Posthumous honor: Tzu Chi’s Michael Siao receives philanthropy award

The late Michael Siao, deputy chief executive officer of the Tzu Chi Foundation Philippines, has been posthumously selected as an Asia Philanthropy Special Tribute awardee for his three decades of transformative humanitarian work.

Siao (1974-2025), who passed away on 2 June 2025, dedicated his life to serving the Filipino community. He was renowned for building efficient disaster relief networks across the typhoon-prone nation and pioneering the innovative “cash-for-work” model. His efforts during major calamities like typhoons “Ondoy” and “Yolanda” successfully mobilized nearly 300,000 survivors, empowering them to rebuild their own communities.

A firm believer in interfaith harmony, Siao skillfully integrated Buddhist charitable principles into the Philippines’ predominantly Catholic society. His life of humble service was profoundly capped by his final act of donating his body to the Tzu Chi Silent Mentor Program so medical students aspiring to become future doctors are taught with gratitude, respect and humanistic values through the life lived by the donor on top of the clinical and anatomical learning, embodying the ideal of “using one life to inspire another” — even in the lifeless form.

The award will be presented by the Hainan Asia Philanthropy Research Institute on 29 November 2025, and will be received by a member of his family. The Institute, an international nonprofit think tank, recognizes Siao’s enduring legacy, which has set a lasting benchmark for humanitarian and disaster relief work across Asia.