OFWs in Taiwan still uneasy amid assurance of safety

Amid claims the tension in Taiwan over the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman last May 9 in Philippine waters is easing, many Filipino workers there still feel uneasy, an overseas Filipino worker group official said late Thursday.

Migrante Taiwan vice president Shiela Mayandia also said they are organizing a prayer vigil of Filipinos and Taiwanese this weekend to call anew for an early resolution to the problem.

"Kahit nagbigay ng assurance, pero may pangamba sa amin, nag-iingat pa rin kami," Mayandia said in an interview on dzBB.

Also, she said there has been no incident of Taiwanese harassing Filipinos over the May 9 incident since an attack on an OFW last Saturday.

But she still said many OFWs are still instructed by their employers to introduce themselves as other nationals such as Indonesians.

On the other hand, she said, "[May] plano kami [ngayong] Sunday na magkaroon ng prayer vigil. I need to contact Taiwanese organizations and friends. 'Yan din ang kanilang purpose para mag-unite ang Filipinos and Taiwanese," she said.

Tension easing 

Last Thursday, Filipino priest Fr. Leonilo Mantilla, parish priest of St. Christopher’s Church in Taipei’s Zhongshan district, said the tension continued to ease.

Mantilla told Church-run Radyo Veritas many Filipinos are attending Mass again in Taiwan.

“At this moment, the situation is very cool and the tension is easing,” he said. Excerpts of the interview were posted Thursday evening on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines news site.

Mantilla’s parish has the highest number of Masses daily and 99 percent of his parishioners are Filipinos, the CBCP said. — LBG, GMA News

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