International performers from Taiwan headlined the 2025 Lunar New Year Goodwill Mission Asia Tour on February 15, 2025, at the UST Medicine Auditorium. Featuring musicians from multiple genres of music, the said Asia Tour is a partnership among the Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) of Taiwan, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO), the Taiwan Association Inc. (TAI) and the University of Santo Tomas Office of Public Affairs.
Performers included DJ David Jr., a pioneer in the Taiwanese electronic music scene who blends traditional melodies with modern electronic elements; Aboriginal singer and Golden Melody winner Sangpuy Katatepan Mavaliyw, the “King of Hakka” icon Ayugo Huang, rising star “New Voice of Taiwan” Saioai Xie, The Hu Music, and Grammy award-winning The Chairman Band.
In turn, for the part of UST, the two-time Luciano Pavarotti Choir of the World trophy winners and Gintong Parangal recipients the University of Santo Tomas Singers, and the UAAP Season 86 street dance champions UST PRIME had special performances.
The event was hosted by the 2019 Miss Taiwan International and YouTube personality Joyce Chiu
The Representative of the Taipei Economic and Culture Office in the Philippines Ambassador Wallace M.G. Chow, in his welcome message, commended the ”celebration of cultural connections”, which went beyond just musical performances.
The UST Secretary-General Rev. Fr. Louie R. Coronel, O.P., EHL., shared that this event partnership “showcased the strength of people-to-people connections and the opportunities that arise when we unite to foster friendship and goodwill.”
Distinguished guests among the over 600 audience members included Mr. Wilson Tecson of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office, OCAC council members Huang Ya-Hui, Jaime Tan, and Chiang Fu-Long, along with TECO Deputy Representative Dustin T. S. Yang, TECO Minister Michael Lee, Director Eric Chuang of TECO Cultural Center, and Deputy Director Benjamin Chung-Wei Liang of the Cultural Center of TECO.
This cultural showcase was also attended by Thomasian students from the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters – Asian Studies program.
Aside from the Philippines, the month-long tour included multiple stops in 15 cities in Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Vietnam and ended on March 12, 2025.
