Ma’s antics

It was indeed very unfortunate that a Taiwanese fisherman was killed when a patrol ship of the Philippine Coast Guard accosted his errant fishing boat last week. The Philippine vessel – actually a joint patrol ship of the Coast Guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) – chanced upon the Taiwanese fishing boat straying into the disputed, overlapping sealanes in Balintang Channel.

While nobody wanted or intended anyone to be killed, opposition leaders in Taipei used this sad incident to bear upon their incumbent government officials led by their President Ma Ying-jeou. The incident has been blown out of proportion and thousands of innocent Filipino workers are now bearing the brunt of undeserved wrath and scorn of the Taiwanese people.

Having in mind the welfare of more than 90,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) all over Taiwan, President Benigno “Noy” Aquino III issued a “personal apology” to the family of the slain Taiwanese fisherman. Adhering to the “one-China” policy, this is all that P-Noy could do.

At the time of the incident, the Taiwanese fishing boat was sailing some 80 kilometers off the Balintang Channel. Or this was 304 kilometers southeast of Taiwan based on the Coast Guard account of the incident. The Taiwanese fishermen who did not obviously understand any English words were probably surprised to find a Coast Guard accosting them and telling them they were in Philippine territory.

The Coast Guard admitted it fired at the Taiwan-flagged fishing boat to “disable” its engine because it reportedly tried to ram its vessel several times. If not for its maneuvers, the Coast Guard ship could have sunk, or so the Coast Guard claimed.

This certainty of sinking in Balintang Channel has high risks, as anyone who has sailed there will tell you. I experienced this myself on board the former presidential yacht BRP Ang Pangulo when it conked out while we were in Balintang Channel.

Along with several other Malacañang reporters and photographers and members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG), we were going back to Manila after having covered the visit to Batanes of P-Noy’s late mother, former President Corazon Aquino. While the yacht was running with just one engine, we were tossed around by turbulent waves as the crew repaired the ship. We were later told the Balintang Channel is one of the most dangerous parts of Philippine waters where the China Sea meets the Pacific Ocean.

Thus, the Coast Guard personnel, in defending the country’s territory and themselves, were not trying to kill anyone in Balintang Channel. They were trying to save their lives as well, and were just doing their job.

The truth is, Taiwanese fishermen have long been poaching in our territorial waters in Balintang Channel, the small waterway that separates the Batanes and Babuyan islands. Both Philippine islands lie in the Luzon Strait, clearly Philippine territory.

Ask the local Ivatan fishermen of Batanes. The Taiwanese commercial fishing vessels have been lording it over the channel because they are the only ones who could. Local fishermen, with their small boats, cannot handle the gigantic waves in the area. Indeed, they regularly hire local Ivatans to do the dirty work in their boats and pay them a pittance.

Despite this, P-Noy also asked the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) to make unspecified donations to the family of the slain Taiwanese fisherman. But even P-Noy’s personal emissary, MECO chief Amadeo Perez, who flew to Taipei to do this errand, was prevented to do so. Perez was bullied, physically and otherwise, the minute he stepped in Taiwan soil.

There have been some reports that some of our OFWs in Taiwan were experiencing different kinds of maltreatment from their employers. To put it in perspective, these complaints have been reported even before the Batanes incident.

But for the sake of diplomacy and for the sake of our workers in Taiwan, President Aquino ate humble pie and formally apologized. For now, the commander and crew of the Coast Guard vessel were relieved and the incident is being investigated by Philippine law enforcement authorities led by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

That’s what a President is supposed to do. He is supposed to put the welfare of his people first. I’m sure there are many who disagree with the decision to apologize to Taiwan when the Coast Guard people were just defending Philippine waters against poachers. They would rather have the President play hardball, stand toe-to-toe and do some macho posturing, but what good would that do?

Nothing. Like Taiwanese President Ma’s saber rattling, it would do more harm than good to both the Taiwanese and the Filipino people. But we must think about the plight of our OFWs employed in Taiwan’s factories and homes who might be affected by the escalation of adversarial relations with a bully.

Filipinos comprise the third-largest group of foreign workers in Taiwan. Figures from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Manila show that Taiwan was the seventh top destination country for OFWs in 2012.

The president of Taiwan recalled back to Taipei the very amiable and hardworking Raymond Wang as TECO representative in the Philippines. President Ma also froze the hiring of Filipino workers after rebuffing President Aquino’s apology. The Taiwan government also issued a “red” travel alert urging Taiwanese not to visit the Philippines. But the more rational Taiwanese people ignore their government’s perorations and are still coming here.

Over the weekend, Taiwan leaders have notably toned down their previous demands. In their latest official statements, they just renewed their request to conduct a joint investigation into the incident in line with the existing mutual legal assistance agreement and to hold bilateral talks on fishery to prevent the recurrence of a similar incident.

Taiwan doesn’t have enough local skilled workers to keep its economy going. They need our OFWs more than we need Taiwan. With Taiwan’s economy in doldrums, President Ma cannot afford to look soft because his approval ratings are hovering at a very low 14 percent.

Taiwan’s tough stance and show of force are openly meant to score brownie points for their embattled President Ma. But why must we be dragged into Ma’s antics?