The Double Ten

"Both the mainland and Taiwan have experienced awesome economic growth in the last 40 years."

Tomorrow, Taiwan celebrates its National Day, the Double Ten, where it memorializes the start of the Wuchang Uprising of Oct. 10, 1911 which led to the fall of the Qing Dynasty in China. Eventually, the Chinese republic was formally established on the first of January the following year.

What is unknown to many is that overseas Chinese, who since the 18th century had been populating Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, were sending financial support to founding father, Sun Yat-sen in the effort to overthrow the dynasty.

The tradition to celebrate the Double Ten is continued to this day by overseas Chinese communities in their adopted countries, even those who followed their forebears generations after. In the Philippines, the main celebration will be hosted by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office led by its resident representative, Michael Peiyung Hsu, tomorrow at the Sofitel beside Manila Bay.

Days before, on the first of October, mainland Chinese celebrated the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party by Mao Zedong in Beijing, the new capital after Nanjing with a grand military and civilian parade.  It was held in Tienanmen Square, the same spot where the People’s Republic of China was proclaimed 70 years ago.

Elsewhere in China of course, Hong Kong is still in the thick of ferment, four months running, with protests mostly by students triggered by a new extradition law since repealed.

Both the mainland and Taiwan have experienced awesome economic growth in the last 40 years with significant success in the eradication of poverty and the improvement of the quality of life of its residents, whether China’s 1.4 billion or Taiwan’s 23-million people.

There is so much to learn in the way both have achieved so much development in so short a period of time, looking back at the previous years where their economies lagged behind many of the Western world’s great powers.

More than the sustained leadership character, it is the discipline and sense of purpose as a nation that have brought their economies to where they are today.

The Philippines was proclaimed as a republic more than 121 years ago, but it was stolen by the Americans shortly after, and they ruled the country for the next 42 years before the Pacific War erupted on Dec. 8, 1941.  We had a short-lived Japanese occupation, followed by the proclamation of the Third Republic on July 4, 1946.  For almost three decades, ours was a functioning democracy until Ferdinand Marcos imposed martial law on Sept. 23, 1972.  That period of authoritarian government lasted until Feb. 25, 1986, though resumed by Cory Aquino for about a year as a revolutionary government until the ratification of the 1987 Constitution which remains our fundamental law till today.

During the time we were under American rule, Taiwan was under Japanese rule, which is perhaps where its people’s sense of order and discipline were ingrained.  While public education was thankfully brought in by Americans, we also learned consumerist habits and the individualistic sense of rights versus the preeminence of duty to country and community which characterizes Taiwanese values.

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The remains of two of the Filipino fishermen who perished in the Yilan bridge collapse Tuesday last week will be arriving in the country tomorrow.  Their next-of-kin will be accompanying the remains.

The last remaining victim, whose body was retrieved two days after those of the first two Filipinos, will be arriving in the Philippines early next week.  The family has been notified, their travel papers readied, and are set to fly to Taipei by weekend.

Though quite unfortunate, the accident brought out also the best in the Filipino community’s bayanihan spirit, and the overwhelmingly sympathetic response of the Taiwanese government and charitable organizations strengthened the friendly ties between our peoples.

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Meanwhile, the remains of a less publicized case of another Filipino OFW, that of Desiree Castro Tagubasi of Isabela, were repatriated last Sept. 19.

Tagubasi died after a work accident at Tyntek Corporation in Zhunan Miaoli, Taichung City, when a highly toxic chemical used in the workplace spilled on her lower extremities.  After first aid treatment in a nearby hospital, she was rushed to a better-equipped medical center in the capital Taipei, where she later expired.

Although the company immediately told next-of-kin that they would assist and compensate financially, the details are still being threshed out.  Meanwhile the accident brought to fore the need for stricter workplace safety standards which both the city government and the Taiwan Ministry of Labor will soon impose.

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MECO and the DTI office in Taiwan headed by our Commercial Counsellor, Michael Alfred Ignacio, held a successful investment forum for tourism-related industries at the Grand Hyatt in Taipei City last Thursday, followed by business matching meetings between the presentor agency, Tourism Investment and Enterprise Zone Authority and select Taiwanese conglomerates Friday last week.

TIEZA was represented by its chief operating officer, Pocholo D. Paragas in behalf of the Department of Tourism headed by Secretary Berna Romulo Puyat, as well as TIEZA deputies Karen Mae Sarinas Baydo and Jethro Lozada.

TIEZA discussed both by audio-visual media as well as their lectures the advantages of investing in Philippine tourism infrastructure, including hotels, resorts and other services.  It is noticeable that we lack hotels and resorts especially outside Manila and Cebu, and the few that we have charge very high for accommodation compared to other Southeast Asian tourist destinations.  Paragas also made mention of the tax incentives the Philippine government under President Rodrigo Duterte has extended for TIEZA-registered enterprises.

There was enthusiastic response from the Taiwanese businessmen, and it is hoped that their interest will soon result in greater investment in our tourism industry, as they have previously demonstrated in Subic and even Clark.