Presidential staffers studying Mandarin

As a window for learning the Chinese language and a platform for cultural exchanges, Confucius Institutes are becoming more and more popular in the Philippines.

In addition to the University of the Philippines, there are three other Confucius Institutes - at the Ateneo de Manila University, Angeles University and Bulacan State University. Thousands of local people are learning Mandarin through the courses taught by Confucius Institutes.

Nepomuceno, who has been working for the Confucius Institute for 11 years, said more and more Filipinos have shown an interest in studying Mandarin.

She said the institute has signed an agreement with the League of Cities of the Philippines to cater to the 145 city colleges and universities around the country.

Moreover, the institute holds language courses for University of the Philippines alumni and undergraduates for free to help more Filipinos to learn Mandarin.

"We create a special class for them," she said.

It is the mission of the institute "to serve and help Filipinos learn Mandarin and to provide more opportunities for them," Nepomuceno explained.

"If they have a second language, specifically Chinese, they will go to other places, they will earn more, and they will create more opportunities for themselves, not only in the Philippines but around the world," Nepomuceno said.

Meng said she is looking forward to the start of the PCOO classes. Meng has been teaching Mandarin in the Philippines for nearly two years. Before her stint in the Philippines, Meng taught Mandarin for 15 years in China.

In the two years that she has been teaching the language course in the Philippines, Meng said she noticed that Filipinos are fast learners and have a strong desire to learn more about China.

"They learn very quickly, and their pronunciation is good. They want to know a lot of things about China - economics, politics and so on," Meng said, adding she is proud that her students have graduated and made use of what they learned from the course.

"They want more communications with China, and we can introduce in the Chinese culture," Meng said, adding that the course is a bridge that connects the two nations.