President Chen presents filial piety awards

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) presented awards to the seven winners of this year's Filial Piety Awards held in Tainan County yesterday.

Chen lauded the seven winners, aged between 18 and 70, who were honored for devotedly caring for their parents despite economic hardships or physical challenges.

Chen said he has attended every Filial Piety Awards presentation ceremony since becoming president because he believes filial piety is the very basis of all virtue and helps stabilize families, society and the country.

Chen also expressed his respect for Wu Hsiu-chi (吳修齊), the late Tainan business tycoon who established the Filial Piety Awards 18 years ago.

"Wu's contribution has benefited Taiwan and its people by making the country a better place in which to live," the president said.

PITY

Chen also said it is a pity that the foundation responsible for presenting the award, managed by Wu's family, has decided that this will be the final year of the Wu Hsiu-chi Filial Piety Awards.

He expressed his hope that the invaluable award could be continued in another way, so that worthy people might be recognized for their good deeds in the future and the youth might be inspired to emulate their service of others.

Each of this year's seven award winners -- selected from 132 candidates recommended by communities around the nation -- also received NT$300,000 in cash.

Chang Hui-ling (張慧玲), 18, the youngest recipient of the award this year, is a high school student living in Chiangchun Township (將軍), Tainan County. She was honored for consistently, and without complaint, caring for her divorced bedridden mother and aged grandparents.

SACRIFICE

Chang, who was raised by her grandparents, chose to give up a place at the prestigious Provincial Tainan Girl's High School three years ago to attend Beimen Senior High School, located in her hometown, to save time and money to care for her family.

Regularly scoring high grades and easily passing entrance exams for prestigious universities in Taipei, Chang said she would choose to enter National Cheng Kung University in Tainan next fall so that she could spend more time taking care of her mother and grandparents.