The Taiwanese government has donated $200,000, equivalent to P11,636,800.00, to assist Filipinos affected by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake in Cebu on September 30.
The announcement was made during the celebration of the 114th National Day of the Republic of China (Taiwan) on Saturday.
In a social media post, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office said the donation will support the communities affected in Cebu.
“In a heartfelt gesture of solidarity, the Taiwan government announced a US$200,000 donation to support communities affected by the Cebu earthquake, to be coursed through MECO [Manila Economic and Cultural Office] to the Cebu Provincial Government, followed by the provision of relief materials,” the post reads.
Taiwanese Ambassador to the Philippines Wallace Minn-Gan Chow also underscored the Philippines and Taiwan relations, noting ‘the increasing numbers of Filipino tourists visiting Taiwan and the recent largest-ever Taiwanese business delegation to the Philippines last August’.
He also expressed Taiwan’s sincere appreciation to the Philippine government for the reciprocal 14-day visa-free entry for Taiwan passport holders.
In June, the MECO announced that Taiwanese nationals would no longer require visas for tourism visits lasting up to 14 days in the Philippines.
This mutual agreement follows Taiwan’s announcement of a one-year extension of its visa-free entry scheme for Filipino tourists.
