PH gov’t ready to assist OFWs in Taiwan amid rising tension with China

MANILA, Philippines — The government is ready to assist Filipinos in Taiwan if China’s current war games against Taiwan escalate into an outright war, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said on Saturday.

On Thursday, China launched a two-day military drill to surround self-ruled Taiwan as a “strong punishment” for the island’s “separatist acts,” to which Taiwan responded by dispatching aerial and naval forces.

READ: China holds military drills around Taiwan as ‘punishment’

“We are always ready. There are places in the world na talagang mas handa tayo kaysa sa ilang mga lugar (where we are really more prepared than in some areas).

“We have always been ready in that part of the world; we have always coordinated ourselves with the proper government agencies,” Cacdac said at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.

This was his response when asked if the DMW had a contingency plan if the situation between the two neighboring countries further tenses up.

READ: Taiwan’s military, coast guard activate in response to China’s drills

There are about 153,000 Filipinos in Taiwan, 150,000 of whom are overseas Filipino workers.

READ: Invading Taiwan a formidable and risky challenge for China

While Cacdac said he cannot disclose the details of the contingency plan right now, he reiterated that the government would take care of the Filipinos in Taiwan.