Watch: Taiwanese Lawmakers Fight Each Other Over Infrastructure Project, Sen Trillanes Comments (Video)

For a second consecutive days, parliament Taiwanese lawmakers fought against each other again this Friday, July 14. This time, members from the ruling and opposition parties were more violent, as they attacked each other with chairs and grabbed each other's throat. Watch the video below, and read the reaction of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.



According to international news sites, the brawl of Taiwanese politicians were fighting about a controversial infrastructure project proposal, which President Tsai Ing-wen treats as a key economic stimulus project for the country. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is supporting it, while the opposition Nationalists, or Kuomintang is totally against it.

The proposed project, which costs TW$420 billion (US$13.8 billion), aims to investments in light rail lines, flood control measures, urban and rural development and green energy. But besides questioning its very high cost, the opposition also accused the proposal for being favorable only to cities and provinces that supported the current administration.

Last Thursday, Premier Lin Chuan was prevented from delivering his report on the budget for the proposed project after an opposition lawmaker throw a water balloon at him, and the session was suspended. This Friday, he was stopped again as chaos erupted around him. This time, Kuomintang lawmakers occupied the podium and threw more water balloons.



Apparently, Taiwanese lawmakers are known for having the most number of times being engaged in a brawl inside the session hall, caught on video. This includes fighting incidents back in March 2004, October 2004, May 2007, and July 2010. Here in the Philippines, the closest to a fist fight involved Sen. Trillanes, who asked to comment about the Taiwan brawl.



"As I have mentioned earlier, I regret all of them and has apologized. I believe that what happened in Taiwan will not happen here simply because we are more patient than them." Trillanes said, who turned off the microphone of former Senator Alan Peter Cayetano in September 2016, and nearly exchange blows with Senator Miguel Zubiri last January.

Contributed by Renato Pasayao