Cool heads needed in PHL-Taiwan spat



Ma. Fe Nicodemus, KAKAMMPI

As the dispute between Manila and Taipei over the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman in Philippine waters on May 9 continues to heat up, we call on all parties involved to exercise utmost prudence and let cool heads prevail as they try to find a solution to the problem.
We also appeal to Taiwan and the Philippines to try to approach and look at the problem at the point of view of the overseas Filipino workers in Taiwan, and the Taiwanese firms and households enjoying the services of OFWs.

Fear and anxiety are the common feelings expressed in letters KAKAMMPI  has been receiving from OFWs in Taiwan. They are the ones bearing the brunt of the unwarranted outrage of the Taiwanese people, stemming from the May 9 incident at sea.

Some Taiwanese consider Filipinos there as “dogs” and “thugs” because of the fatal incident that is still being investigated. The blind rage has already resulted in baseball bat and lead pipe attacks on, and mauling of OFWs.

If we try to let cool heads rule and tackle the problem in a more rational way, we might begin to see the bigger picture: there are some 93,000 OFWs in Taiwan and their hands must have helped the engines of progress of this host territory move; and the toilet bowls, dishes and laundry of their Taiwanese masters clean.

What if the 93,000 OFWs would stop working one day until their security is assured? How many thousands of families back in the Philippines would go hungry and how much in billions of dollars in potential Taiwanese profit would be lost because of the disruption?
The stakes are high and neither Taipei nor Manila can afford to be irrational and overly emotional in tackling the problem.
We hope the Philippines would speed up the investigation and Taiwan would follow rules of law and not engage in “double talk.”
Earlier, Taiwan has moved unilaterally. Without the benefit of a thorough investigation into the Balintang Channel incident, it imposed a freeze in the hiring of Filipinos; it ordered the cutting ties of some Taiwan cities with their counterpart in the Philippines – after it rejected as “insincere” no less than the apology of President Benigno Aquino III.
Despite assurances from the Philippines of an impartial probe, Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou still insists on a joint investigation.
Ma even sent over the weekend to Manila a group of Taiwanese investigators who swiftly concluded that the killing of the fisherman was intentional, therefore a “murder.”
Malacañang on Sunday appealed to Taiwan to follow due process of law, even as it said that Taiwanese probers acted prematurely, stressing that the National Bureau of Investigation is already on the matter.
Also on Sunday, Ma called for clam but still insisted on a joint investigation.
But a joint probe has implications on Philippine sovereignty because Taiwan, under the “one-China policy,” could not be considered an independent state. The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs cannot even dip its hands into the issue because of this.
It’s so sad though that amid President Ma’s call for calm, Taiwanese media continue their “offensive” against the Philippines. This kind of “double talk” won’t help.

At least until last Saturday evening, the websites of Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and embassies, including the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, contained a microsite branding the May 9 incident as “cold-blooded murder,” “senseless PHL attack on unarmed boat,” and stuff like this – showing the Philippine Coast Guard as murderer and trigger happy.

I would like to say that Manila should speed up the investigation and a credible and impartial result is the least that it must come out with. On the other hand, Taipei should stay calm and avoid fueling the blind rage of its people.

OFWs in Taiwan should be spared. They are innocent and have nothing to do with the recent row. Only pea-brained thugs could think of hurting these innocent working people in Taiwan.

To OFWs out there, all we can say is ‘mag-ingat kayo.’ Observe all possible safety measures. Be strong.
Description: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/images/cleardot.gif

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Africa roads are world’s deadliest despite few cars ---- AFP

ADDIS ABABA: Africa has the fewest roads and cars of any region, and yet the largest ratio of vehicle deaths, caused by the usual suspects — unsafe habits, speeding and drinking — but also poor infrastructure, scant rescuers and old cars. As everywhere, speed, alcohol and not wearing a seat belt or helmet are among the main causes of death and injury, say experts. But in Africa, where there are 620 traffic deaths every day, these problems are compounded by bad roads, outdated vehicles, minimal prosecutions and a shortage of emergency services. A recent World Health Organization report found that Africa surpassed the rest of the world, including Southeast Asia — which recorded the most road deaths — with a record ratio of 19.5 people killed per 100,000 inhabitants in 2021. Home to only around four percent of the world’s automobiles, Africa accounted for 19 percent of road deaths last year. “What is worrying is the upward trend in Africa,” said Jean Todt, a former head of the Internati...
Read more

The challenge of welcoming migrants and asylum seekers

By Fr. Shay Cullen, Founder since 1974 The Republic of Ireland is known as the "land of a thousand welcomes." It has welcomed 19,846 Filipinos who are now permanent residents or Irish citizens, data from the country's Census 2022 showed. Ireland's population is small: 5.127 million. The nation has never completely recovered from the devastating famine of 1845, caused by the greed and inequality under British colonial rule that left millions of Irish in dire poverty and surviving on the potato, its staple crop. The infection of potatoes by blight led to that famine and the country's population starving. As many as a million Irish died of hunger and disease from 1845 to 1851. The British government ruled Ireland with an iron fist and without concern or compassion. It failed to provide sufficient food for thousands of starving people. The wealthy English landlords in Ireland continued to export grain and cattle to their country during the famine. There was no ch...
Read more

Russia captures town after 2 years of Ukrainian resistance --- Reuters

Russian forces now control 98.5% of Luhansk, 60% of Donetsk MOSCOW: Russian troops on Wednesday took charge of the eastern Ukrainian town of Vuhledar, a bastion that had resisted intense attacks since Russia launched its full-scale assault in 2022. The advance of Moscow's forces, which control just under a fifth of Ukraine, has underlined Russia's vast superiority in men and materiel as Ukraine pleads for more weapons from the Western allies that have been supporting it. Ukraine's eastern military command said it had ordered a pullback from the hilltop coal mining town to avoid encirclement by Russian troops and "preserve personnel and military equipment". The Russian defense ministry did not mention Vuhledar in its daily battlefield report. Russian Telegram channels, however, published video of troops waving the Russian tricolor flag over shattered buildings. The town, which had a population of over 14,000 before the war, has been devastated, with Soviet-era...
Read more