Filipinos in Taiwan well-protected – MECO Pia Lee-Brago - The Philippine Star

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. “A lot of Filipinos employed by a big company there like DAL are being assisted by the company for their supplies, but it is not the case for others employed in other firms. The advantage for these Filipinos [not employed by a big firm] is that they are located in the same location in significant numbers, like 11 of them reside in the same building. It is easier to locate them,” de Vega said. “The hotline is available, and the embassy will reach out to you,” he added. De Vega said the nearest Philippine Embassy to Sudan was in Egypt. Howeverr, the Philippines had an honorary consulate in Sudan which stands ready to provide supplies such as groceries to Filipinos in need. The DFA earlier confirmed that a Filipino was hurt in the ongoing clashes in Sudan, though the Filipino was said to be in good condition. With some 350 people killed so far in the Sudan conflict, the United Nations has called on both parties to observe a three-day ceasefire to give way to the end of Ramadan or the end of fasting for Muslims and to give civilians time to evacuate the conflict-affected areas. The violence in Sudan erupted on Saturday between forces of the two generals who seized power in a 2021 coup: army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo who commands the RSF. — DVM, GMA Integrated News

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