A Manila-Taipei agreement could yield benefits beyond fisheries

THE Philippines has much to gain from signing a fisheries agreement with Taiwan, and we hope that the Palace delays it no further.

The need for an agreement resurfaced after the recent standoff between the Philippine Coast Guard and its Taiwanese counterpart. Actually, Taiwan had hoped that the Philippines would sign the pact within the first quarter of 2015, before the fishing season started in April. The rainy season has been forecast to start in the second or third week of June, but with last week’s downpour, it may have already started.