Senator seeks probe on Taiwan OFWs' condition

Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has filed a resolution seeking an inquiry into the situation of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in Taiwan, which is protesting the Philippines’ deportation of 14 Taiwanese fraud suspects to China early this month. Senate Resolution 379 seeks to conduct an inquiry into the remedial measures being taken by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in protecting the estimated 96,000 OFWs in Taiwan in light of the diplomatic row. “Filipino people have the right to know immediately what remedial measures have so far been taken, or are being planned by of DFA officials, to show our goodwill and appease the Taiwanese government," said Marcos. Manila does not have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a democratic self-governing island that has been separated from the Chinese mainland since 1949, but still claimed by China as part of its territory. The 14 Taiwanese, along with 10 Chinese nationals, were arrested December last year in the Philippines upon the request of Beijing, which accused the 24 of engaging in a multi-million dollar criminal activity using the Internet and mobile gadgets. Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said Taiwan has slowed down the processing of employment documents of Filipino workers wanting to work in Taiwan. “There is no ban (of Filipino workers in Taiwan)," she said during Wednesday’s Commission on Appointments (CA) hearing on her appointment. Baldoz said her department is hoping that the DFA and the Department of Justice can easily resolve the issue while they coordinate with the employers to make sure that OFWs are not unfairly removed from their jobs. “We just have to assure our workers that we just have to cooperate in the meantime so that the matter could be immediately resolved and the processing can be fast-tracked," she said. The deportation row is also expected to impact negatively on the Philippine economy as the country stands to lose some 600 million Taiwan dollars or roughly P900 million in yearly remittances from Taiwan-based OFWs. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said the Philippine government has to be “very careful" in handling the situation, although he said the Aquino administration did the right thing by sending the deportees to China instead of Taiwan because of the One China Policy. “That’s a correct position," he told reporters on Wednesday. - KBK, GMA News