Why include Taiwan in the ban?
Five days ago, Taiwan has reported its 18th coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) case, while as of this writing, Singapore has reported a total of 58 cases.
Yet, the Philippine government has imposed a travel ban on Taiwan but not on Singapore. Analysts say the reason could be political rather than health-related.
The travel ban on mainland China is justifiable at this time, as the country scrambles to contain the spread of the virus outbreak. The inclusion of its special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau is justifiable too, considering that there are several routes and access points to and from the mainland.
There are, in fact, many other Asian countries connected by land to China, yet they are not included in the travel ban imposed by the Philippine government.
But Taiwan, with one of the best healthcare systems in the world, is banned for the simple reason, according to a Philippine Department of Health undersecretary, that "as far as the health community is concerned, Taiwan is part of China."
In a press statement on Wednesday, Senator Francis Pangilinan cautioned the government against making such rash decisions. There are an estimated 154,000 overseas Filipino workers who will be affected by the travel restriction, Pangilinan said.
"Averting the spread of the virus and protecting the health of the Filipinos are the only justifiable reasons for the prohibition, not political considerations to China, which counts Taiwan as one of its Special Administrative Regions," Pangilinan was quoted by The Philippine STAR.
The Taipei Times yesterday reported that the Philippine government has yet to finalize its decision on the ban which it described as already “wreaking havoc on airlines and travel agencies.” It quoted Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs as describing Manila’s decision to have been “unilaterally made by the Philippine Department of Health, as the presidency and the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs appeared ignorant of the decision in earlier communications.”
If the ban is not lifted, Taiwan has seven to eight countermeasures ready, the Taipei Times reported, citing a source familiar with the matter, and adding that “countermeasures are pertinent to bilateral exchanges in finance, agriculture, health and immigration.”
This unfortunate treatment toward Taiwan comes at a time when Taiwan’s scientific resources are most needed by the world in dealing with the spread of the coronavirus. In fairness to Beijing which considers the self-ruled island as its province, Taiwan finally got a seat this week at the World Health Organization coronavirus forum after Beijing gave its nod.
I have a personal bias for Taiwan because it has been an excellent host for my masteral studies in Kaohsiung where I graduated last year (I paid for every cost incurred from my own pocket and a scholarship from UP). Not only that, I’ve observed this self-governing and independent state up close and I could say it is one of the most open yet stable democratic societies in the world.
As a characteristic of a stable and open society, the Taiwanese educational system puts a very high premium on ethics, especially research ethics. Before being cleared for graduation, I had to take a course on research ethics, and passing the exam in that subject was no joke. Indeed, honor, transparency, and excellence in academic research are at the top of the Taiwanese government’s priority.
The World Economic Forum ranks Taiwan 12th out of 141 economies in the Global Competitiveness Report 2019, with competitiveness defined as “the set of institutions, policies and factors that determine the level of productivity.” China ranks a respectable 28th, a notch below Malaysia. (The Philippines is 64th.)
Thus, I can only sympathize with the situation of returning OFWs from Taiwan who feel like being detention prisoners in a government quarantine facility in Cebu, despite the relatively low risk of Taiwan as a virus spreader compared to other Asian countries.
The provincial government is doing everything it can to protect Cebu from the virus outbreak. But it has also acknowledged that the quarantine facility “is not good enough.” It has plans to transfer those under quarantine to a better facility in Pinamungajan town.
Apparently it was the Department of Health which unilaterally decided to add Taiwan in the travel ban. And it didn’t help that Malacañang, according to the Taipei Times, is sending mixed signals. Yet in this mess, it’s the local governments that bear the burden of such a rash decision.
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