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Coloma: Protest mulled for deportation of 6 Pinoys from Korea


If a concrete basis is found, Malacañang might file a diplomatic protest against South Korea because six Filipino militants were deported after being detained at the Incheon International Airport in Seoul over the weekend. In an interview on dzXL radio on Monday, Presidential Communications Operations Office head Herminio Coloma Jr. said, “Kung magkakaroon ng konkretong specific na batayan, doon lang tayo hahantong sa punto na maaring mag-consider niyan (If there will be a concrete basis to do so, we will consider filing the diplomatic protest.) However, as of early Monday, he said the DFA has yet to relay to the Palace an official status report on the incident. He said they are waiting for the report. “Hintayin natin para malaman ano ang sitwasyon diyan (We are waiting for the report so we will have an idea of what happened)," he said.



After being barred from entering South Korea, Filipino activist-musician Jesus Manuel Santiago made a video of the song that he had intended to perform at a people's conference alongside the G20 Summit. The song is a Tagalog version of a South Korean song "Achim I'seul (Morning Dew)," which Santiago called "an anthem for the struggles of ordinary people." "It is quite ironic that the G20, a grouping of powerful and influential nations, would be afraid of songs" added Santiago.
When asked if the government considers last weekend’s deportation as an affront, he said, “kaya nga gusto natin malaman muna ano ang konkretong nangyari bago tayo magbigay ng reaksyon (we want to know what happened before we give a reaction)." However, Coloma said is also the right of each country to refuse entry to foreign nationals, in most cases requiring a visa from foreign nationals. He noted there are few exceptions for the visa requirement such as among Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries, which share a “special agreement." Six Filipino activists were deported after being detained at the Incheon International Airport in Seoul late Saturday. The six Filipinos barred from entering South Korea and supposedly “blacklisted" by the South Korean government, included:
  • Maria Lorena Macabuag, Migrant Forum Asia
  • Josua Mata, Alliance of Progressive Labor
  • Joseph Purugganan, Focus on the Global South-Philippines (FGSP)
  • Jesus Manuel Santiago, activist poet-musician
  • Roger Soluta, Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU)
  • Paul Quintos, IBON Foundation The deportation occurred as South Korea tightens security measures for the semiannual G-20 summit. According to the activists, they asked for a written explanation from the Korean government on why they were “blacklisted" but airport authorities would not grant their request. They were even refused the right to be represented by lawyers or officials of the Philippine Embassy in South Korea while being questioned at the immigration office in Incheon International Airport, said Mata. According to a statement issued by KMU on Saturday, the six were supposed to participate in planned demonstrations and attend a “people’s summit" organized by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions as a parallel meeting of NGOs and civil society organizations coinciding with the G-20 summit. Soluta and Qunitos were also scheduled to speak at international forums, including a conference of the Southern Initiative on Globalization and Trade Union Rights, the press release stated. All six of them carried visas and other documents necessary to enter South Korea. CHR wants diplomatic protest if... The Commission on Human Rights backed calls for a diplomatic protest if it is established that the six were deported and maltreated only for being activists. CHR Chairwoman and former activist Loretta Ann Rosales said while she wants to get more information on the incident before taking a position, being an activist is no basis for deportation. “Bago pa man yan pag-aralan natin kung ano ang particular situation dito para malaman. The DFA should act on the matter. Pag nakita ng DFA na masama ang trato at di ginalang ang karapatan definitely a diplomatic protest is in order," she said in an interview on dwIZ radio. (We should find out what happened first. The DFA should act on the matter. If it establishes that the activists were maltreated and their rights were abused, definitely a diplomatic protest is in order.) Last weekend, three of the activists — Mata, Purugganan, and Santiago — said they will ask the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to file a formal diplomatic protest against the Republic of Korea. They will also seek the DFA’s help in getting an explanation from South Korean authorities on why they were “blacklisted" and barred at the airport. – VVP, GMANews.TV
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