To support Taiwan’s bid to participate in the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA), the Taiwan Association Inc. Philippines (TAP) organized a public awareness run on the morning of May 11 in Makati City. Over a hundred overseas Taiwanese, led by Taiwan Ambassador to the Philippines Wallace Minn-Gan Chow and his wife, along with Deputy Representatives Michael Lee and Dustin Yang, gathered at Ayala Triangle Gardens to join the event titled “Run Together: Taiwan for WHA.” The activity took place in conjunction with Makati’s weekly car-free Sunday program, allowing participants to run and walk along closed city roads while engaging with over 20,000 local residents.
In his remarks, Ambassador Chow emphasized Taiwan’s world-class healthcare and universal health coverage system. He highlighted Taiwan’s strong track record in managing public health crises—from SARS to COVID-19—and noted that the international platform Numbeo has ranked Taiwan’s healthcare system as the best in the world for seven consecutive years. Chow criticized China’s continued misrepresentation of United Nations Resolution 2758 to exclude Taiwan from participating in the World Health Organization (WHO), calling such exclusion unjust and politically motivated. He urged the global community to support Taiwan’s meaningful inclusion in the WHO and WHA, stressing that Taiwan is ready and able to contribute to global public health efforts.
Tom Lin, president of the Taiwan Association Philippines (TAP), reiterated that WHO, as the leading institution on international public health, should not allow political interference to hinder its mission. “Taiwan has so much to contribute, and its voice must be heard,” Lin said. “Through this morning run, we aim to show the world that Taiwan matters, and the world is better with Taiwan fully engaged.”
Participants donned “Taiwan for WHA” shirts and carried banners throughout the route. They handed out WHA-themed sports wristbands to fellow runners, many of whom expressed support and solidarity with Taiwan’s cause. The event creatively leveraged the city’s open streets initiative to spread awareness in a friendly, energetic, and high-visibility way.
The initiative was led by Shirleen Hsieh, an International Youth Goodwill Ambassador awarded by Taiwan’s Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC), together with TAP Vice President Jia Hsieh, and was strongly supported by the Taiwanese-Filipino community. Distinguished attendees included OCAC Commissioners Ya-Hui Huang, Jaime Tan, and Fu-Lung Chiang; Executive Yuan Policy Adviser Andrew Liang; OCAC Senior Advisers Shih-Mo Huang and Allan Lin; Po-Chih Chuang, Director of the Culture Center of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (T.E.C.O.) in the Philippines, and Deputy Director Chung-Wei Liang, along with numerous OCAC honorary officers and TAP board members.
The event served as a powerful display of unity and advocacy, calling on the international community to uphold Taiwan’s right to participate in the upcoming WHA in Geneva from May 19 to 27.
Over 100 members of the Taiwanese-Filipino community gather at Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati to kick off the “Taiwan for WHA” advocacy run.
Taiwanese runners hand out WHA-themed wristbands to local joggers, receiving warm and encouraging responses.
Participants wear “Taiwan for WHA” T-shirts and hold banners, calling for Taiwan’s inclusion in the World Health Assembly.
Community leaders and OCAC representatives pose for a group photo, uniting in support of Taiwan’s rightful place in the global health community.
Ambassador Wallace Chow and his wife join the Taiwan for WHA morning run, showing strong support for Taiwan’s WHA participation.
Participants of the “Taiwan for WHA” event walk together through the streets of Makati, united in their call for Taiwan’s inclusion in the World Health Assembly.
