A shelter run by a Filipino priest in Taiwan, which has been assisting overseas Filipino workers in distress, will no longer be receiving support from the Philippine representative office there.

Father Joy Tajonera, who runs the Ugnayan shelter in Taichung, said that under the new administration, the Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taiwan has decided to halt support for his work at Ugnayan.

Tajonera, in a recent interview with Daily Tribune's Usapang OFW digital show, revealed that "MECO has decided not to support the work of Ugnayan to help Filipinos in Taiwan."

"This is the first time for us not to receive support from the government; from the time of GMA up to Duterte, we got support from MECO," Tajonera said, referring to former presidents Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Rodrigo Duterte.

He added that the pullout of support has nothing to do with the changes that had been put in place with the enactment of RA 11641, or the Department of Migrant Workers Act, replacing the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.

Among the changes were the setting up of the Migrant Workers Office, replacing the Philippine Overseas Labor Office, to address the needs of OFWs, whether legal or undocumented, and assigning support for non-OFWs like tourists, students, business people, and the like — to embassies and consulates, and in the case of Taiwan, to MECO.

"That has nothing to do with the pullout of support because the assistance that we provide is for all who need help regardless of race, not just OFWs, although they are the ones we give assistance to the most," Tajonera said.

The MECO is the Philippine representative office in Taiwan in keeping with the One-China policy adopted by the Philippines in 1975.

"MECO decided under this new administration that they would not support us anymore. No reason was given, and I decided not to pursue an explanation anymore as we continue to provide support with the help of our ministry. We have not stopped with our services to fellow Filipinos, regardless of reason or situation," Tajonera said.

Tajonera added that he will not be seeking financial help from the Taiwan government despite the pullout of support from MECO.

"We want to keep Ugnayan independent. I believe that our mission in Ugnayan is to help people without conditions, especially when it comes to providing shelter," he said.

Tajonera has been running Ugnayan since 2002, getting funding from its ministry, and donations from the masses, and locals in the community.