2023/02/14 [By Keoni Everington/Taiwan News]

Filipina meets long-lost Taiwanese mother after 23 years

A Filipina living in the Philippine province of Pampanga has met her long-lost Taiwanese mother 23 years after she last saw her.

Aivan Chung, 26, a realtor, told Taiwan News that she had finally met her long-lost mother face-to-face on Feb. 9. This concludes an eight-year search for her mother, whom she had not heard from in 21 years and not seen in person in 23 years.

Prior to reuniting with her mother, Chung Sheng Chin, Aivan last saw her when she was five years old in 2000 and lost contact with her entirely in 2002. Aivan began a search for her mother in 2015 and two years later relayed her story to Taiwan News.

In 2020, Aivan's friend Marianne de Guzman began searching for people on Facebook surnamed Chung who live in Taiwan, and after contacting thousands of people on Facebook, her friend found Aivan's mother on June 26, 2021. Chung is in good health and lives in Taipei's Beitou District.

On Feb. 9 of this year, Aivan was finally able to see her mother in person in Hong Kong. Aivan said that when her mother saw her, she did not hug her but held her hand tightly, "Her smile was sweet, and I remember it was a very calm and happy smile," recalled Aivan.

Aivan said her favorite part of the reunion was sitting together on a bench at Kowloon Public Pier as they relayed their life experiences over the decades. Aivan said that her mother was very happy to see her and said from the moment she had received the first message from Aivan she, "already felt and knew deep down in her heart that I am her daughter."

As the two bonded, Aivan said that they could not stop smiling at each other for four hours straight. On February 10, the two traveled to Macau to spend time walking and talking about their lives.

At 5 p.m., Chung returned to Taiwan, but Aivan emphasized that this is "only the beginning of our new story and there are a lot of exciting chapters ahead for both of us."

When asked in 2021 why she had disappeared, Chung explained that she had left Aivan's father, a Chinese-Filipino named Nelson Ong Lacaden, due to a serious conflict between the two. Chung had wanted to take Aivan back with her to Taiwan, but Lacaden refused and claimed he would not give her custody of the child until she was older.

News from: Taiwan News