Report: MECO head foresees settlement of PHL-Taiwan row by Tuesday

Amadeo Perez, the head of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO), said a solution to the Philippines-Taiwan tension over the deportation of 14 Taiwanese citizens, could be reached by Tuesday. Perez said the tension might ease after President Benigno Simeon Aquino III’s emissary, former senator Manuel Roxas II, meets with Taiwan President Ma Ying-Jeou on Tuesday. “(Yung) nakikita ko sa magandang usapan, baka bukas na umaga may lalabas na magandang solusyon sa lahat na problemang ito," Perez said in an interview on dwIZ radio. Roxas, defeated vice-presidential running mate of Aquino, is expected to arrive in Taipei, Taiwan on Monday morning. Deportation Tension arose between the Philippines and Taiwan rose after the Philippines deported 14 Taiwanese to Mainland China on February 2. The Taiwanese were suspected members of a fraud ring. After the incident, Taiwan tightened the rules on overseas workers wishing to go to Taiwan. Personal apology Over the weekend, Perez apologized to Taiwanese Foreign Minister Timothy Yang over the incident but clarified that this was a personal initiative and was not done on behalf of the Philippine government. Perez said he will accompany Roxas in the meeting with ranking Taiwanese officials, including President Ma and Foreign Minister Yang. “Magkakaalaman doon pag nakausap ni Sen. Mar, at kasama ako yung Minister of Foreign Affairs at kanilang pangulo dito sa Taiwan (We will know what to expect once Roxas meets with Yang and Ma. I will accompany him)," he said. Perez said Roxas will meet with Yang at 2:00 p.m. on Monday. It will be during that meeting that they would be informed when the meeting with Ma would be, Perez said. “Gagawin namin ang karapat-dapat na pakikiusap dito alang-alang sa mga mamamayan natin dito at sa mga gustong pumunta rito. Magandang usapan ang inaasahan kong magiging maganda ang takbo ng paguusap (We will do our best for the OFWs here and for the OFWs who want to come here. We expect talks to go smoothly)," he said. Perez said Roxas may stay in Taiwan until Tuesday morning, depending on when he can meet with Ma. “Kung wala nang mga ibang commentary pa, kung ipapaubaya sa amin ang paguusap dito kasama si Sen. Roxas, walang nakikitang makakasira sa pagaayos ng gusot na ito (If there are no commentaries from other people, we see no reason why we cannot fix the mess)," he said. OFWs in Taiwan Meanwhile, Perez said he has not heard complaints of harassment from the Filipino community in Taiwan because of the immigration row. “Dito sa Taiwan pinakikiramdaman ko ang OFW, wala naman problema sa kanila. Yan lang ang 5,000 na nakabinbin, yan ang pinagtuunan ng pansin ng Taiwan na pinahirapan sila (In my talks with OFWs here, they have not reported any problems. There are 5,000 OFWs heading for Taiwan who may be affected by the stricter rules)," he said. “Ang pag-harass sa awa ng Diyos wala naman (As for harassment for Filipinos already working here, we thank God they have not experienced it so far)," he added. – VVP, GMA News