Raffy Tulfo wants gov’t to be proactive in ensuring OFWs’ safety amid Taiwan-China tension

Senator Raffy Tulfo on Monday called on the government to be proactive in ensuring the safety of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) amid the tension between Taiwan and China.

"Kasi ang nangyayari nagiging... palaging reactive e. I want it to be proactive dapat bago mangyari ang isang sakuna, na meron na ngayong tensyon, meron nang preparation," Tulfo, who is expected to chair the new Senate Committee on Migrant Workers, said in an interview with reporters.

(What's happening is that the government is always reactive. I want it to be proactive. We should prepare before the tension escalates.)

"In the past, ang nakikita ko 'pag mayroon nang krisis saka pa lang umaaksyon ang ating mga gobyerno. Naiipit na ang ating OFW, maraming nai-stranded, maraming nagugutom, marami nang mga nagkakasakit, marami nang nai-stress, inaatake sa high blood, etcetera," Tulfo added.

(In the past, I have seen that the government will only act once the crisis has occurred. The OFWs are getting hungry, sick, and stressed because they are being stranded.)

In a statement, Tulfo urged the national coverage and other related agencies to provide a contingency plan for OFWs should the tension between China and Taiwan escalate.

"The tension between China and Taiwan is not something to be taken lightly.  Dapat ngayon pa lamang ay gumagawa na ng contingency plan ang DFA, OWWA, at POLO in the event na lumala ang problemang ito. This is the perfect time for government agencies to show their united force by working together for the safety and security of our workers abroad," he said.

Asked about the specifics of the contingency plan that he was asking the government, Tulfo said the government officials should already know what are the steps that they need to take. Otherwise, they should quit their posts.

"Alam na nila ang mga dapat gawin kasi kung di nila alam ang mga dapat gawin, dapat mag-resign sila. Kung di nila alam ang gagawin nila then they are not fit and suited for their position," Tulfo said.

The recent visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, which China claims as its breakaway province, angered the Asian superpower which escalated tensions over the Taiwan Strait as Beijing held its largest military drill in the area.

During US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's courtesy call to Malacañang, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan may not have aggravated the strained US-China relations, but only demonstrated the brewing tension between the two superpowers.

Blinken, for his part, said the US is determined to de-escalate tensions over the Taiwan Strait to keep the region, including the Philippines, safe and ensure unimpeded access to the major waterway, where a huge bulk of trading ships pass through.

Last week, the Philippines expressed its commitment to adhere to the One-China policy amid the rising tensions in Taiwan Strait.

In deference to the One-China policy, the Philippines does not have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a democratic self-ruling island that has been separated from the Chinese mainland since 1949 but is still claimed by China as part of its territory.

The Philippines, however, maintains a de facto embassy in Taiwan, called the Manila Economic and Cultural Office or MECO.

Taiwan hosts 115,000 Filipinos, mostly working in factories. — RSJ, GMA News