize money of US $30,000 (worth approximately Php 825,000 then) which the Master distributed to two beneficiaries - the victims of the China flooding and of the Mt. Pinatubo eruption. The award paved way to the exposure of the Master’s compassion to the Chinese community in the Philippines.
Years later, a group of local Chinese led by volunteer Linda Chua, visited Tzu Chi’s different establishments in Taiwan. The group vowed before the Master to bring the seedlings of love back to the Philippines and help the Master in carrying out the mission of alleviating suffering and inspiring people in the country. The Master gave her blessings, setting November 8, 1994 as the official date of inauguration of Tzu Chi Foundation, Philippines.
Tzu Chi Foundation Philippines is one of Tzu Chi Foundation’s chapters in more than 57 countries around the globe. In the beginning, the local arm had no office so meetings to plan relief operations and other charitable activities were held at the volunteers’ houses. Several temporary offices later, Brother Walter Huang from Tzu Chi Taiwan came to their aid and supported Tzu Chi Philippines in purchasing a 4,400 square meter-lot to be used for the foundation’s expansion.
On September 2002, the Still Thoughts Hall which now serves as Tzu Chi’s main operation center in the Philippines had its ground breaking. Six years later, on March 29, 2008, Tzu Chi Philippines’ Still Thoughts Hall finally opened its doors.
Inspired by the Dharma Master Cheng Yen’s selfless devotion to relieve the suffering of individuals, the number of Tzu Chi volunteers in the Philippines grew. The missions reached out to more people, resulting in countless of individuals being inspired and discovering their value in life. By helping the underprivileged across the Philippine archipelago, the seedlings of love were spread further, leading to the establishment of liaison offices in locations such as Cebu and Zamboanga.
Although Tzu Chi Philippines started with members coming from the Filipino-Chinese communities, a number of Filipinos have also joined the group. On March 29, 2009, exactly a year after the inauguration of the Still Thoughts Hall, a number of Filipinos, most of whom were beneficiaries of the Foundation, joined Tzu Chi’s goal in alleviating the sufferings of their fellowmen.