TAIWAN FURIOUS, DEMANDS FORMAL PHL APOLOGY / MAR FAILS IN TAIWAN
[PHOTO COURTESY OF ABS-CBN - MAR ROXAS 3RD NAKABALIK NA FROM TAIWAN]
TAIPEI, FEBRUARY 23, 2011 (STAR) Taiwan expressed anger on Tuesday over the Philippines' refusal to apologize for deporting 14 Taiwanese to China and threatened to freeze the hiring of Philippine workers.
"Taiwan's government and people are strongly angered," President Ma Ying-jeou said through an interpreter while meeting in Taipei with former Sen. Manuel Roxas II, the unofficial envoy of Philippine President Aquino.
Ma reiterated Taiwan's demand that the Philippines "take responsibility for its mistakes" and apologize.
Roxas, who arrived on Monday in an attempt to cool the row, has so far only said "we deeply regret" this incident during talks with Ma and Taiwan's Foreign Minister Timothy Yang, according to the foreign ministry.
His mission was, however, complicated by comments made in Manila by Aquino's spokesman, who said the Philippines would not apologize for the incident, which saw the 14 suspected fraudsters deported to China against Taipei's wishes.
Taiwan is mulling a freeze on the hiring of Filipino workers in retaliation, although a final decision is yet to be made, Labor Minister Wang Ju-hsuan told reporters earlier Tuesday.
A labor official told AFP that Taipei is "very likely" to impose the freeze after Ma expressed fury over the deportations.
China and Taiwan have been ruled separately since the end of a civil war in 1949, although Beijing claims the island. The Philippines maintains formal ties with China only but pursues economic and cultural links with Taiwan.
Taipei had already raised the screening period for Philippine workers to a maximum of four months.
There are about 70,000 Filipino workers in Taiwan, sending home hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
Aquino: No apology
President Aquino stood by the government's decision not to apologize to Taiwan for deporting the 14 Taiwanese to Beijing for alleged large-scale fraud.
Aquino said he did give instructions to former senator Roxas that "we would have a problem with the apology" that was being demanded by Taipei so that it would lift the stringent requirements it imposed on overseas Filipino workers after the deportation row erupted.
Aquino appointed Roxas as emissary to Taiwan. Roxas went there in a private capacity because the Philippine government adheres to a one-China policy.
"Given the facts available at that time, the decisions I believe were sound and there were certain facts that were unearthed after the subject individuals were already deported," Aquino told reporters at military headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City where he attended the unveiling of a mini-museum for the EDSA People Power revolution in 1986.
Aquino said he was in constant touch with Roxas since Monday but had yet to get a full report from him.
"There's supposed to be a fact sheet on points that they agreed to synthesize the thoughts of both sides… I have yet to talk to him on the final outcome of their discussions," Aquino said.
Roxas, who returned to the country yesterday, said that the Taiwanese officials were adamant about a Philippine apology.
"But we can't do that," he said.
Roxas disclosed his talks with the Taiwanese officials headed by Foreign Minister Timothy Yang started at 2 p.m. on Monday and ended at around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday.
He again had discussions with the Taiwanese officials yesterday morning to "listen" as "we are doing everything for the welfare of our overseas Filipino workers."
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the Philippines is not apologizing because there was still an investigation going on.
"I wouldn't be able to say anything for certain. As far as the Philippine development is concerned, there is still an investigation going on," Lacierda said.
There is still a case going on so it would be too presumptuous for us to immediately apologize for something, which we don't know if we have violated anything. – Aurea Calica, Rudy Santos, AP
FROM THE DAILY TRIBUNE
Mar fails at troubleshoot job By Aytch S. de la Cruz 02/23/2011
President Aquino's chief troubleshooter and special envoy defeated vice presidential candidate Manuel "Mar" Roxas has angered Taiwan's President, officials and the Taiwanese for his and Aquino's refusal to apologize to the Taiwan government for deporting the 14 Taiwanese to China and threatened to freeze the hiring of Philippine workers.
"Taiwan's government and people are strongly angered," President Ma Ying-jeou said through an interpreter while meeting in Taipei with Roxas, an unofficial envoy of Aquino.
Ma reiterated Taiwan's demand that the Philippines "take responsibility for its mistakes" and apologize, local television footage showed.
Roxas, who arrived on Monday in an attempt to cool the row, has so far only said "we deeply regret" this incident during talks with Ma and Taiwan's foreign minister Timothy Yang, according to the foreign ministry.
His mission was however complicated by comments made in Manila by Aquino and his spokesman, Edwin Lacierda, who said the Philippines
would not apologize for the incident, which saw the 14 suspected fraudsters deported to China against Taipei's wishes.
An official apology to the Taiwanese government can only happen if the courts would rule that Philippine law enforcement authorities have indeed committed a mistake in its decision to deport the 14 suspected Taiwanese fraudsters to the mainland China, Malacañang said yesterday.
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda issued this statement when asked whether it is possible for Roxas to conclude a successful mission without having to apologize to the Taiwanese officials over the alleged illegal deportation of their citizens.
Lacierda explained that, as far as the Philippine government is concerned, the investigation on the case of the 14 deported Taiwanese is still ongoing and it would be "too presumptuous" for the government to issue an apology right away pending the results of the investigation.
"As far as we are concerned, we have done the processes properly but that is now subject of a case and that's something that we will have to wait for the outcome. To apologize right now would be implying that we have already committed a mistake when we have yet to determine the processes yet by the courts," Lacierda said.
Lacierda told reporters that the details of Roxas' meeting with the Taiwanese officials would be disclosed by the former senator upon his arrival in a news conference to be held in Malacañang today. Roxas returned to country late afternoon yesterday.
"Once we have a confirmation of the developments, we will ask (Roxas) to brief us on the matter. He will first meet with the President before briefing the Malacañang Press Corps," Lacierda said.
The same set up was applied by Malacañang to Vice President Jejomar Binay when he came home after successfully getting a reprieve from the Chinese government regarding the cases of the three Filipino drug couriers who are facing execution in China.
Zambales Rep. Maria Milagros Magsaysay reportedly questioned the idea of sending Roxas, in his private capacity, to represent the government on this issue prompting her to think that perhaps the former senator was just trying to cover lost ground from Binay who defeated him in the 2010 vice presidential race.
To this Lacierda responded: "That is not correct. The decision to send a personal emissary was already decided before we were informed of the death penalty (for the three Filipinos in China)."
For his part, Aquino indicated that recommending for an apology has been ruled out on the government's belief that all the actions they have taken complied with the legal processes.
"I did give him instructions that we're having a little problem with (issuing) an apology given the facts available at the time. The decision, I believe, was sound and there were certain facts that we unearth after the subject individuals were already deported," Aquino told reporters in a chance interview at Camp Aguinaldo.
Taiwan is reportedly mulling a freeze on the hiring of Philippine workers in retaliation, although a final decision is yet to be made, labor minister Wang Ju-hsuan told reporters earlier Tuesday.
A labor official told Agence France-Presse that Taipei is "very likely" to impose the freeze after President Ma expressed fury over the deportations.
With the Philippine government refusing to apologize for the deportation of 14 Taiwanese citizens earlier this month, Taiwan officials warned on Tuesday that they will impose more severe sanctions against Filipinos seeking work there.
Taiwan's Central News Agency (CNA) reported that Wang said "If the negotiations on the deportation row are not going as well as expected, then the CLA will take the most severe measures."
Included in the measures is an across-the-board freeze on the hiring of Filipino worker, the report said.
Wang said the Taiwanese government and people are required to safeguard the nation's dignity.
Roxas refused to offer an apology, saying his mandate was to seek understanding and not to apologize.
Taiwan Premier Wu Den-yih said Taiwan's insistence that the Philippines must apologize for the deportation of 14 Taiwanese to China remains unchanged.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has clearly expressed the government's stance, and "I'm just reaffirming that stance," Wu said, adding that "the government will ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to insist on its firm and steadfast stance," Wu added.
China and Taiwan have been ruled separately since the end of a civil war in 1949, although Beijing claims the island. The Philippines maintains formal ties with China only but pursues economic and cultural links with Taiwan.
Taipei has already raised the screening period for Philippine workers to a maximum of 4 months.
There are about 70,000 Philippine workers in Taiwan, sending home hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
In a local TV interview in a morning show, Roxas described his meeting with the Taiwanese officials as "complicated," given their firm position on their insistence for an official apology from the Philippines.
Roxas was quoted as saying that "they (Taiwan officials) are really angry. They want us to say sorry, it's one of their requirements. But we can't do that," he said, but added he is still listening to the Taiwan officials and that he is doing everything for the welfare of our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
He said, "for them, it's all about their national pride. They keep on telling us: What if the same happens to the Philippines, won't we get mad if our nationals are deported somewhere else," he said.
Reports from Taiwan newspapers said Roxas met with Foreign Minister Timothy Yang Monday but did not offer an apology for the recent diplomatic fracas between Manila and Taipei, describing it as a "misunderstanding."
"I bring with me my president's good wishes for you, President Ma, and the Taiwanese people, and his sincere and deep desire to mend whatever misunderstandings and difficulties this recent unfortunate event might have caused in our otherwise good relationship," said Roxas.
Yang welcomed Roxas but did not respond to Roxas' comments when he called Taiwan his country's "closet neighbor" as they shook hands.
Only the first three minutes of the meeting were open to the press and the two men continued their discussion behind closed doors once the press corps was removed.
Yang said last Friday that Taiwan remains firm in its position that the Philippines should offer a formal apology because its handling of the case was "flawed" and violated the legal process.
He said Manila inaccurately described the Taiwanese suspects as "undocumented" before they were sent to China.
The report quoted Yang as saying that the Aquino officials' mention of the one-China policy and a mutual legal assistance agreement between Taiwan and China as reasons for the way they handled the incident was "simply unacceptable."
"By mentioning those things — the one-China policy and cross-Taiwan Strait affairs — the Philippines has unnecessarily touched upon a delicate area that should not be involved," Yang said.
Roxas said the Philippines cherishes its longstanding friendly ties with Taiwan and hopes the rift over the deportation incident can be resolved soon.
Under Philippine law, Roxas is not allowed to serve in any public post until at least one year after the vice presidential election. Aquino appointed him as the Philippine government's "troubleshooter" earlier this year. With AFP and reports from Taiwan newspapers
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Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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