Taiwan and the Philippines yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to enhance bilateral exchange and experience-sharing on landslide and debris flow disasters.
The MOU, titled “Partnership on Landslide and Debris Flow Disaster Research,” was signed by Taiwanese Representative to the Philippines Wallace Chow (周民淦) and his Filipino counterpart, Silvestre Bello III.
Bello is the chairman of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO), which represents the Philippines’ interests in Taiwan in the absence of diplomatic ties.
Photo: CNA
Due to the geographical proximity of the two countries, both face similar natural disasters, such as typhoons, earthquakes and landslides, Chow said during the signing ceremony.
A recent example is the massive earthquake which struck on April 3, measuring a magnitude 7.2 on the Richter scale, which left at least 18 people dead and caused widespread damage in his hometown, Hualien County, Chow said.
It is imperative for both governments to strengthen collaboration in the field, he said.
The MOU is expected to facilitate future joint research and development on investigation, monitoring and early warning systems, as well as remote sensing technology, Chow said.
The collaboration would educate and empower communities in responding to natural disasters and enable the creation of more resilient technology, he added.
Bello said the MOU marks another milestone in the Philippines-Taiwan relationship that would help both sides address critical issues in mitigating landslide and debris flow disasters.
The MOU would facilitate wider cooperation “transcending national and local boundaries,” Bello said.
The deal was sealed yesterday during a half-day workshop held at the Ministry of Agriculture office in Taipei, attended by experts from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology to exchange techniques and share experiences on landslide and debris flow disasters.
The ministry has worked closely with the institute over the past few years and jointly organized international seminars to conduct in-depth discussions on natural disaster management issues, share valuable experiences and develop closer ties, it said.
The MOU signed yesterday covers cooperation on soil and water conservation technology, geological disaster research, climate change impact assessment, adaptation strategies and the application of high technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence to disaster management, the ministry said.
The two parties are to jointly organize seminars, workshops, education and training, based on scientific research and technological innovation, to jointly improve their ability to handle landslides, it added.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by