Scanning the front page of yesterday’s Taipei Times, one gets to pine for the “sensational” news items that is daily grist for Philippine media.
Banner story is about a “Quake-safety plan for older buildings.” Government here is embarking on a comprehensive examination of older buildings to determine their earthquake-resistance capabilities.
And how is an “old” building defined? All six-story buildings built before the year 2000. Nakaka-inggit.
The Taiwan cabinet is allocating a four-year US $207.63-million budget to cover “fast screening, resistance analysis, reconstruction, reinforcement and financial aid” for buildings built before 2000.
This action comes in the wake of the February 6 earthquake that killed 17 people in Hualien, among them a Filipina caregiver, Melody Albano Castro of Abulug, Cagayan.
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Next front-page story is about the new Central Bank Governor Yang Chin-long’s policy favoring monetary stability as he aims to keep the financial system and consumer prices stable.
Do news items like these get into our front pages back home? Of course not.
In yesterday’s news from back home, one gets inundated by the continuing blame-game over the Dengvaxia vaccine mess. Hearings in the Senate, hearings in the House. Persida wailing, PNoy questioning the bona fides of Persida’s forensic “expert,” Persida questioning the impartiality of everyone but PAO.
And Mocha coming up with another “fake news” controversy.
Oh well. Manila is definitely more news-exciting, more sensational. But other countries, like Singapore and South Korea, Vietnam and Thailand, and yes, Taiwan, with all their “boring” news, are giving their people a better quality of life.
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Speaking of the destructive earthquake here last Feb. 6, we still continue to experience aftershocks both strong and mild. Last Sunday, we had an Intensity 5 quake in Yilan, just an hour north of the capital, Taipei, at 2:30 am, when everyone was asleep. Fortunately, it was quick and there were no casualties nor building damage.
Meanwhile, the remains of the unfortunate Melody Castro were brought home to Abulug on Feb. 15, nine days after the Hualien quake. It arrived in Manila on Feb. 14 and was brought home to Cagayan province the following day via a commercial flight to Tuguegarao.
We would like to express our thanks to the Labor and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration officials, both here in Taipei and in Manila, as well as our Meco ATN personnel who looked after the recovery efforts all the way to accompanying the remains to Cagayan, for their quick action.
Apart from the OWWA benefits which Secretary Silvestre Bello and the OWWA board approved despite Melody’s non-renewal of her membership, the family received a substantial amount from the insurance coverage made by Melody’s employers, plus assistance from the Hualien government, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development counterpart in Taiwan.
Meco was able to raise substantial financial donations and together with those of the Taiwan Association in the Philippines, a trust fund for Melody’s six-year old daughter is being arranged, for turn-over to the family soon.
Still and all, no amount of financial assistance can compensate for the loss of life, and we express our profound condolences with Melody’s family.
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Here in Taiwan, the Cabinet had to reassure the public that there is an ample supply of toilet paper!
For the past week, the commodity was flying off the shelves of supermarkets due to reports that prices would increase dramatically in March.
The cabinet’s Consumer Protection Committee conferred with supermarket chains and paper suppliers who gave assurances that there is enough stock and replenishment will be made.
Yet back home, consumers are panicking because rice prices are increasing, and legislators as well as food security agencies are debating about whether there is a shortage of the prime staple or not.
Determining the cause of the problem isn’t really such a big deal. It’s a question of numbers, the ability to calculate and the foresight to prepare.
Numbers, not words. And we can’t even get that straight.