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.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique