Pinoys feted in Taipei

The 135,000-strong Filipino community celebrated Philippine Independence Day in Taipei with pride and fervor, and so many prominent members of Taiwan’s business, political and social circles came to celebrate with them.

Filipino workers in Taiwan comprise almost 75 percent of the foreign workers employed in the production of electronic parts and components and 62 percent of those in the production and assembly of computers, electronics, and optical products.

There were two Independence Day celebrations, one held in a stadium in Pan Chao and another at the ballroom of the Grand Hyatt Taipei. Both were spearheaded by the Manila Economic and Cultural Office led by chairman Amadeo Perez Jr. and representative Antonio Basilio.

During his toast during the Independence Day celebration at the Grand Hyatt Taipei, Perez said the basic foundation of the relationship between Filipinos and Taiwanese, “is the fact that we both live under a democratic system of government.”

“Both our peoples enjoy the freedom of speech, and our newspapers, television, radio and internet are not subject to government censorship. Our economies are anchored on free enterprise and we respect individual human rights,” Perez added. Taiwan and the Philippines held presidential elections at about the same time, and both were peaceful and credible.

“The future looks bright for both the Philippines and Taiwan indeed,” declared the MECO chairman.

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Basilio, for his part, cited the gains of the economy under the principles of free enterprise.

“It is with tempered pride that I share with you the recent performance of the Philippine economy, which has achieved an average economic growth of 6.5 percent over the last four years following years of sustained economic reforms. There is every indication that this strong growth pattern will be sustained in the future.”

The audience applauded when Basilio announced that in the first quarter of 2016, the economy grew by 6.9 percent, surpassing others in the region for the first time in nearly three decades.

“This also marks 69 straight quarters of growth, and 17 consecutive quarters of above five percent GDP growth,” he added.

He cited Taiwan’s contribution to this growth, calling it “indispensable.”

“In 2015, Taiwan ranked fifth among the 220 trading partners of the Philippines with total bilateral trade amounting to $7.44 billion.

In the same year, Taiwanese investments in the Philippines were valued at P5.46 billion — an 83.3 percent increase — making Taiwan the Philippines’ third fastest-growing investment source. Many of these new investments were in electronic parts and components as well as medical supplies.

There was a dramatic rise in the number of Taiwanese visitors to the Philippines — up to 24.30 percent in 2015 alone.

According to Basilio, this is due to two significant developments: one, the five-fold increase in air passenger seat capacity following the renegotiation of the bilateral air traffic agreement, and two, more intensive marketing of new destinations.

“Complementing this is the facilitation of easier application for travel documentation requirements through our online travel authorization scheme introduced last year,” he added.

Perez said in the dispute over an incident involving the death of a Taiwanese fisherman in the Balintang Channel three years ago, and in other instances where we have disagreed, the Philippines and Taiwan were able to resolve their differences peacefully through negotiation based the goodwill.

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Perez said that the outgoing MECO board is leaving the coffers of the private body filled to the brim. Though a private corporation, MECO remits 20 percent of its income (which comes from visa fees) to the National Treasury.

For the first time in MECO’s history, it was audited by the Commission on Audit this year. With the MECO’s finances under the stewardship of MECO director Manny Dimaculangan, MECO not only passed the test with flying colors but also reportedly received a COA commendation.

Dimaculangan also computerized the systems to ensure that nothing falls between the cracks and every cent earned by MECO is accounted for.

Because MECO helps the OFWs in Taiwan, every cent earned is valuable so it can continue to assist our countrymen there in the absence of an embassy.

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From June 17 to 30, Grand Hyatt Taipei’s popular buffet restaurant — Café — will be showcasing “2016 South Sea Summer Cuisine Festival: Passionate Philippines” and will feature guest chefs Mark Peralta and Froxy Pongos from the Hyatt City of Dreams Manila to bring Kaldereta, Crispy Pata, Inasal na Pitso and Bagnet to Taipei.

In addition to enjoying local Philippine delicacies during this period, diners at the Café will get the chance to win a Taipei-Manila round-trip ticket from Philippine Airlines and a three-day, two-night stay at The Hyatt City of Dreams Manila. Everyone is warmly invited come and explore Filipino Gourmet food this summer!

“We are glad that we were able to cooperate with the Grand Hyatt Taipei for this event and hope that the next time people talk about Southeast Asian cuisine, people would also remember Filipino dishes in addition to Thai, Singaporean or Malaysian food,” Basilio said.

Executive chef Ban Khim Tan of Grand Hyatt Taipei said, “When Taiwanese think about Filipino food, most of them would most probably be familiar with dried mangoes and fried bananas but many Filipino dishes use similar ingredients and cooking techniques as that of Taiwanese dishes.

For the “Passionate Philippines” event at the Café, Chef Peralta and Chef Pongos were flown from the Grand Hyatt in the City of Dreams Manila to ensure the authenticity of the dishes served during the Filipino food festival.

“We hope that during this period, people can experience and enjoy a truly Filipino food trip,” Ban Khim Tan said.

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