The Philippines' representative office in Taiwan declined to comment Tuesday on the implementation of compulsory insurance for overseas workers announced by the Philippines government earlier that same day. The Philippines Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) issued a press release that day announcing that the new measure for agency -hired workers went into effect the previous day. The Manila Economic and Cultural Office, the Philippines' representative office in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties, referred an inquiry by selfnews to the POEA statement. The policy, which is in accordance with the Southeast Asian country's recently amended Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act, requires recruitment agencies to pay insurance for their workers, with penalties for those that fail to do so. POEA administrator Jennifer Jardin-Manalili said in the statement posted on the agency's Website that insurance is optional for workers who do not go through agencies, rehires and workers hired through a government-to-government mechanism, but they can request their foreign employers to pay the cost of coverage. According to the Manila-based Inquirer newspaper, the mandated insurance will cost recruiters 5,000 to 7,000 Philippine pesos (NT$3,490-NT$4,885) per worker. According to statistics compiled by the Bureau of Employment and Vocational Training, there were 77,426 Filipino workers in Taiwan as of September this year. 