TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 2009 • TAIPEI TIMES COMMUNITY COMPASS P A G E 4 co m m co mu es. nity@taipeitim PIGEON POST Center helps Filipinos get ahead HOME FROM HOME: Roy and Heidi Villaluna offer their compatriots more Flea Market comes to Taichung than just help with software and networks, providing food and moral support Morrison Academy Taichung campus’ annual Senior’s Flea Market is being held on Saturday from 9am to MARKET BY JENNY W. Hsu companies who speaks with a soft The center is open on Sun- 1pm. The school said it will be the biggest event of its STAFF REPORTER yet determined voice, especially days from 8:30am to 6:30pm and kind in Taichung City with thousands of second-hand For Imelda Constantino, practic- when talking about the center. offers an array of courses rang- items for sale. Refreshments will also be available. Admission ing typing for hours on end in a “My wife and I just want to help ing from computer fundamentals is NT$500. For information on renting a stall or donating items, cramped computer lab is her idea our compatriots. This is something to Windows to troubleshooting contact the school on (04) 2292-1171. of a perfect Sunday. we can do to help them. These all for NT$1,800. The fee includes With her eyes fixed on a com- people are like family to us,” said a lifetime EPC membership and puter monitor, the Filipina care- the computer engineer. unconditional hospitality from the Taipei promotes language contest giver tried hard not to look down Nestled in the heart of Little Villalunas. at her fingers as they danced Manila off Zhongshan N Road in For those who can’t pay, Roy A Mandarin/Hoklo speech contest for foreigners in across the keyboard while typing Taipei, the 30-plus ping (100m²) smiled, shrugged his shoulders CONTEST Taiwan sponsored by the Taipei City Government will words as fast and accurately as she second-floor center is lo- and said, “that’s okay, Heidi and Roy Villaluna stand in front of computer parts in the lecture area of their be held next month. The city government is inviting possibly could. cated a block away from what we really ask for computer center in Taipei last month. PHOTO: JENNY W. HSU, TAIPEI TIMES individuals to share their thoughts about the city and “I am here because I know St Christopher’s Church, a is their dedication and potentially win big prizes. Foreigners who have lived in Taiwan learning more about computers home away from home for sincerity. If they want has been coming to the center for she said, was to follow the sug- for less than six years are eligible to enter the contest. The theme will help me in the future,” she said many Filipinos. to learn, then I will two years and is learning about gestion of Representative Antonio of the contest is “Having Fun in Taipei,” and participants should shyly, whipping her body around The center is divided into teach. They can pay spreadsheets, said her dream was Basilio of the Manila Economic prepare a three-minute speech in Mandarin or Hoklo to share their to get back to her typing. three sections. In the back is whenever they can. If to open her own business when she and Culture Office to organize a recommendations of fun spots in Taipei City, the city government Constantino is one of the 50 a small makeshift mini mart they can’t pay, then gets home. volunteer group with the skills to of overseas Filipino workers en- full of Philippine treats and items. never mind.” “I know what I learn here will be teach computer literacy to Filipi- said. To enter, download application forms at www.rti.org.tw and rolled in E-PC, a data processing Next to it is a lecture area where “We really see them as our very useful for me in the future to nos who cannot travel to Taipei. send them by mail, e-mail or fax to Radio Taiwan International. A and computer literacy center es- Roy can often be seen standing in families. I always cook enough so help me and my family,” she said. In addition to tutorials, the cen- primary round of the contest will be held at 1pm on May 11 at the tablished in 2003 by Roy and Heidi front of a white board scribbling anyone who doesn’t have lunch or Heidi said that a former stu- ter also offers computer services Grand Hotel. The final will be held at 1pm on May 24 at the Warner Villaluna, who said that knowing down computer jargon. dinner is welcome to eat with us. dent who has since returned to the at a low price such as Windows OS Village Pedestrian Area. The winner will take home NT$30,000 their compatriots are benefitting Then the most popular hang- Many of them also tell me about Philippines had opened an Internet and software installation, personal and a Grand Hotel voucher, the city government said. For more from the class is all the reward out: the computer area, lined with their troubles at work and I give café in her home town. Several computer upgrading and assembly, information, visit www.rit.org.tw or www.taipeitravel.net or call they need for the painstaking ef- 20 computers all assembled by them advice and encourage them others, thanks to their computer network layout and laptop and PC (02) 2885 6168 ext.722. forts of maintaining the center. Roy, bustling with eager students not to give up,” said Heidi who knowledge, had found better jobs repair. Roy is a project manager at who can’t wait to get on the Web holds a bachelor of science in in- in Taiwan, Canada and Hong Kong, For more information on the STAFF WRITER, WITH CNA the notebook division of one of cam to chat with their friends and formation technology she said. center call (02) 2592-5926 or e-mail Taiwan’s best-known computer families. Caregiver Norma Benevista, who The next step for the Villalunas, [email protected] Japanese walks for world Tourism fair turns LONG JOURNEY: Yuji Miyata has long been interested in provided with shelter and given food spotlight on the green issues and intends to walk around the globe until and water by strangers. “It’s a wonderful feeling camp- splendors of Spain the Earth takes a turn for the better environmentally ing in the wild for the night after having nothing but water for two or STAFF WRITER, WITH CNA STAFF WRITER, WITH CNA at the age of six after watching a three days,” Miyata said. The Taipei-based Spanish Cham- A 26-year-old Japanese man began television report on holes in the A determined Miyata said even ber of Commerce (CCE) held a a three-month walk around Taiwan ozone layer caused by pollutants in his parents’ worries would not tourism fair last Wednesday in- to raise environmental awareness the atmosphere. change his decision to walk around viting 200 local travel agents to in Tainan City on Wednesday. He said he was greatly inspired the globe. explore the diversity of Spain’s Yuji Miyata attended World by Paul Colemen — earthwalker, “I’ll keep walking around the tourism with the aim of increas- Earth Day activities sponsored by tree planter and environmentalist globe until the Earth takes a turn ing the number of visitors from the Tainan City Government before — in late 2007, became a vegetar- for the better environmentally,” he Taiwan. embarking on his walk. He arrived ian and embarked on a global jour- vowed. CCE director-general Jose- in Tainan a day earlier, having com- ney to deliver his message on the After the Taiwan walk, he said Luis Lamas said the fair was pleted walks in Hong Kong, Beijing, environment. he will proceed to other Asian designed not only to promote South Korea and Okinawa over the He said he has walked 4,400km countries before heading for the Spain as a tourist destination past year. through three nations over the past Middle East and Europe. for Taiwanese people but also Miyata said he became con- 14 months. Without much money He said he got to know Chang to increase their awareness and cerned about environmental issues in his pocket, he said, he is often Huang-chen (張皇珍), director of knowledge of the country. Tainan City Government’s Environ- mental Protection Bureau, via a US FUrther afieLD World Earth Day Web site, prompt- Ignacio Ducasse, director of the ing him to organize the Taiwan leg Spanish Tourism Office in Tokyo of his walk. — which covers Spain’s tourism For his part, Chang said he business in Japan, Taiwan and would write letters to local govern- South Korea — said that while 90 ments nationwide asking them to percent of Spain’s tourists come provide hospitality to Miyata and from Europe, the country wants cheer him along. to boost numbers of visitors from Since 1990, Coleman, a Brit- further afield. ish citizen, has walked 47,500km “We believe that in Taiwan through 39 nations, planting trees we have strong potential for at- and encouraging people to preserve tracting visitors to Spain. For the natural environment, delivering that reason, Taiwan is a very the environmental message from important market for us,” Du- the jungles of the Amazon to the casse said. highlands of Zimbabwe and even into war zones. In 2000, Coleman began a cam- We believe that in paign to plant 100 million trees, one “ for every man, woman and child Taiwan we have strong killed in the last century of war.