No need for extra budget for Taiwan contingency - Palace

Metro Manila, Philippines - Malacañang on Friday assured the public that the government has sufficient contingency plans for Filipinos in Taiwan in case of conflict, dismissing concerns about the need for additional funding.

Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said the administration has crisis protocols in place, echoing Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro’s assurance that agencies are prepared to respond to potential emergencies.

“Tama po si DFA Secretary Lazaro na mayroon pong contingency plan, so nothing to worry. Kasi nagawa na rin po natin ito noong nagkaroon ng isyu ang Israel. Wala sa budget pero nakaya po natin,” Castro told reporters.

[Translation: Secretary Lazaro of the DFA is right that there is a contingency plan, so there’s nothing to worry about. We were also able to do this when there was an issue in Israel. It wasn’t in the budget, but we managed]

Asked whether the government would need to allocate a separate budget for Taiwan, Castro replied: “Hindi naman po kailangan.”

Her comments followed Senate hearings where lawmakers expressed doubts about whether existing resources would be enough to repatriate nearly 170,000 Filipinos working in Taiwan if hostilities break out in the Taiwan Strait.

Lazaro told senators that the Department of Foreign Affairs and other agencies have been coordinating on evacuation scenarios since early this year, while Migrant Workers Undersecretary Bernard Olalia said a crisis management team is already in place.

The Department of Migrant Workers maintains a ₱1.2 billion action fund that covers repatriation costs, while the DFA has a separate assistance fund. Still, some senators, including Imee Marcos and Erwin Tulfo, warned that the government may lack sufficient ships, aircraft, and budget to move such a large population.

The Palace, however, maintained that the government has the capability to respond if needed.