Philippine Representative to Taiwan Angelito Tan Banayo on Thursday e-mailed Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) expressing his “deep regret” over remarks Han made about hiring Filipinos as English teachers, the Manila Economic and Cultural Office said yesterday.
In the e-mail, which was made public by the office, Banayo said it was with deep regret that he noted Han’s remarks in connection with his efforts to transform Kaohsiung into a bilingual city.
“Aside from the fact that the Philippines is the fourth-largest English-speaking country in the world, with at least 92 percent of the population able to speak English as a second language, we particularly take exception to your use of the term ‘Marias’ in reference to our citizens,” said Banayo, who is chairman of the office.
Photo: Wu Chun-feng, Taipei Times
“Maria” carries negative undertones in Taiwan when used to refer to foreign workers, Banayo said.
Han on Wednesday told a meeting of the Chinese National Association of Industry and Commerce in Taipei that he feared that hiring educated employees from the Philippines as English teachers “would cause a psychological shock for Taiwanese, as people might wonder: How has our Maria become a teacher?”
Han on Thursday said that his comments were not meant to discriminate against Filipinos, but rather to underline the need to mentally prepare parents if his city is to hire Filipinos as English teachers.
Banayo said in the letter that the Philippine government has strived to achieve the highest standards for its people who work overseas to provide for their families at home.
“It is incumbent upon us to uphold and protect their dignity, sacrifices and contributions to national development from impetuous and undeserved labeling,” he said.
Han in a statement yesterday issued an apology, saying that his statement was meant as a “joke” and to encourage Taiwanese to improve their language skills rather than looking outward for talent.
“However, Han Kuo-yu feels deeply sorry for causing misunderstanding and displeasure among the Philippine people,” the statement said.
He hopes to engage in more diversified cooperation with the Southeast Asian nation in the future, the statement said.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS