Two Philippine food trucks dishing out free pork sisig and pork adobo along with mojitos and San Miguel beers have started a two-week tour of Taipei to promote tourism in the Southeast Asian country.
The trucks are to be at Eslite Xinyi Store on Songgao Road from 6pm to 8pm today, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park from 2pm to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday, the pedestrian walkway near East Metro Mall’s No. 12 exit from 6pm to 8pm from Monday to Friday next week, POPOP Taipei from 2pm to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday next week, and the pedestrian walkway near East Metro Mall’s No. 12 exit from 6pm to 8pm on June 20 to 21.
Philippine Department of Tourism in Taiwan director Hazel Habito Javier said the trucks are expected to dish out about 1,400 hot meals, which come with garlic rice, salted eggs, atchara and turon, to those who take a photograph with the vehicles and upload it to social media and like the Philippine Department of Tourism in Taiwan on Facebook.
The promotion aims to heighten the awareness and appreciation of Philippine cuisine and attract Taiwanese holidaymakers to the country, which on April 1 reopened its borders to travelers who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, Javier said.
FOOD AND IDENTITIY
“For the Philippines, similar to Taiwan, food and drinks are an integral part of our history and identity. It has become a key element of our nation’s brand image,” she said.
“We hope that through this effort, Taiwanese will have a pleasant experience that will push them to pack their bags and travel to the Philippines,” she added.
Taiwan is one of the top five sources of tourists to the Philippines, with about 327,273 Taiwanese heading to the country in 2019, she said.
Moreover, Taiwanese tourists’ spending in the country in 2019 totaled US$252.1 million, she added.
“These figures indicate sustained consumer interest and strong potential to expand further, considering the accessibility and proximity of the Philippines to Taiwan,” Javier said.
Manila Economic and Cultural Office Deputy Resident Representative Teodoro Luis Javelosa Jr said the relationship between the Philippines and Taiwan is strong, as workers from the Philippines drive industry growth in Taiwan.
“We are next-door neighbors. Tourism is important to the Philippines, which is why we are working hard to convince more Taiwanese to start traveling back to our islands,” he added.
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated