Hotels and resorts on Boracay Island have been reeling from the cancellation of bookings of Taiwanese tourists amid the diplomatic row following the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman by Filipino coast guards, according to travel operators.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima neither denied nor confirmed statements made Saturday by the Taiwanese government’s investigation team regarding the Balintang Channel shooting incident in which a Taiwanese fisherman was killed.
The Philippines on Thursday braced itself for the fallout a day after Taiwan enacted a second wave of sanctions against the country to show dissatisfaction with Manila’s responses to its demands involving the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman by Filipino coast guards in the Bashi Channel last week.
The United States is optimistic that the Philippines and Taiwan will eventually thresh out their current spat over the shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman within the Philippine territorial waters last week, an incident that has prompted an angry Taipei to impose sanctions against Manila.
Sixteen Taiwan-based exhibitors pulled out of the 9th International Food Expo (IFEX) in Pasay City on Thursday amid bilateral tension between the Philippines and Taiwan over the death of a fisherman.
The United States on Wednesday urged Taiwan and the Philippines to resolve a dispute after the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman, amid concern over rising tensions between its two allies.
President Aquino on Wednesday formally apologized to Taiwan for the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman by Filipino Coast Guards in disputed waters off Batanes last Thursday.
Taiwan on Wednesday night slapped a second round of sanctions against Manila, including a “red” travel alert urging Taiwanese not to visit the Philippines despite an apology by President Benigno Aquino for the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman.
President Benigno Aquino apologized Wednesday for the killing by the Filipino coastguard of a Taiwanese fisherman, and appealed for calm amid deepening outrage in Taiwan, his spokesman said.
Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou Wednesday froze the hiring of Filipino workers to express “strong dissatisfaction” over Manila’s handling of the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman as Taipei rejected Manila’s apology as informal and insincere.
As Taipei’s ultimatum for the Philippines to apologize over the shooting death of a Taiwanese fisherman lapsed on Tuesday, Malacañang opted for prudence for fear of exacerbating the situation, and said the government’s response would be coursed through “proper channels.”
Taiwan stepped up pressure on Manila Tuesday, saying it would conduct a naval drill in waters near the Philippines if Manila did not officially apologize for the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman.
