The Philippine government’s estimate for the destruction caused by Typhoon Haiyan stands at approximately 2,500 dead, although non-official estimates have placed the death toll nearer 10,000. The lack of food and clean water in the hardest-hit areas are another serious problem.
Looting was observed on the day after the typhoon hit, and although there is some truth in suspicions that this theft was due to opportunism, the need for food and water supplies was also a major factor.
Disaster victims interviewed stressed the immediacy of their need for relief. The past few days have seen the public security situation on the streets of disaster areas very much in flux, with intermittent flare-ups of gunbattles between police and civilians.
INTERNATIONAL AID
International aid continues to arrive in the Philippines; Taiwan has dispatched several C-130 Hercules tactical airlift planes and the Japan Self Defense Force has sent a 1,000-strong relief team to help in post-disaster efforts, along with Ise-class ships carrying US Air Force MV-22 Osprey helicopters to help in the relief operation.
The USS George Washington, cutting short its stay there, has led a fleet of vessels out of Hong Kong Harbor bound for the Philippines and laden with relief supplies.
The UK and Australia have also sent disaster relief.
The Philippines is an archipelagic nation. The north and the south of the country differ greatly. The north is predominantly Catholic, heavily influenced by its Spanish colonial past.
The south is predominantly Muslim, and consists of scattered islands and islets with forested areas, and uneven economic development.
INSURGENCY
For many years there has been an insurgency in the south seeking independence from the national government in Manila.
After much effort and help from Japan, in August 2011, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front laid down their arms and signed a peace agreement with Manila in Tokyo, which allowed for the establishment of a “state-within-a-state” highly autonomous zone.
However, the government is still fighting the Maoist New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, and the NPA has been ambushing government convoys transporting relief supplies for typhoon victims.
The ability of the Philippine government to handle the situation is a source of concern. Even disregarding the endemic corruption, it does not have sufficient resources to guarantee the safe transport of disaster relief into the hands of those who need it.
UPRISING?
If the situation drags on, there is a danger that the frustration and desperation of the disaster victims will erupt into an uprising.
If this does happen, all political progress made after many years of hard work may well be lost, and it will be back to the drawing board.
A fragmented Philippines in the east of the South China sea will not be in the interests of its regional neighbors.
Given this, and despite the previous tensions between Taiwan and the Philippines over the fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman by Philippine Coast Guard personnel, it is important that Taiwan helps the Philippines, and that the government sends emergency relief to the victims of this latest disaster, if not for humanitarian reasons, then for our mutual strategic interests.
HoonTing is a commentator in Taipei.
Translated by Paul Cooper
On Sept. 3 in Tiananmen Square, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) rolled out a parade of new weapons in PLA service that threaten Taiwan — some of that Taiwan is addressing with added and new military investments and some of which it cannot, having to rely on the initiative of allies like the United States. The CCP’s goal of replacing US leadership on the global stage was advanced by the military parade, but also by China hosting in Tianjin an August 31-Sept. 1 summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which since 2001 has specialized
In an article published by the Harvard Kennedy School, renowned historian of modern China Rana Mitter used a structured question-and-answer format to deepen the understanding of the relationship between Taiwan and China. Mitter highlights the differences between the repressive and authoritarian People’s Republic of China and the vibrant democracy that exists in Taiwan, saying that Taiwan and China “have had an interconnected relationship that has been both close and contentious at times.” However, his description of the history — before and after 1945 — contains significant flaws. First, he writes that “Taiwan was always broadly regarded by the imperial dynasties of
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will stop at nothing to weaken Taiwan’s sovereignty, going as far as to create complete falsehoods. That the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has never ruled Taiwan is an objective fact. To refute this, Beijing has tried to assert “jurisdiction” over Taiwan, pointing to its military exercises around the nation as “proof.” That is an outright lie: If the PRC had jurisdiction over Taiwan, it could simply have issued decrees. Instead, it needs to perform a show of force around the nation to demonstrate its fantasy. Its actions prove the exact opposite of its assertions. A
A large part of the discourse about Taiwan as a sovereign, independent nation has centered on conventions of international law and international agreements between outside powers — such as between the US, UK, Russia, the Republic of China (ROC) and Japan at the end of World War II, and between the US and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) since recognition of the PRC as the sole representative of China at the UN. Internationally, the narrative on the PRC and Taiwan has changed considerably since the days of the first term of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) of the Democratic
RSS