Philippine Interior Undersecretary Jed Patrick Mabilog thanked Taiwan for providing professional training to volunteer firefighters on Sunday, August 30, at a Filipino-Chinese Cultural and Economic Association Firefighting Training Camp award ceremony. He emphasized that because the Philippines faces not only fire threats but also earthquakes, typhoons, landslides, and building collapses, the professional capabilities of rescue personnel are extremely important.

Mabilog stated that the Philippine government hopes to integrate the resources of local volunteer fire brigades into the national public safety system to strengthen public trust in the public safety system, aligning with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s goals. Through the Taiwan-Philippines fire training program, Taiwan shares advanced technologies and training methods, while the Philippines shares its resilience in the face of disasters, he said.

Philippine Fire Protection Bureau Acting Director Wilberto Rico Neil A. Kwan Tiu encouraged trainees in the 2026 fire training program to bring back what they learned in Taiwan and share it with other firefighters. He emphasized that the true value of fire training is not just obtaining a certificate, but the ability to apply what they have learned to save lives.

Team leader Chiang Pai-huang (蔣柏煌) detailed that this year's trainees participated in an advanced course that added subjects such as earthquake rescue, tunnel rescue, and electric vehicle accident response. The latter component is in response to the increasing prevalence of electric vehicles in the Philippines, while the tunnel rescue component prepares for potential rescue needs after the opening of future infrastructure projects similar to Taiwan’s MRT.

Taiwan Deputy Representative to the Philippines Li Ting-sheng (李廷盛) stated that fire service cooperation has been ongoing for many years between the two countries, with over 500 trainees having received training in Taiwan. He expressed his honor to see the trainees continue to dedicate themselves to disaster relief, rescue, and community service after returning home.