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Sunday, March 22, 2026 Vol. 21 No. 161
P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 14 pages | 7 DAYS A WEEK
A CRISIS IN TAIWAN
Any upheaval over Taiwan could trigger Southeast Asia’s biggest evacuation, according to a study, and Asean members are urged to avoid ‘Ostrich syndrome’ MAP of Asia displayed on a globe at a studio in London, February 27, 2024. AP/KIN CHEUNG
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By Malou Talosig-Bartolome
HE war in the Middle East has once again laid bare the fragility of global crisis-response systems. From Israel to Gaza, governments scrambled to evacuate their nationals as rockets fell and air routes narrowed.
Thailand alone repatriated nearly 9,000 citizens from Israel after the October 2023 Hamas attacks, while the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia mounted urgent flights to bring home workers caught in the crossfire. These operations, though successful, leaned heavily on commercial airlines, uncontested airspace, and relatively cooperative host governments. They were difficult,
but they were possible. Now imagine a similar evacuation—but in Taiwan. The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) warns that Southeast Asia is dangerously unprepared for such a scenario. Unlike the Middle East, a Taiwan contingency would unfold in a heavily militarized environment, where air routes could be severed, ports blockaded, and land trans-
port disrupted. Extracting nearly one million Southeast Asian citizens from Taiwan would require a noncombatant evacuation operation (NEO) of unprecedented scale and complexity. “Strategic policymakers are generally aware of the dangerous consequences of such a conflict, but they stop short of making serious preparations for it,” the IISS study cautions.
A diaspora at risk
BETWEEN 780,000 and one million citizens from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam currently live, work, or study in Taiwan. Their safety would be the first humanitarian test of any US–China conflict. “No single state could unilaterally conduct an NEO to extract most of its citizens from Taiwan,” Continued on A2
Bagani Hong Lawod: Bringing Butuan’s historic culture back to life Text & photos by Erwin M. Mascariñas
F
OR centuries, long before modern cities across the Philippines began to take shape, a thriving kingdom known as Butuan was said to be a hub for trade and ethnocultural exchange not only for northeastern Mindanao but also across the archipelago and beyond its ocean borders, highlighted by the seafaring journeys of the large wooden sailing vessels, the Balangay boats. Now, that story sails again, not in history books, nor along the hallways of museums and historical sites; but on stage, through a play dubbed Bagani Hong Lawod. Bagani Hong Lawod, Guardians of the Northern Seas, a local musical theatre play performed by the Balangay Repertory Theater Inc. and produced by the Kulture Revival Events Core Inc., dramatizes the Kingdom of Butuan at its peak, giving an artistic take on its historic past and echo-
ing its legendary voyages across Southeast Asia into a visual, musical cultural ambassador. Through music, choreography, and storytelling, the production celebrates the city’s ancient heritage and positions Butuan as a center of contemporary arts. The third staging on February 25, 2026, at the Father Saturnino Urios University followed the play’s debut in October 2025 for select audiences and was presented free to the public as part of Butuan’s hosting of the National Arts Month celebration for Mindanao. The production, supported by the grant from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), gave its audience a glimpse into the range of what local talents are capable of. The story centers on a group of early naval explorers from the precolonial Kingdom of Butuan who navigate the open ocean aboard a Balangay boat, with high hopes and expectations, the challenges they face in the high seas, and the
measure of how a betrayal would test their courage, loyalty, and humanity throughout their voyage.
An artist’s voyage of discovery
FOR Sai Collado, artistic director of Balangay Repertory Theatre Inc., the production fulfills a longstanding dream, an artist’s voyage of discovery amid trials and tribulations. “It is the realization of a dream, that one day community theater artists and cultural workers here will be able to show their hearts, hear their voices, and see their souls on stage,” he said. Collado added that the musical has broader significance. “Bagani Hong Lawod is not only for Butuan. Butuan belongs to the Philippines, it is for Filipinos. The value we carry in this story is not only the story of Butuan, it is the story of the Filipino people. Ultimately, we want to bring Butuan, and the Philippines, to the world,” Collado added. Continued on A2
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 59.5620 n JAPAN 0.3729 n UK 79.0686 n HK 7.5992 n CHINA 8.6473 n SINGAPORE 46.4313 n AUSTRALIA 41.8840 n EU 68.3176 n KOREA 0.0395 n SAUDI ARABIA 15.8663 Source: BSP (March 19, 2026)