Filipinos in Taiwan well-protected – MECO

MANILA, Philippines — The remarks of China’s top diplomat in the Philippines against supporting Taiwan are not a cause for concern as the situation remained “very normal” and the welfare and interest of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are “well-protected,” the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) said yesterday.

In an interview on ANC, MECO chairman Silvestre Bello III gave assurance that OFWs in Taiwan are in “good condition.”

“I would like to assure the relatives, parents, wives or husbands of our OFWs that the condition of our OFWs there is excellent,” Bello said, adding there is no cause for alarm.

The former labor secretary said there are around 200,000 OFWs in Taiwan.

“I would be the first one to tell you in case there is an emergency situation, but right now, no tension. Taiwan is very normal. All our Filipino community members are prepared for any exigency,” Bello said.

The Chinese embassy in Manila said Ambassador Huang Xilian’s remarks about OFWs in Taiwan were misquoted, misunderstood or taken out of context.

Huang advised the Philippines to unequivocally oppose Taiwan independence if it cared about the OFWs there.

The ambassador warned that the Philippines is “stoking the fire” by offering the United States access to the military base near the Taiwan Strait.

China expressed concern and strong disapproval of a joint Philippines-US statement against Beijing’s activities in the South China Sea and the swift operationalization of four new Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites, warning that “pandering” to forces outside the region could backfire on Manila.

Senators, meanwhile, said the government must be ready with measures to protect or even repatriate Filipinos in Taiwan in the event of armed conflict in the area.

Sen. Francis Tolentino yesterday suggested the Balikatan joint military exercises between Philippine and US troops include in upcoming drills the simulation of the evacuation of more than 150,000 OFWs based in Taiwan as “a precautionary measure in case the geopolitical tension between Beijing and Taipei further worsens.”

“I advise the head of the Balikatan Gaming Exercise – Philippine side – let’s include in our practice next year how to evacuate using ships, vessels from Taiwan to Cagayan or Batanes in case – for contingency,” Tolentino, vice chairman of the Senate committee on national defense and security, said in an interview.

He said the Air Force’s C-130 planes may not be sufficient to repatriate all Filipinos from Taiwan.

He also reminded Ambassador Huang that the EDCA or the Balikatan exercises were “not designed for any skirmishes in the Taiwan Strait” but rather for the protection of the country.

Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva said the government must be proactive when it comes to ensuring the safety and security of OFWs abroad.

He said he expects the Departments of Migrant Workers (DMW), Foreign Affairs and National Defense as well as the Armed Forces “to act now and come up with a contingency or a safety and security plan which includes repatriation, relocation and reintegration to prepare our OFWs in case of any eventuality, natural or otherwise.”

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada said two-thirds of the 2023 budget of the newly established DMW or P10.6 billion had been earmarked for welfare services of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, including the Emergency Repatriation Program, which amount is “more than enough.”

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III said the government needs to give assurance that all concerned agencies are doing everything to ensure the rights of all OFWs, not only those in Taiwan but all other Filipinos abroad, are well protected and their welfare is their top priority.

In another development, an official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) believed that OFWs, including those in Taiwan, would not be involved in the political affairs of their host countries.

In an interview on Monday with Radio Veritas, CBCP-Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People vice chairman Bataan Bishop Ruperto Santos expressed optimism that providing a better life for them and their families remain the priority of the 150,000 OFWs, that they would not meddle in the political affairs between Taiwan and China. – Paolo Romero, Evelyn Macairan, Jose Rodel Clapano, Sheila Crisostomo