Love Thy Neighbor: Hold No Grudges, Aid the Philippines

Love Thy Neighbor: Hold No Grudges, Aid the Philippines
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China)
A Translation
November 14, 2013

Summary: Over the past two days, the ROC government has dispatched four transport aircraft loaded with 30 tons of supplies to the Philippines disaster areas. The Central Philippine Military Commander said that he and the victims will "always remember Taiwan." Compassion can win friendship and respect. This is how neighbors should treat each other. This kind of deep rooted friendship may even be the best guarantee of security for Taiwan fishermen at sea.

Full text below:

The Taiwan Region is located on the front lines of typhoon territory. Super Typhoon Haiyan ("Sea Swallow") transformed central Philippines into a living hell. If people on Taiwan could see what has happened, they would surely be moved. But news reports before and after the disaster have been sparse. Most people on Taiwan were unconcerned about this super typhoon. When the ROC government contributed 200,000 USD in humanitarian aid to the Philippines, some even expressed opposition and cynicism. This was truly regrettable.

According to Joint Typhoon Warning Center data, wind speeds for Haiyan measured high as 315 kph. It was the first time in 34 years that the highest average wind speed for a tropical storm exceeded 300 kph. This shows how powerful it was. Haiyan swept the central Philippines provinces, inflicting serious damage, Nine areas within Leyte Province were leveled to the ground. Victims' corpses littered the streets. Boats were washed ashore. Seaside villages were swallowed whole by the waves . The images were heart-breaking.

The Philippines government immediately declared a nationwide state of emergency. But the islands that make up the Philippines are spread out and isolated. Transportation to remote areas is extremely difficult. Many victims lack even basic subsistence, such as food and water. In some areas shops and supplies have been looted, and chaos prevails. A local student said "People were like zombies, walking about looking for food." This got people's attention. Survivors were forced to abandon hope of locating and burying their family members. They were forced to flee the disaster area to stay alive. The scenes were even more terrifying than those of Japan's tsunami two years ago, and presented an urgent humanitarian crisis.

The Philippines disaster left some people on Taiwan cold. The main reason was resentment from past wrangling between the ROC and the Philippines over the Kuang Ta Hsing fishing boat incident. Many still hold grudges. Their anger has yet to subside. But politics is politics, humanitarian aid is humanitarian aid. The Philippine government's irrational obstinacy was tough to swallow. But the people of the Philippines are suffering. Can we really sit on the sidelines? The elder sister of the Kuang Ta Hsing victim said, "The people are innocent, politics should not get dragged into disaster relief." This remark should be enough to silence those enagaged in cold-blooded Schadenfreude.

The ROC government contributied 200,000 USD. This was slightly more than Beijing, which contributed only 100,000 USD, and was accused of being "ungenerous." But does this really qualify as generosity? During the 2011 tsunami in Japan, the ROC government and the private sector on Taiwan contributed a total of 6.8 billion NTD, or 250 million USD. The amount was one thousand times greater. During the 2008 Mainland earthquake, the ROC government contributed 20 billion NTD, and the private sector on Taiwan contributed 5 billion NTD. During this year's earthquake in Ya'an, contributions from Taiwan approached 700 million NTD. During the Asian tsunami, contributions from Taiwan amounted to 400 million NTD. By contrast, a geographically close neighboring country was given a mere 200,000 USD. This is obviously rather shabby.

The issue is not the amount of money. The issue is whether our people still have empathy, whether they still feel others' hunger when they are starving, and whether they still feel others' panic when they are drowning. The issue is whether we still have compassion, and whether we are aware of our double standards. The distance from Taipei to Manila is 1100 km. The distance from Taipei to Tokyo is 2100 km. We had sympathy to spare for victims of the tsunami to our north. But we are apparently indifferent to victims of the typhoon to our south. Such differential treatment may have historical and cultural roots. But they also reflect our own shallowness and myopia.

Over the years many families on Taiwan have hired Filipinos to care for their elderly. Many elderly people on Taiwan who lack mobility have been provided with Filipino care givers, making their twilight years more bearable. Currently the public on Taiwan employs 40,000 Filpino care givers. We want to remind these households, to consider these Filipinos' feelings and the needs of their loved ones back home.

Over the past two days, the ROC government has dispatched four transport aircraft loaded with 30 tons of supplies to the Philippines disaster areas. Taipei is only three hours away from Cebu. Rescue operations from Taiwan can be conducted more rapidly than from other regions. That is why we must not harbor a cynical attitude toward rescue efforts. In recent years, Taiwan has endured a variety of earthquakes, floods, and storms. People understand the importance of the "golden hour," and of the need for adequate supplies, distribution, rescue organization, and knowledge and experience in caring for victims. These can all help in Philippines disaster relief. This includes the timely publication of disaster relief contribution information. Tzu Chi, Taiwan Root, and other private sector volunteers in the first line of medical care and post disaster reconstruction can all make the rescue effort more successful.

When the first batch of relief supplies arrived in Cebu, the Central Philippine Military Commander said that he and the victims will "always remember Taiwan." Compassion can win friendship and respect. This is how neighbors should treat each other. This kind of deep rooted friendship may even be the best guarantee of security for Taiwan fishermen at sea.

愛你的鄰居：人道援菲勿計前嫌
【聯合報╱社論】
2013.11.14 02:06 am

同處於颱風侵襲第一線的國家，台灣民眾如果看到這次超級颱風海燕狂掃菲律賓中部所留下的煉獄慘狀，一定會悽悽然感到不忍。然而，由於事前事後報導資訊的不足，多數民眾不僅對超颱的威脅缺乏關注，連政府捐款廿萬美元援助菲國的人道行動都遭到一些民眾冷言冷語相向，著實令人遺憾。

根據聯合颱風警報中心的資料，這次的海燕颱風被測得中心最高風速每小時達三一五公里，是卅四年來第一個最高平均風速超過三百公里的熱帶氣旋，可見其威力之強大。海燕橫掃菲律賓中部省分，造成嚴重災害，其中雷伊泰省近九成地區被夷為平地，眾多災民曝屍街頭；有些船隻被沖上陸地，有些海邊村落整個被巨浪吞噬，慘不忍睹。

菲國政府隨即宣布進入全國災難狀態，但由於菲國島嶼隔離散布，偏遠地區交通運補極為不易，許多災民連基本維生的水和食物都無法獲得。也因此，已有若干地區發生搶劫商店、掠奪物資的亂象；當地學生形容，「人們像殭屍般行走，四處尋找食物」，讓人聞之悚然。有些生還者甚至被迫放棄埋葬家人的最後一線希望，逃離災區另求生路。這樣的景象，比起兩年前日本海嘯的災難還要恐怖萬狀，且面臨迫切的人道危機。

對於菲國的災難，部分台灣民眾卻冷漠以對，主要原因是先前廣大興漁船事件兩國交涉過程的不愉快所致，不少人因而心存芥蒂或餘憤未消。然而，政治的歸政治，人道的歸人道；菲國政府的無理固令人難以忍受，但菲國人民的苦難難道可以冷眼旁觀？就如廣大興受害者家屬洪大姊所說的，「人民無辜，救援別扯政治」，這句話，應足以喝退那些無聊冷血的幸災樂禍言論。

我政府捐款廿萬美元，比起北京僅捐出十萬美元而被指為「不大方」或許稍勝一籌，但這能算慷慨嗎？二○一一年日本的海嘯，我國政府和民間一共捐出了六十八億台幣，約二點五億美元；兩者差距，是千倍之遙。再看，○八年的大陸汶川地震，我政府捐款廿億台幣，民間捐款五十億；今年的雅安地震，全台捐款近十七億台幣；就連當年南亞海嘯，台灣也捐助了四億多台幣。相形之下，對於一個地緣上如此接近的鄰國所遭遇的巨大災難，捐出區區廿萬美元，實顯寒傖。

重要的，其實不在金錢的多寡，而在我們對他國人民懷有多少「人飢己飢，人溺己溺」的同情；那同時也衡鑑了我們自己的悲憫心，以及我們可能不自知的雙重標準。台北到馬尼拉的航程是一千一百公里，台北到東京是兩千一百公里，我們對北鄰海嘯災民的同情如同泉湧，對南端近鄰難民的流離失所卻無動於衷；這樣的差別心，固與雙方歷史及文化淵源的深淺有關，但會不會也反映了我們自己的淺薄和盲點？

更何況，多年來台灣許多家庭都是因為雇用菲傭，才讓家中托老工作得有著落；許多行動不便的老人也因為有菲傭的陪伴，而享有比較舒適的餘年生活。目前台灣仍雇用了四萬多名菲勞，我們也要提醒這些家庭，應該適度關注這些菲勞的心情以及他們故鄉親人的需要。

近兩日，我國政府已出動四架次運輸機，運送卅噸各界募集的物資前往菲國災區。環顧此一地區，台北飛至宿霧僅三小時，這是台灣的救援行動得以比其他國家快速的優勢，也是我們不應冷眼看待救援任務的原因。事實上，台灣近年歷經各種震災、水災和風災，人們了解救援「黃金時間」之重要，也具有更充分的物資募集、分配乃至組織救援、災民安撫的知識與經驗；這些，在援菲工作上都派得上用場。包括及時公布賑災捐款帳號，與慈濟及路竹會等民間志工在第一線的醫療、重建工作，都可使整個救援工作更完滿。

當我國第一批救濟物資運抵宿霧時，代表接收的菲國中部軍區司令戴維拉圖達致謝說，他和災民都會「永遠記得台灣」。以關懷贏得友誼和尊重，才是鄰國相處之道；這種有根的友誼，或許才是台灣漁民在海上作業的最佳安全保障。