Palace takes DOJ’s side on Taiwan deportation row, for now

At least for now, Malacañang is going along with the Department of Justice’s “hard-line" stance on the deportation of 14 Taiwanese to Mainland China last February, saying the dismissal of criminal charges against them does not make their deportation illegal. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said that unless subsequent developments show otherwise, DOJ Secretary Leila de Lima had made the distinction between the filing of criminal charges and the deportation. “As of the moment we’re relying on the findings of the Secretary of Justice.... We are abiding by the resolution of the Secretary of Justice insofar as she made the distinction between those two separate issues," Valte said on government-run dzRB radio. De Lima on Friday said she is standing firm on her decision to order the deportation of the 14 Taiwanese, despite DOJ resolutions dismissing the criminal charges against them . She insisted the clearing of the 14 Taiwanese and 10 Chinese nationals does not make their deportation to China improper, as it was based on a request from Beijing which had issued arrest warrants against the 24 in connection with $20-million online fraud cases, she said. But De Lima admitted she was not aware of the ongoing preliminary investigation against the 24 aliens in the DOJ when she ordered their deportation. When asked if the DOJ ruling would bolster the claim of the Taiwanese government that the deportation was hasty, she said, “that may be an issue." Ties with Taiwan On the other hand, Valte agreed with former President Fidel Ramos that the Philippines and Taiwan should be enhancing relations instead of letting their ties deteriorate. “That is right. We agree with Ramos. That is why we had taken steps to explain our side to Taiwan," Valte said in Filipino. The Feb. 2 deportation had angered Taiwan, which tightened requirements on Taiwan-based Filipino workers and demanded an apology from Manila. President Benigno Aquino III sent former Sen. Manuel Roxas II to Taiwan to explain the deportation, but refused to issue an apology. “Ipinadala nating emissary si former Sen. Roxas to explain to the side of Taiwanese authorities kung anong nangyari sa issue na ito from our point of view and our side (We already sent Roxas to explain to the Taiwanese authorities our side of the issue)," Valte said. — LBG, GMA News