Not all Pinoys being harassed by locals in Taiwan

Not all Filipinos are being harassed or abused by locals in Taiwan over the fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman in disputed waters on May 9. Taiwan's Central News Agency (CNA) on Monday ran a story about a Filipina caregiver identified only as "A-May," whose Taiwanese employer, pharmacist Wu Ming-huei, gave her a birthday party in Yunlin County.  

Wu said the party was meant to thank A-May for taking care of her parents, including her father who had a stroke.

 

A-May said she was happy in Taiwan and told her relatives not to worry about her safety. Some Taiwanese vented their anger on Filipino workers after authorities from the Philippine Coast Guard shot and killed fisherman Hung Shih-cheng on May 9 in disputed waters off the coast of Batanes in extreme northern Luzon.

“Filipinos who leave their country to strive for a better life for their families are innocent. The people in Taiwan should use reason and not target Filipino workers in Taiwan,” Wu said. According to the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, there were over 93,800 Filipinos working in Taiwan as of December 2011.

 

Taiwanese supporters of Filipinos

 

According to a report of Taipei Times, some Taiwanese youths held up Chinese and English signs in support of Filipinos on Sunday. 

 

The signs read “I’m Taiwanese supporting Filipino workers” and “The government’s wrongdoing should not be shouldered by innocent people.”

 

Graduate student Li Chun-da initiated the solidarity with Filipinos protest through socail media sites and invited friends to St. Christopher’s Church in Taipei, where there is a large Filipino congregation.

 

Some Filipinos approached Li's group and extended their gratitude for their gesture amid rising tensions.

 

Li said he thought up the gathering to show support for embattled Pinoys in Taiwan.

 

“There’s no organization behind us, I invited my friends to join me in the action on Facebook and they forwarded the invitation to their friends,” he said.

 

Reports of violence

 

GMA Network host Jiggy Manicad reported on Quick Response Team (QRT) on Monday that more Filipinos have complained of incidents of harassment from Taiwanese residents.

 

A dormitory for overseas Filipino workers (OFW) was attacked last week by alleged Taiwanese gangsters who tore the place down and beat people up with baseball bats.

 

Joey de Leon was injured in the assault with his left leg sustaining significant injuries. The suspects have already been caught and have apologized to De Leon.

 

Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou on Friday called for calm and promised to protect Filipinos. "We will continue negotiating the issue with the Philippines and I hope everyone can calmly and peacefully resolve the issue to avoid hurting bilateral ties," Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou said while meeting a group of international scholars on Friday.

 

Additional police forces have already been assigned to buffer strategic places where OFWs are residing due to the subsequent reports of violence and harassment.