05/09/2026
๐ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ท๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐: ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ ๐ฃ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ง๐๐ฆ๐๐-๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ฎ๐ฟ๐
Marking a significant milestone as a newly accredited institute by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Tzu Chi Philippines welcomed its inaugural batch of scholars in programs: Caregiving (Elderly) NCII, with 25 scholars, and Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) NCII, with 19 scholars. The awarding ceremony took place at the Buddhist Tzu Chi Campus (BTCC) in Sta. Mesa, Manila, on September 1, 2026.
Filled with hope and determination, select scholars shared their distinct and unique stories highlighting how Tzu Chiโs support helped them overcome hardships and work toward a brighter future. In turn, the foundation hopes these students to take what they gained and use it to serve others, give back to their communities, and make a positive impact on society.
โToday marks the beginning of a new journeyโa journey of learning, growth, responsibility, and hope,โ said Rosa So, head volunteer for Tzu Chiโs Educational and Medical Assistance Programs. โTo our new scholars in the Caregiving (Elderly) and Shielded Metal Arc Welding NCII courses, congratulations! You have been chosen and given an opportunity to acquire skills that can open doors to employment and, more importantly, allow you to become someone who can make a difference in the lives of others.โ
As the Jing Si aphorism says, โTo receive help is to feel warm, and to help others is to experience true happiness.โ Tzu Chi continues its pledge to extend a helping hand to those in need.
Through this scholarship program, so many lives have already been deeply touched, and scholars expressed their heartfelt gratitude to the foundation. For Caregiving (Elderly) NCII scholar Arnulfo Salacop, a 27-year-old breadwinner from Nueva Ecija who has been working since his youth, this scholarship brings hope and a chance for a better future.
The second of six children born to a farmer and housewife, Salacop took on the responsibility of helping his family early on. By age 13, he was working as a resort pool cleaner in their province. In elementary school, he sold ice candy and native rice delicacies. At 17, facing a life bereft of electricity and running water at home, he made the hard decision of stopping his education and took a leap of faith by moving to Metro Manila in a search for better opportunities. Now, after years of hard work, he is finally able to pursue his dreams.
โThank you very much, Tzu Chi. You have given us the chance for a change in our lives. I am so grateful that I have been given this chance to be a caregiver. Thank you for coming into my life,โ said Salacop.
Similarly, Ma. Elena Soguilon, a new scholar under the SMAW NC II program, expressed her enthusiasm for beginning this new chapter with Tzu Chi: โI want to make the most of this opportunity, thatโs why I will do my best to learn, to practice, and to improve every day. I hope that itโs not only I who will be given this opportunity, but countless individuals who also aspire to learn skills and get a chance to start.โ
Soguilon is a daughter of a retired security guard. Using his government pension, her family invested in a pool rental business in Laguna. However, due to its poor location, the venue flooded every time it rained, resulting in heavy financial losses instead of profit. Faced with this setback, Soguilon was determined to find a way to help her family recover. Tzu Chiโs Technical-Vocational scholarship has restored her hope and determination to succeed.
For students whose educational journeys were delayed by hardship, stories like those of Salacop and Soguilon serve as a powerful reminder of Tzu Chiโs core mission: ensuring no one is left behind and providing everyone with an equal opportunity to thrive.
