All in a day’s work

IN my previous incarnation as a junior foreign service officer at my first post in Hamburg, I did 6 of the 7 corporal acts of mercy (“To feed the hungry; give drink to the thirsty; harbor the homeless; visit the sick; ransom the imprisoned; bury the dead”). I did not have the occasion to fulfill the 7th (“To clothe the naked”), when we took VIPs to watch the girly shows at the Safari and the Salambo.

Our foreign service is peculiar because of the phenomenon of OFWs. Every foreign service officer worth his salt must have rendered assistance to nationals (ATN). At the end of the day, ATN work is the most fulfilling to a Filipino diplomat, knowing that that his intervention has made material difference to overseas Filipino workers (OFW), whom we call “our modern-day heroes” because of their contribution to our balance of payments.

The Philippines and Kuwait have just agreed on the final draft to improve the terms of reference for our OFWs to work n Kuwait. Before it could be signed, a new controversy popped up over a viral video showing Philippine embassy personnel whisking an abused Filipino domestic helper away from her Kuwaiti employer’s home in diplomatic vehicles.

Predictably, the Kuwait foreign ministry summoned Philippine Ambassador Renato Pedro Villa to hand him two diplomatic protest notes. Insiders said the Kuwaiti foreign ministry notes were “related to recent remarks by several Filipino officials which (amounted to) serious offenses against the State of Kuwait and [led] to the actions of some embassy employees in violation of the diplomatic norms governing relations between the two countries as per the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.”

A Kuwait Interior Ministry statement expressed “grave concern” over the episode in the video and warned that “the full force of the law will be brought to bear on those complicit in the wrongdoing.” Professions should weigh in before the incident gets out of hand and prejudices the friendship between the two countries. The Philippines is duty-bound to safeguard its nationals wherever they may be.

The protection of nationals is especially heightened at this time when we still seek resolution on the case of Joanna Demafelis, an OFW reported missing as early as January, 2017, whose remains would be discovered in a freezer in Kuwait around a year later, and finally returned to the Philippines last February 16. The Philippines and Kuwait are cooperating to hold accountable her employers the suspects, Lebanese Nader Essam Assaf and his Syrian wife Mona Hassoun. *** Go helps fishermen detained in Indonesia — News item.

President Rodrigo Duterte’s special assistant Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go on Saturday pledged assistance and support to Filipino fishermen detained in Indonesia. He made the pledge a day after welcoming 31 fishermen repatriated from Indonesia on Friday in Davao City. “Natutuwa ako sa pagsisikap ng ating gobyerno na maibalik sa Pilipinas ang ating mga kababayang Pilipino nang ligtas galing sa Indonesia.”

Translation: Go is a sure bet for a slot as senatorial candidate of the PDP-Laban political party in the 2019 mid-term polls.

***

Taiwan invites Filipinos to study in Taiwan through scholarship programs — News item.

Taiwan, which hosts over 100,000 OFWs, is our closest neighbor and not only welcomes our labor force but offers academic degrees . Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in the Philippines announced various scholarship programs for qualified Filipino students who would like to pursue Masters or Doctoral degrees in Taiwan or for those who would like to learn the Mandarin Language.

Under its Dr. Tsai Ing-wen’s “New Southbound Policy,” Taiwan has opened more slots and types of scholarship programs-to give chance for Filipinos to study in Taiwan, learn the traditional Mandarin language, experience the rich and vibrant Taiwanese culture, and broaden their international perspectives. TECO has opened the application for the following scholarship programs:

1. Ministry of Education Scholarship (MOE) — Offers 2 years scholarship for master’s and 4 years for doctoral degree. MOE shoulders 40,000 NTD of the tuition; the remaining costs will be shouldered by the scholar. An additional 20, 000 NTD will be given every month as scholar’s stipend.

2. Huayu (Mandarin) Enrichment Scholarship — Either 2 months or 3 months intensive Mandarin courses with monthly stipend of 25,000 NTD will be provided to cover all the expenses.

3. International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) — Full tuition fee, living expenses, economyclass airfare tickets, and textbook costs. Scholars pursuing master’s will receive a monthly stipend of 15,000 NTD and 20,000 NTD for those pursuing doctoral degrees.

4. Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) — Scholarship programs providing 2 years for master’s and 3 years for Doctoral. A total of 30,000 NTD monthly will be given to the recipient/s covering tuition fee, stipend, and other expenses. FEEDBACK: