Ito ang kinumpirma na isang opisyal ng National Security Council kasunod ng muling pagsiklab ng matinding tension sa pagitan ng Taiwan at mainland China bunsod ng ginawang pagbisita ng ilang kinatawan ng United States Congress sa pangunguna ni Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Ayon kay NSC Deputy Director General Michael Eric Castillo, ang Taiwan ay isang potential flashpoint para sa armadong digmaan sa kanyang pagkaka-alam ay may nakalatag na contingency plan ang gobyerno para sa paglikas ng may 145 libong Overseas Filipino Workers.
… is there is a contingency plan, based on my knowledge there is a contingency plan that has been prepared with respect to repatriation of our overseas Filipino workers in Taiwan because there are at least as of May 2022 , as of may 2022 there are at least 145,000 OFWs working in Taiwan, so there is a contingency plan on that.
Subalit tumangging kumpirmahin ni DDG Castillo na may nakalatag ding contingency plan ang pamahalaan para sa armadong hidwaan. “But with respect to a contingency plan for an armed conflict, I do not have any personal knowledge if there exist a contingency.
Subalit naniniwala si Castillo na hindi sisiklab ang digmaan sa pagitan ng China at Taiwan maging ng United States dahil wala sa dalawang super powers ang gustong magsimula ng giyera.
Sinasabing isang face saving measure lamang ang ginagawang paggiri ng China sa palibot ng Taiwan simula pa kahapon kung saan nakapalibot sa Taiwan ang mga barkong pandigma ng China kasabay ng paglipad ng kanilang hi tech na J-20 stealth fighter jets at nagpakawala ng conventional missiles bilang test fire.
Kasunod ito ng banta ng China na isang araw ay kukunin nila ng puwersahan ang Taiwan region kung kinakailangan .
Ayon kay Castillo…there is no reason for China to initiate an open armed conflict with the US just because of a Pelosi visit, remember that is a non material interest or value, its only, if at all (additional?) value that china is so concerned about.“
“It also not in the interest of US to start or to trigger an armed confrontation with China because it is the interest of the US to keep the status quo.We have to remember that Taiwan is a, Taiwan produces 77 percent of the semi conductors consumed by the world and these semiconductors are actually the, one the key elements in arms production and taking into account that US is a major arms producer, it would not want to disrupt production of semiconductors in that part of the, of the Asia Pacific region, paliwanag ni Castillo.
Subalit hindi inaaalis ng NSC official ang possibility ang peligro ng pagkakaroon ng armed confrontation at ito umano ang dapat paghandaan, “I am not saying that there is none, what I am saying is that based on my personal knowledge I don’t know any of a contingency that exist at the moment, ani Castillo.
Hindi rin kinumpirma ng opisyal kung handa ba ang Pilipinas na sumabak sakaling sumiklab ang giyera , Handa ba ang Pilipinas o may ginagawa bang paghahanda ang bansa sakaling ang US naman ang humingi ng tulong sa Pilipinas sa ilalim ng umiiral na Mutual Defense Treaty.
Dapat umanong maging handa ang defense and security sector ng Pilipinas sa mga ganitong senaryo lalo pa ang may apat na flashpoints para sa posibleng armed conflict na kinabibilangan ng Senkaku Island sa Japan, ang North Korea issue, sigalot sa Taiwan at ang usapin hinggil sa West Philippine Sea . (VICTOR BALDEMOR)
