OFWs in Taiwan seen to hit 100,000 by yearend

MANILA, Philippines - The number of Filipinos working in Taiwan is expected to balloon to 100,000 by the end of the year.

In an interview with reporters, Manila Economic Cultural Office (MECO) chairman Amadeo R. Perez Jr. said Taiwanese firms are receiving a number of inquiries from OFWs who lost their jobs as a result of the unrest in Egypt, Libya and other countries in that region.

Perez said OFWs prefer Taiwan because there are no reports of abuse from Taiwanese firms. Likewise, he said firms from Taiwan pay their workers on time.

Perez said there are many jobs in Taiwan but Vietnamese and Indonesians are getting the job because these people are prepared to do any kind of work.

Currently there are 90,000 Filipinos working in Taiwan.

Meanwhile, six Taiwanese firms have visited the Philippines in the hopes of transferring their operations here from mainland China. MECO said the six firms will invest, at the very least $120 million.

Perez said they played host to a plastic manufacturer who has visited Batangas, Subic and Clark. He said the plastic manufacturer will only be building the industrial part and not the plastic itself which may potentially be a pollutant.

Likewise, a bed manufacturer will be locating in Clark. The investment is $20 million. The firm will be exporting frames and mattresses to Europe, Asia and the United States. The other firms visited Clark, Cebu and Subic.

“They assessed the situation. They came here to see,” Perez said. Their main requirement is proximity to ports, airports and seaports. Perez said this is the reason why they are promoting Clark and Subic freeports. “Clark and Subic can accommodate more investors.”

Perez said the Taiwanese firms in China are leaving because of the stringent labor requirements. Perez said the trade attaché in Taiwan is working very hard in talking to potential Taiwanese investors.

Unfortunately, Perez said most of the relocating Taiwanese firms prefer Vietnam and Indonesia over the Philippines because of the very high minimum wage here and the exorbitant power costs. “They prefer Vietnam and Indonesia because the minimum wage and the cost of power are very high.”