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

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more