1,500 Filipinos gather for MECO Christmas event in Taipei

Taipei, Dec. 14 (CNA) The Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) held a Christmas event in Taipei on Sunday that drew around 1,500 Filipinos living in Taiwan, as the holiday season approaches.

MECO serves as the Philippines' de facto embassy in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties.

Charles Jeremy Go, a digital marketer who has lived in Taiwan for five years, said Christmas is an important time for Filipinos to gather and reconnect with loved ones.

"Spending Christmas here in Taiwan, personally, it's really the same thing as in the Philippines," he said.

According to government data, more than 190,000 Filipinos were living in Taiwan as of October, with around 170,000 of them working in blue-collar jobs such as caregiving and manufacturing.

Mary Lyn Guerra, 35, said she liked the event, which featured dancing, singing and a lucky draw, "very much."

Guerra, who works in manufacturing, said her workplace will hold a party on Christmas Eve, which she is looking forward to as she will not be able to return home for Christmas.

MECO Chairperson and Resident Representative Corazon Avecilla-Padiernos said the turnout reflected the "strong friendship and cooperation between the Philippines and Taiwan," praising Filipinos in Taiwan for their contributions to Taiwanese society.

Ministry of Labor official Huang Wei-cheng (黃偉誠) also thanked Filipinos workers for their contributions, expressing hope that those unable to return home for Christmas would see Taiwan as a "second home."