January 16, 2025
How Tzu Chi enlightens attendees of Year-End Blessing Ceremony
By Arvin Yanga
Where do you find enlightenment?
For Dharma Master Cheng Yen, enlightenment can be found when you turn learnings into practice, as reflected in her calligraphed message for the Year-End Blessing Ceremony.
Inside the BTCC’s Jing Si Auditorium on January 12, Tzu Chi Philippines held a two-session event that drew 641 attendees in the morning and 433 in the afternoon, including Faith Corps members, Tzu Chi commissioners, volunteers, scholars, and guests. Their shared aspiration echoed in this year’s theme: “May we learn and attain awakening with mindfulness, may we walk on the Bodhisattva path with diligence.”
Among the faces in the crowd sat Kenneth Baluyut, his eyes bright with determination. As a newly accepted second-year scholar pursuing Bachelor of Secondary Education in Science at Pampanga State Agricultural University, he carries not just his own dreams, but the hopes of generations. At home, his jeepney driver father and rag maker mother watch their fifth of six children forge a path none in the family had taken before—the path to a college degree.
“I asked them if I could continue my studies and finish a degree,” Baluyut shared softly, remembering the moment he voiced his dreams to his parents. “I want to break the generational curse.” Through Tzu Chi's Educational Assistance Program, his monthly allowance made possible what once seemed unattainable—a computer to support his studies.
The foundation’s impact on his family spanned generations. Baluyut gratefully shared that his mother Victoria received assistance from Tzu Chi in 1995 when Santo Tomas, Pampanga, was severely damaged by flash floods caused by a typhoon.
Baluyut found not just financial aid, but a sense of enlightenment. He admitted to being self-centered and narrow-minded in life, but his perspective shifted after he met Tzu Chi. “Becoming a scholar changed everything in my life,” Baluyut reflected, his voice carrying the weight of realization. “These days, helping others has become my priority, giving whatever assistance I can.”
This ripple of transformation spreads far and wide. In 2024 alone, Tzu Chi Philippines touched numerous lives: 12,413 disaster survivors found hope, 1,550 scholars like Baluyut pursued their dreams, 923 received medical assistance, and 14,394 patients were served through 13 medical missions, as Tzu Chi Philippines Deputy CEO Woon Ng reported.
For Charlene Mae Concepcion, a 39-year-old operating room nurse at Chinese General Hospital since 2008, she embodied enlightenment through Tzu Chi’s medical missions, particularly in Sultan Kudarat last year. Despite whispers of safety concerns, she and her fellow volunteer nurses chose courage over fear, and tirelessly worked in assisting surgeons and patients, surgical scrubbing, and preparing equipments needed.
“When we arrived, they welcomed us wholeheartedly,” Concepcion recalled, the warmth of their gratitude melting away her initial fears. Though she may not offer financial help, her skilled hands brought healing. As Concepcion reflected, the simple gratitude from the patients and acknowledgment of what they do for them are what she considered as a blessing.
“Thank you, Tzu Chi, for enabling us to help others,” Concepcion said. “May we touch even more lives in the years to come.”
Juan Philip Manabat, 62-year-old chairman of Barangay 621 Sta. Mesa, Manila, since 2002, demonstrated how leadership can amplify Tzu Chi’s mission. He actively supported the foundation’s bazaar initiatives last year by encouraging his constituents in the Bacood community to patronize Tzu Chi’s preloved items.
“My constituents praise the high-quality items and affordable prices,” Manabat shared.
“The bazaars serve a greater purpose, every fund raised eventually returns to help our community and those in need.”
Beyond the fundraising bazaar, when health issues arise among Manabat’s constituents, he connects them with Tzu Chi’s Medical Assistance Program, appreciating the foundation’s assistance until the very end of the process. In return, he committed to giving out available resources the foundation needs in its upcoming projects.
Manabat certainly found enlightenment in Tzu Chi. “We must support Tzu Chi,” he managed to say before holding back tears, a sign of his practical community leadership and unwavering commitment to the foundation’s compassionate service.
Through classrooms and operating rooms, through community halls and disaster zones, Tzu Chi continues to illuminate paths toward hope. As the foundation steps into another year of service, its mission sparks brighter than ever, reminding us that true enlightenment isn’t just found in noble philosophies, but in the simple, powerful act of extending a helping hand to others.
Help Tzu Chi Philippines help others by supporting its key missions. Any amount is greatly appreciated.
Tzu Chi Foundation Bank Account Name: Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation Philippines Inc.
Metrobank Account Number: 163-3-163-07190-9
Banco de Oro Account Number: 011-9-7800-180-0
DSWD Authority/Solicitation Permit No. DSWD-SB-SP-00055-2024 VALID UNTIL OCTOBER 28, 2025, NATIONWIDE
On January 12, Tzu Chi Philippines culminated 2024 with its Year End Blessing Ceremony, celebrating a year of transforming thousands of lives through its charity, medical, and educational programs. Attendees gathered to reflect on the foundation’s impactful work and collectively renew their commitment to Tzu Chi’s humanitarian missions.
At BTCC’s Jing Si Auditorium, attendees share their heartfelt wishes for the coming year inside battery-operated candles. From prayers for global peace to hopes for good health, each wish carries the promise of a better tomorrow—whether for oneself or for humanity as a whole.
Embodying mindfulness and discipline, Tzu Chi scholars demonstrate proper sitting posture during the ceremony, a testament to the foundation’s holistic approach to education through its etiquette lessons.
For Kenneth Baluyut, 22, a newly accepted scholar in 2024, Tzu Chi offers more than just educational support, but also a life-changing wisdom. “If Tzu Chi needs volunteers, I want to be one,” he shares, his voice resonating with newfound purpose.
In a moving display of collective generosity, attendees contribute their donations to the bamboo banks, each coin representing their support to Tzu Chi’s mission of compassionate service.
In a moving display of collective generosity, attendees contribute their donations to the bamboo banks, each coin representing their support to Tzu Chi’s mission of compassionate service.
In a moving display of collective generosity, attendees contribute their donations to the bamboo banks, each coin representing their support to Tzu Chi’s mission of compassionate service.
In a moving display of collective generosity, attendees contribute their donations to the bamboo banks, each coin representing their support to Tzu Chi’s mission of compassionate service.
With reverent care, a Tzu Chi volunteer arranges the calligraphed scroll bearing Dharma Master Cheng Yen’s annual message—words of wisdom that will guide Tzu Chi Philippines through the coming year.
Barangay 621 Chairman Juan Philip Manabat’s two-decade journey with Tzu Chi since 2002 has profoundly shaped his leadership style, infusing it with compassion and wisdom. Overcome with emotion, he reflects, “We must support Tzu Chi,” his tears speaking volumes of the foundation’s impact.
In a gesture of blessing, Tzu Chi Philippines CEO Henry Yuñez distributes angpao, a special red envelope from Dharma Master Cheng Yen containing thoughtful messages, symbolic seeds, and commemorative coins.
Bliss radiates as Tzu Chi Philippines Deputy CEO Woon Ng presents an angpao to a young attendee, her mother watching the heartwarming exchange with gratitude.
The ceremony concludes with the distribution of special tikoy, lovingly prepared by Tzu Chi staff and volunteers—a traditional Chinese New Year delicacy that symbolizes prosperity and sweet relationships in the year ahead.
Chinese General Hospital nurse Charlene Mae Concepcion discovers profound purpose as a volunteer of Tzu Chi’s medical missions. With a grateful heart, she says, “Thank you, Tzu Chi, for enabling us to help others. May we touch even more lives in the years to come.”
As the soft glow of a battery-operated candle illuminates the palm of Tzu Chi volunteers, it epitomizes the foundation’s enduring mission—being the light of hope for three decades and continuously providing warmth to the lives of those in need, one compassionate year at a time.