Among 781 proposals from 61 countries, the Mobile Classroom project which ensures equitable access to education for those living in remote areas in the Philippines and proposed by the non-profit organization Seed4com was one of the three winners of the "Sharing is caring" campaign of the Taiwan Excellence Awards last year. It is anticipated that almost 2,000 learners from 55 barangays will benefit from the project this year.

I went to San Jose del Monte on 10 November and witnessed how the mobile classroom worked. One thing impressed me more than the enthusiasm of the learners and the teacher, Ms. Bing Apawan Bautista, was "Lupang Hinirang" was played and sung by the learners before the class started.

In fact, when I went to the movies for the first time in the Philippines in 2019, I didn't expect to hear the national anthem before the movie started. Not to mention that almost every conference or ceremony I attend and cover in the Philippines will play "Lupang Hinirang" in the beginning of it.

I remember that when I was little, the national anthem was played in the movie theaters in Taiwan, but I haven't heard of it for at least 20 years in the theaters. Nowadays, Taiwanese only hear the song "Three Principles of the People" in some formal national ceremonies.

Also, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. led the nationwide commemoration of the 159th Birth Anniversary of Andres Bonifacio, national hero and "the Father of the Philippine Revolution," on 30 November.

In Taiwan, while the President leads flag-raising ceremony on National Day each year, birth anniversaries of national heroes such as Sun Yat-sen, founding father of the Republic of China, and Chiang Kai-shek, the President ruled Taiwan for more than 25 years, do not receive much attention and are not even national holidays now.

Another thing I found interesting is that many products here are labeled "proudly made in the Philippines," which I don't remember seeing on products made in Taiwan.

Which makes me wonder: Do Filipinos love their country more or it's just Filipinos and Taiwanese love their countries in different ways?

I visited Turkey last June and something left a deep impression on me. It was common to see big Turkish flags in Istanbul. On the other hand, it seems to me that flags are more frequently seen painted on personal items in the Philippines, which is again, rarely seen in Taiwan.

Here in the Philippines, it's easy to find the national flower sampaguita and sampaguita garlands in the street. But in Taiwan, the national flower plum blossom is not so easy to be found while another flower — magnolia alba trees are everywhere in Taiwan and just like the Philippines, there are vendors selling magnolia alba flowers in the street as well.

If you plan to visit Taiwan next year, the Yangmingshan Flower Festival is something you should not miss. From January to March, tourists can view cherry blossoms and azaleas in Yangmingshan. But if you miss the cherry blossoms, visitors can view fields of calla lilies instead during March and April and hydrangeas from May to July.

Another famous destination for cherry blossom viewing in Taiwan is Alishan. If tourists visit Alishan during March and April, they can anticipate watching wisterias and there are also wisteria gardens in different attractions over Taiwan for tourists to explore.