About 191,000 Filipino workers in Taiwan should be at the heart of Taiwan-Philippines ties, Taipei conference hears
At a Southeast Asian studies conference at National Chengchi University on 22 October, Gloria Marcado urged Taiwan and the Philippines to put migrant workers' welfare, labour protection and social security at the core of their cooperation.
About 191,000 Filipino migrant workers are working in Taiwan, and their welfare should sit at the core of Taiwan-Philippines cooperation, Gloria Marcado told the 2026 Taiwan Southeast Asian regional studies annual conference in Taipei on 22 October, TVBS News reported. TVBS identified her as chair of the Philippine presidential National Commission of Senior Citizens.
The two-day conference, themed "From the New Southbound Policy to the Indo-Pacific Prospect", ran on 22 and 23 October at National Chengchi University's Institute of International Relations. It was co-organised by the Taiwan Association of Southeast Asian Studies, National Chengchi University and Academia Sinica's Center for Asia-Pacific Area Studies.
More than a workforce
Marcado said that besides the roughly 191,000 Filipino migrant workers, about 5,000 Filipino students are studying in Taiwan, showing that ties between the two countries now reach beyond government into society and families. She stressed that every migrant worker has a family behind them and should not be seen only as labour or a statistic, but as an important bridge for mutual understanding.
She called for the two sides to strengthen cooperation on migrant workers' rights, fair employment, public services, emergency assistance and skills training, and to treat migrant workers' welfare as a foundation for a long-term partnership.
From trade to creating value together
On the economy, Marcado said Taiwan's strengths in technology, manufacturing, electronics, smart agriculture and advanced supply chains complement the Philippines' young workforce, English skills and digital-industry potential. She said future cooperation should look beyond the size of bilateral trade to creating industrial value together in areas such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, smart manufacturing, education and medical technology.
She also noted that because the two countries are geographically close, regional tensions could affect migrant workers' families, supply chains, energy and communications, and urged cooperation on disaster prevention, public health, digital governance and community resilience.
The conference programme also included a call-for-papers theme on Taiwan and Southeast Asia's transnational links through new immigrants, migrant workers and international students.
Read the web like we doTurn any page into clean, ready-to-use data with FirecrawlKey facts
- About 191,000 Filipino migrant workers are working in Taiwan, according to Gloria Marcado as reported by TVBS.
- About 5,000 Filipino students are studying in Taiwan, Marcado said.
- The 2026 Taiwan Southeast Asian regional studies annual conference ran on 22 and 23 October at National Chengchi University.
- Marcado called for cooperation on migrant workers' rights, fair employment, public services, emergency assistance and skills training.
Official sources
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