News Roundup 12 February 2020
Feb 12, 2020 • 2 min Read
Taiwan may cancel visa-free entry for Filipinos over travel ban issue – Banayo |INQUIRER.NET – Taipei may take back the visa-free entry of Filipinos in their country after the Philippines included Taiwan in its travel restrictions due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. In an interview over radio station dzMM on Wednesday, Angelito Banayo, chair of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taipei, said canceling the visa-free entry of Filipinos could be among the “reactive measures” the Taiwanese government may impose in retaliation of the travel ban.
Pangilinan questions motive behind Taiwan inclusion in COVID-19 travel ban | PHILSTAR.COM –Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan on Wednesday night called on the Department of Health to clarify their rationale in including Taiwan in the temporary travel ban called for by President Rodrigo Duterte.
Senate employees’ union express support for ABS-CBN amid quo warranto case | Manila Bulletin – The Sandigan ng mga Empleyadong Nagkakaisa sa Adhikain ng Demokratikong Organisasyon (SENADO) expressed support on Wednesday for ABS-CBN Corporation amid the quo warranto case filed by the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) on the alleged violations of its franchise. “We express our support and sympathy to the workers of ABS-CBN and condemn all forms of harassment and vilification of people critical to any wrongdoings, unjust policies of the state, commits abuse of authority, and people who use power to silence critics, suppress freedom of expression and press freedom,” SENADO said in a statement.
‘Termination to have serious implications’ | The Manila Times – The US Embassy in Manila on Tuesday said the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and the United States will have “significant” implications. “This is a serious step with significant implications for the US-Philippines alliance. We will carefully consider how best to move forward to advance our shared interests,” the embassy said in a statement.
