SORRY SORRY FILIPINOS PROTEST IN FRONT OF TAIWANESE BUILDINGS

Last month, I reported on the ongoing diplomatic stress between the Philippines’ and Taiwan government. Taiwan had retaliated for transfer of Taiwan nationals to the Peoples Republic of China without its acquiesence.

http://eslkevin.wordpress.com/2011/02/17/deportation-of-taiwanese-to-mainland-china-leads-to-fight-between-philippines-and-taiwan-leaders

This last week numerous protests by Filipino nationals living in Taiwan were waged. Please read the article below.–KAS

‘SORRY, SORRY’:：The protesters said if they could be punished for Manila’s actions, then it was only fair that they should also be able to apologize for their governmentBy Shelley Huang / Staff Reporter, with CNA
Mon, Mar 07, 2011 –

Hundreds of labor activists and migrant workers from the Philippines yesterday staged a protest in front of the Presidential Office to protest the administration’s freeze on hiring Filipino workers after 14 Taiwanese suspected of fraud were deported from the Philippines to China on Feb. 2.

Following the visit by a Philippine emissary who refused to make the apology expected by Taipei, the government took measures that virtually put a freeze on the hiring of Filipino laborers.

Several migrant and international worker associations, such as KaSaPi, Ikatan Pekerja Indonesia Taiwan, Taiwan International Workers Association (TIWA) and other labor groups, gathered at Ketagalan Boulevard to emphasize that Filipino migrant workers and their employers were innocent and that punishing them for Manila’s actions was unreasonable and a violation of their rights.

The demonstrators performed a traditional Philippine dance to a song with the lyrics “sorry, sorry” to show that if President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) considers the Philippine government and Filipino migrant workers to be one and the same, then the “apology” from Filipino workers should be sufficient for Taiwan to lift its ban without “losing face.”

Otherwise, Filipino workers are innocent victims of the diplomatic row between the two nation’s governments and should be left out of the equation, they said.

“The [Taiwanese] government should solve its diplomatic problems with the Philippine government, rather than using innocent Filipino workers as a way of obtaining negotiating power,” TIWA spokesperson Wuo Young-ie (吳永毅) said.

Wu said that of the 77,000 Filipinos working in Taiwan, about 3,000 were in the process of renewing their contracts and another 5,000 were in the middle of applications to work in Taiwan, and all of them were victimized by the two countries’ inability to solve the diplomatic row.

Workers from the Philippines account for about 20 percent of the total foreign workforce in Taiwan and mainly work in the manufacturing industry.

The government has recently taken measures to temporarily freeze the hiring of laborers from Philippines, such as lengthening the process for screening applications by Philippine nationals seeking to work in Taiwan to four months from no more than 12 days.

Last month, the government also started to require that Philippine citizens submit their Social Security System Card as part of their application to work in Taiwan.

The new rule has amounted to “a technical freeze on Philippine workers,” because Manila stopped issuing the card a long time ago, the labor groups said.

Meanwhile, a visiting Philippine congressman assured Taiwan that Manila would try to resolve the diplomatic rift between the two countries smoothly and as soon as possible.

The longstanding friendship between the Philippines and Taiwan should be valued despite the recent dispute, Roy Loyola said.

The congressman is accompanying former Philippine president Fidel Ramos and a group of businessmen on a six-day visit to Taiwan to explore business opportunities. The delegation is scheduled to return to the Philippines today.

Loyola’s remarks echoed those of Ramos, who told reporters on the sidelines of a golf tournament in Changhua County that the incident should not be allowed to affect the friendly ties between the two sides.

The Philippines extended a “goodwill gesture” by sending Manuel Roxas as a presidential emissary to Taipei to explain the matter and has pledged to hold any government officials who mishandled the case accountable, Loyola said.

Taiwan’s anger over the incident is a “normal reaction” and understandable, he said.

“However, I respect the feelings of the Taiwanese government, and I’m thankful that some Taiwanese are supporting Filipino workers in Taiwan,” Loyola said, referring to the protest.

The Philippine Congress is conducting an investigation into the case, Loyola said, but added that he was not in a position to disclose its progress.

Taipei has said it would wait for the results of the investigation and follow-up measures before making its next move. The retaliatory measures are still in place.

Antonio Basilio, managing director of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office — the Philippines’ representative office in Taiwan — said both sides were “close to a solution.”

He did not elaborate.

Published on Taipei Times :

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2011/03/07/2003497583