Taiwan may cancel Filipinos’ visa-free entry due to the travel ban issue
The Taiwanese government, reportedly, may take back the visa-free entry of Filipinos in Taiwan due to the travel ban issue.
The Philippine government included in its travel ban list the said country because of the Novel Coronavirus outbreak, based on a previous report. It was confirmed last month that a Taiwanese was infected by the virus. The said infected woman who is in her fifties returned to Taiwan after living in Wuhan, the place which is considered as the epicenter of the virus outbreak.
As a precautionary measure, the Philippines released the travel ban in order to hinder the entry of Filipinos in certain countries. However, that list did not sit well with the Taiwanese government. Based on the report from Inquirer, Taipei may cancel the visa-free entry of Filipinos. The country which is identified as part of China gave the 14-day visa-free privilege to Filipinos in 2017 and has been extended until July 2020.
Angelito Banayo, chair of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taipei, said during a recent radio interview that the cancellation of the visa-free entry of Filipinos could be among the “reactive measures” that Taipei will do against the Philippines.
This may be imposed as a retaliation to the travel ban list that the Philippine government released. “Posible rin ‘yun ang unang hakbang (It could be the first step). Anything is possible,” the MECO chairman said.
Banayo added that Taiwan believed that the travel ban that the Philippines imposed is more inclined on the “political” reason and not because the country is concerned mainly on the health issue. The MECO chairman also said that Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has already ordered the members of her Cabinet to come up with a possible retaliation against the Philippine government, based on the report.
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Because of the rapid spread of the covid-19 virus it’s been normal for most countries to stop visa issuance and suspend visa waiver to nations severely affected by the virus.