Fifty Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers have completed a basic Mandarin language course aimed at improving communication with Chinese tourists and investors at various ports and airports across the country.
The online training program, which began in August and spanned 60 hours of instruction over two-hour sessions twice a week, was a collaboration between the Chinese Embassy in Manila, the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII) Overseas Chinese Legal Assistance Center and Chiang Kai Shek College’s Language Center.
The officers, now equipped with basic conversational Mandarin skills, will be deployed to enhance their interactions with Chinese visitors.
The graduation ceremony was held on Oct. 16 at the Federation Building.
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado expressed gratitude to the Chinese Embassy and FFCCCII for the valuable opportunity, emphasizing that learning Mandarin will enable officers to communicate more effectively, thereby improving the visitor experience and fostering better cooperation.
FFCCCII president Victor Lim congratulated the graduates, underscoring that the officers’ newfound language skills would help bridge cultural differences and facilitate better engagements with Chinese tourists and investors.
He encouraged the officers to continue studying Mandarin and to apply their new skills, noting that the program marks only the beginning of their ongoing language learning journey.
Also present at the ceremony were Chinese Embassy Counselor and Consul General Wang Yue, Consul Cao Kaiwen and BI Training Center director Cris Villalobos, along with representatives from FFCCCII and Chiang Kai Shek College.
