Cayetano seeks review of Taiwan travel ban amid COVID-19 scare

MANILA, Philippines — Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on Friday said the government should review the temporary travel ban to Taiwan amid the threat of COVID-19, formerly known as 2019-novel coronavirus.

“For me, I believe na health ang reasons noong gobyerno (it’s about health concerns by the government). Having said that, there’s no point in saying kung mali, tama, political, hindi (if right or wrong). Dapat i-review na agad ito (This should be reviewed immediately),” Cayetano told reporters in Taguig City.

The Department of Health (DOH) earlier confirmed that Taiwan is included in the Philippines’ expanded travel ban.

Undersecretary Eric Domingo explained that since President Rodrigo Duterte and inter-agency task force’s resolution includes China, and the WHO follows the One-China policy, Taiwan is included in the China travel ban.

But for Cayetano, if the review shows that it is safe to travel to Taiwan, Filipinos should not discriminate.

Taiwan has asked the Philippine government to reconsider its inclusion in the travel ban, insisting that it is a sovereign state and not part of the People’s Republic of China.

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo, however, said Taiwan’s inclusion in the temporary travel ban to China and its special administrative regions – Macau and Hong Kong – was imposed by the President “pursuant to the recommendation of the World Health Organization.”