AN association of Chinese businessmen in the Philippines reaffirmed its commitment to help less fortunate Filipinos and those devastated by natural calamities. The officials of the Philippine Yuan Long Dun Yi Association, led by its newly installed president Jeffrey Lin, also announced during the commemoration of the 60th founding anniversary of their organization that they will continue to provide scholarship grants to disadvantaged but deserving Filipino students. 'These have been the advocacies of our association since it was established 60 years ago,' the 43-year-old Lin told The Manila Times in an interview on Friday. 'We are more than willing to help the Filipinos.'

In the works of the Philippine Yuan Long Dun Yi Association, Lin noted that there is a 'clear recognition of the challenges that Filipinos face in terms of poverty and our desire to help them.''Whether it's a fire, a typhoon or an earthquake, or even during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, our association has always been ready to help the victims of calamities,' Lin pointed out.'There remains so much optimism for the Philippines, and I'm sure that we share this sentiment,' he added.Lin, who formally took over as president of the association on Saturday, said those who belong to their association 'firmly espouse the belief that it is our civic duty as members of the Philippine society' to extend help to Filipinos.Aside from the association, Lin and his wife, Rose Nono Lin, have their own advocacy to support ongoing charities, civic projects and provide scholarship grants to help alleviate the difficulties of marginalized Filipinos and those whose livelihoods have been disrupted by calamities.'It's time to give back. My husband and I both experienced what it's like to be poor. Believe it or not, we went through this in our lives. And now that we are in a position to help, we share our blessings to those who need it the most,' said Rose, who also took part in the distribution of food packs Friday afternoon on Alvarado Street, Binondo to commemorate the organization's 60th anniversary.She said whatever she and her husband practice in their charity work, they will also ask the association to adopt the same.'This way, our charity work will have more impact on the community that we serve,' Rose pointed out.The officials of the Philippine Yuan Long Dun Yi Association who took part in the distribution of food packs to 1,000 beneficiaries were immediate past president Choi Lin, Teresita Lin, Henry Chua and Joseph Sy.The Chinese association is based in the heart of Chinatown in Binondo. It seeks to serve the local Filipino community and includes as members around 200 Chinese Filipino businessmen.