Ranking solon joins calls to lift travel ban on Taiwan
Published Feb 14, 2020 12:00 am
By Ellson Quismorio
Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez has added his voice to calls for the Philippine government to lift its ban on the entry of visitors coming from Taiwan.
Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Representative Rufus Rodriguez (Rufus Rodriguez official Facebook / MANILA BULLETIN)
The travel ban was imposed as part of government efforts to contain the spread of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which originated from Hubei province, China. Aside from the mainland, Chinese territories Hong Kong and Macau are also covered by the Philippine travel ban.
Rodriguez, chairman of the House committee on constitutional amendments and a staunch President Duterte ally, said officials who recommended the prohibition on Taiwan “should rethink it.”
“The recommendation has no basis. The World Health Organization (WHO) report of countries with reported infections did not include Taiwan as of last Wednesday, February 12. There is no single case in our friendly neighbor in the north,” he said in a statement Friday.
He noted that the travel ban also covers overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in Taiwan.
Rodriguez added that OFWs who want to go home cannot do so, while those who are here for a short vacation or to visit their families cannot return to their jobs in Taiwan due to the travel restriction.
Rodriguez, who was immigration commissioner during the Estrada administration, pointed out that there are 160,000 Filipinos in Taiwan, including those from Cagayan de Oro City and Misamis Oriental. He called on the President to lift the restriction immediately.
Taipei, on the other hand, has threatened action if the ban isn't scrapped.
Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III reiterated Thursday that the decision to include Taiwan in the travel ban was purely a "health decision and not a political decision."
In a joint House panel hearing earlier this week, Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat told solons that the expected reduction in visitor arrivals from China, Hong Kong, and Macau as a result of the COVID-19 scare "will result in foregone revenue that will carry over until about April this year, totaling to an estimated value of P38 billion."
"If we include Taiwan, it will be P42.9 billion ," she said.
Read more: Gordon urges gov’t to lift travel ban on Taiwan, citing economic, other considerations
Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Representative Rufus Rodriguez (Rufus Rodriguez official Facebook / MANILA BULLETIN)
The travel ban was imposed as part of government efforts to contain the spread of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which originated from Hubei province, China. Aside from the mainland, Chinese territories Hong Kong and Macau are also covered by the Philippine travel ban.
Rodriguez, chairman of the House committee on constitutional amendments and a staunch President Duterte ally, said officials who recommended the prohibition on Taiwan “should rethink it.”
“The recommendation has no basis. The World Health Organization (WHO) report of countries with reported infections did not include Taiwan as of last Wednesday, February 12. There is no single case in our friendly neighbor in the north,” he said in a statement Friday.
He noted that the travel ban also covers overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in Taiwan.
Rodriguez added that OFWs who want to go home cannot do so, while those who are here for a short vacation or to visit their families cannot return to their jobs in Taiwan due to the travel restriction.
Rodriguez, who was immigration commissioner during the Estrada administration, pointed out that there are 160,000 Filipinos in Taiwan, including those from Cagayan de Oro City and Misamis Oriental. He called on the President to lift the restriction immediately.
Taipei, on the other hand, has threatened action if the ban isn't scrapped.
Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III reiterated Thursday that the decision to include Taiwan in the travel ban was purely a "health decision and not a political decision."
In a joint House panel hearing earlier this week, Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat told solons that the expected reduction in visitor arrivals from China, Hong Kong, and Macau as a result of the COVID-19 scare "will result in foregone revenue that will carry over until about April this year, totaling to an estimated value of P38 billion."
"If we include Taiwan, it will be P42.9 billion ," she said.
Read more: Gordon urges gov’t to lift travel ban on Taiwan, citing economic, other considerations