Religious leaders from the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam in Taiwan yesterday urged the government to include migrant workers in an upcoming economic stimulus coupon program that is to start next month.
The coupons are to be issued from July 15 to Taiwanese and foreign spouses with residence permits allowing them to purchase NT$3,000 (US$100.5) worth of vouchers for NT$1,000.
Filipino-American priest Joy Tajonera of Ugnayan Migrant Ministry in Taichung said that the exclusion of migrant workers from the program creates barriers within society.
Screen grab from Premier Su Tseng-chang’s Facebook page
“To exclude migrants is to further divide our society between insiders and outsiders. Migrants are not outsiders,” Tajonera said, adding that migrant workers contribute to the economy through taxes, health and labor insurance.
“We cannot underestimate the contributions of the migrants to making Taiwanese companies competitive and one of the best in the global market,” he said.
As of April, Taiwan employed 711,539 workers from Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines in industries and social welfare, Ministry of Labor statistics showed.
Indonesian priest Ansensius Guntur from Kaohsiung also called for the inclusion of migrant workers in the program.
“If they are working hard in various industries, factories, fishing, and if their contributions are important to the state and Taiwanese people, they also deserve to be helped,” Guntur said.
Vietnamese priest Gioan Tran Van Thiet of Saint Christopher’s Church in Taipei said that in addition to reviving consumer spending, the coupons would also help those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Migrant workers have been even more affected than locals by the pandemic, he said.
Apart from being away from their families, they often find themselves with no support aside from their monthly wages, he said, adding that many have seen their income reduced because of the pandemic.
“So they are even more in need of support from the government of Taiwan to help them buy necessities,” he said.
The inclusion of migrant workers in the program would reflect Taiwan’s desire to treat equally all those who call the country home, he added.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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