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 Kakamppi 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.

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