Philippines Deputy Interior Minister Praises Taiwan's Disaster Training Support, Highlights Bilateral Grassroots Synergy

Mabiloc, Undersecretary of the Philippine Department of the Interior and Local Government, recently attended the new-member certification ceremony for the alumni association of the fire-fighting training camp organized by the Chinese-Filipino Cultural and Economic Association. During the event, he publicly affirmed and commended Taiwan's long-term concrete achievements in helping train Filipino volunteer firefighters. Mabiloc pointed out that the professionalism and high efficiency demonstrated by Taiwan in the field of disaster prevention and relief have not only substantially enhanced the disaster response and prevention capabilities of Philippine grassroots communities, but also closely align with the "New Philippines" national reform blueprint currently being vigorously promoted by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., demonstrating a deep and pragmatic foundation of interaction between Taiwan and the Philippines at the levels of civil society and local governance.

The fire-fighting training camp, organized by the Chinese-Filipino Cultural and Economic Association, has continued for years to serve as an important bridge for non-governmental disaster prevention and relief exchanges between Taiwan and the Philippines. Due to its unique geographical location within the Pacific typhoon belt and the Circum-Pacific seismic belt, the Philippines is frequently struck by natural disasters such as typhoons, torrential rains, earthquakes, and volcanic activity every year, creating an urgent demand for grassroots firefighting and rescue capacities. Taiwan has accumulated decades of rich experience and comprehensive systems in fire rescue, emergency medical services, and volunteer firefighter organization mobilization. Through such training mechanisms, Taiwanese disaster prevention and relief experts are able to impart practical experience, search and rescue techniques, and equipment operation knowledge to Philippine trainees, helping the local area build a more resilient community disaster prevention network.

Mabiloc specifically emphasized during the certification ceremony that since taking office, President Marcos Jr. has actively promoted a national development and administrative reform vision centered on the "New Philippines." Its focus lies not only in the transformation of the national economic structure, but also encompasses the improvement of public service quality and the strengthening of government governance capabilities. Amid current challenges of intensifying climate change and the frequent occurrence of extreme weather events, enhancing public disaster awareness and the professional capabilities of frontline response personnel is a crucial link in implementing the policy of safeguarding the lives and property of the people under the "New Philippines" initiative. He expressed high gratitude and recognition for Taiwan's long-standing willingness to share disaster prevention experiences and its substantial contributions to helping the Philippines build a safer society.

From the perspective of geopolitics and substantive diplomacy, as important neighboring democratic partners in the Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan and the Philippines maintain a quiet yet steady development in cooperation across non-traditional security fields such as economy, trade, agriculture, education, and disaster prevention and relief, despite the special limitations on official diplomatic relations. Disaster prevention and rescue belong to cross-border humanitarian care and universal values, transcending national borders and political coloring. Through technical exchanges at the levels of civil organizations and local governments, Taiwan has not only demonstrated to the international community the substantive connotation of Taiwan as a " force for good," but has also deepened the friendship and connection between the grassroots societies of Taiwan and the Philippines through pragmatic professional output.

Looking ahead, as environmental risks brought by global climate change become increasingly severe, traditional disaster prevention and relief models are facing unprecedented tests. The recent positive affirmation from high-ranking officials of the Philippine Department of the Interior and Local Government regarding Taiwan's firefighting training capacity is not only a great encouragement to the fruits of bilateral civil exchanges over the past many years, but also lays a solid foundation for further cooperation between the two sides in the fields of public safety and disaster prevention and relief in the future. Through continuous experience sharing, personnel visits, and technical exchanges, the resilience of both Taiwan and the Philippines in responding to natural disasters will continue to be upgraded, jointly making substantive contributions to the security, stability, and sustainable development of the Indo-Pacific region.

(Source: Central News Agency)