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MANILA, April 12-- "Feilvbin" (the Philippines); "Zongtongfu" (presidential palace); "Xinwenbu" (communications operations office). For the first time on Friday, some 15 staff members from the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) of the Philippines read aloud with zest the three white bond papers that Ms. Meng Guangjie flashed in front of a "special class" at the Presidential Palace in Manila. After practices, the "students" erupted into laughter when they were told about the meaning of the Mandarin words on flash cards that they repeatedly read aloud -- the Philippine presidential communications operations office, which they are working for. Glenn Albert Ocampo, the head executive assistant of Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar, told Xinhua how eager he is to learn basic Mandarin. He said he had been with PCOO for three years and was quite delighted to learn about the meaning of PCOO in Mandarin. "Language is the first part in establishing relations with people in other countries and understanding their culture. It's very important for us to learn at least the basic Mandarin for us to fully understand our counterparts in China," Ocampo said. Around 30 PCOO staff have signed up to attend the formal Mandarin language course at the Malacanang presidential palace, Ocampo said. Meng, a teacher from the University of the Philippines Confucius Institute, will teach the staff more conversational Mandarin words and phrases, including the four main tones, and more about modern Chinese culture and society in the coming weeks. | 
