Taiwan lifts visa, work restrictions for OFWs

The Taiwan government has lifted the restrictions on visa applications of Filipino workers following the second round of talks with former Sen. Manuel Roxas II. In a one-page letter sent to Roxas dated March 15, Taiwan Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Chin-tien Yang said the application procedures prior to the February 7 restriction will be “effective immediately." “To express our good faith in response to your visits and the most recent measures taken by your government, we are lifting the restrictions on visa applications for all Filipino workers, effective immediately, and will resume the method used to process their work permits prior to February 7, 2011," Yang said. In his letter, Yang addressed Roxas as “special emissary of His Excellency Benigno S. Aquino III." Roxas was Aquino’s running-mate in the May 10, 2010, elections who lost to Jejomar Binay, a former Makati mayor. The restriction was Taiwan’s retaliatory move against the Philippines for the deportation of 14 Taiwanese to China last Feb. 2. In a bid to show its displeasure, Taiwan tightened the requirements on Filipino workers wishing to work in Taiwan. Among the requirements was the submission of Social Security System (SSS) card of the Filipino applicants for their application to work in Taiwan. Taiwan also lengthened the process for screening applications by Filipino nationals seeking to work in Taiwan to four months, from no more than 12 days. The new rules were considered as “a technical freeze on Filipino workers." Some 77,000 Filipinos are working in Taiwan. Apology Yang had earlier said the change in the leadership in the Philippine Bureau of Immigration (BI) can be seen as a form of apology by Manila over the deportation controversy. Malacañang, however, said the appointment of former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Ricardo David as the new BI commissioner replacing Rolando Ledesma was not meant to appease Taiwan. The Philippines has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan due to the one-China policy. China considers Taiwan as one of its provinces. Yang said the lifting of the restrictions was pursuant to the negotiations conducted between the Philippines and Taiwan during Roxas’ visits on February 21 and March 14. He said the Taiwan government took note of the concerns of the Philippine government over the restrictions imposed by the former on applications of Filipinos for visas and work permits. Yang added that online visa applications will also be available to Philippine tourists as before. The agreement has been referred to the Council of Labor Affairs and Taipei Economic and Cultural Office on the Philippines for implementation. “I would like to thank you for your tireless and extraordinary efforts to return our relations to normal. I appreciate in particular your recent visit, which paved the way for a quick resolution to this unfortunate incident," Yang said. He added the Taiwan government is looking forward to seeing the deepening of cooperative relations between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the Republic of the Philippines in the future. - KBK, GMA News