Members of NUS Alumni Manila Chapter attended a reception hosted by the Singapore Embassy in Manila at the Grand Hyatt Ballroom in Bonifacio Global City, to celebrate Singapore’s 57th National Day. Around 25 alumni were present in the first major event that the Singapore Embassy in Manila has hosted since 2019. The alumni in attendance represented six faculties and schools, including the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, NUS Business, College of Design and Engineering, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and Faculty of Law. More than 800 guests, including government officials, the Diplomatic and Consular Corps, the business community, and Singaporeans in Manila filled the ballroom to capacity.

The Guest of Honour for the event was Hon. Sara Duterte, Vice President of the Republic of the Philippines and the Secretary of the Department of Education. The formal event started at 7pm, with a welcome remark by Vice President Duterte. She highlighted the importance of Singapore as a partner in developing the Philippines’ human resources through capacity building programs such as the Singapore Cooperation Programme, and expressed her hope that Singapore-Philippine relations will continue to flourish with increased cooperation in education and other related areas during the current administration. Ambassador Gerard Ho (Arts and Social Sciences ’97), who was also present at the event, noted the warm friendship between Singapore and the Philippines, and expressed his gratitude for the contributions of the Filipino community in Singapore during the COVID-19 pandemic. Buffet-style dinner featuring popular Singaporean food was served, including familiar dishes such as nasi lemak and Hainanese chicken rice. Guests stayed until about 10pm, enjoying both the food and company.

Three years after the COVID-19 pandemic, NUS Alumni Tokyo Chapter was finally able to hold an in-person gathering in Tokyo. Most participants who showed up were MBA graduates, while some were alumni from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP), showing the depth and breadth of the NUS alumni network. During the gathering, each participant shared recent developments and discussed how they could assist in each other's work and careers, and how they could contribute to Japan and its economy. The Chapter believes that the gathering was a good respite for all, and hopefully an inspirational experience for participants who were steadily developing their careers after graduating from NUS.

Submitted by Mr Nobuo Fujii (Business ’18)