A 23-year-old Philippine man has been reunited with his biological Taiwanese father after coming to Taiwan in search of a man he had never met, Kaohsiung police said on Friday.
The man, only identified as Michael, on July 28 came to Renwu Precinct’s Dashu Police Station asking for help, with nothing more than an old wedding photograph of his parents, police said.
Michael’s Chinese name is Huang Chun-hao (黃俊豪).
Dashu Police Station Chief Kao Tsuan (高鑽) said that Michael and two friends from the Philippines who accompanied him seemed distressed because they could not speak Mandarin, but the police officers on duty spoke English and were able to help them.
The officers learned that Michael, who was raised by his mother in the Philippines, was visiting Taiwan for the first time in search of his father.
Beyond the old photograph, the only lead he could give police was that he believed his father had lived in the village of Singshan (興山) in Dashu District (大樹), police said.
With the help of the village warden, Michael’s father was found the same day and was asked to visit the police station to meet his son, Kao said, adding that the meeting was an emotional affair.
Michael’s father married his mother 23 years ago, but separated after only four months, the police said, adding that he was unaware that Michael’s mother was pregnant when she returned to the Philippines and they had not spoken since their separation.
The meeting was a brief encounter, as Michael had to get back to his work in the Philippines, but he exchanged contact details with his father and told him that he would return to Taiwan.
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