Moved by the plight of Filipino deportees from Malaysia, President Arroyo has asked former President Fidel Ramos to fly to Kuala Lumpur and talk with his "personal friend" Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad about the matter.
The President has asked Ramos to act as her "personal emissary" in securing assistance from the Malaysian government in restoring normalcy to the lives of the Filipinos deported from Sabah.
Mrs. Arroyo made these statements during a chance interview on the island of Bongao in Tawi-Tawi, where she welcomed 1,471 deportees home. She checked on their condition and the assistance given them by her newly appointed "crisis manager," former Tawi-Tawi congressman Nur Jaafar.
The repatriates arrived aboard the Philippine Navy transport ship BRP Dagupan City that fetched them from Sandakan, regional Navy chief Commodore Ernesto de Leon said.
He said many of the deportees aboard the vessel suffered from colds.
Assistant Health Secretary Elias Sana said at least 18 minors who disembarked at Bongao were suffering from dehydration and various ailments. They were rushed to the Datu Jalon Sakilan Hospital for immediate treatment.
During the BRP Dagupan City’s 24-hour journey from Sandakan to Bongao, the deportees were packed into the vessel, with many of the children sleeping on the ship’s cold metal floor. Most of them were sunken-eyed and suffering from dehydration, diarrhea and respiratory infections. Two of the male deportees suffer from mental ailments, a provincial nurse at the landing site said.
Social workers from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) regional office were also on hand to address the needs of the deportees.
Also with the President were Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit and Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes in his capacity as National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) chairman. These top officials helped the President distribute food packs and medicines to the repatriates.
The DSWD Public Affairs and Liaison Service (PALS) said these social workers "are working double time as Sabah deportees continue to arrive in Mindanao."
The deportees, the DSWD said, "disembarked in the various processing centers located in Talon-Talon, Zamboanga City; Jolo, Sulu, Bongao, Tawi-Tawi; and Isabela City, Basilan, where they were processed and assessed by social workers.
Malaysia has been cracking down on illegal migrant workers, mostly Indonesians, since Aug. 1. These illegal migrant workers face deportation or sentences of up to six months in jail and six strokes of the cane.
Mrs. Arroyo said she will convene in the Palace tomorrow a crisis management commission on refugees that Jaafar will head. This commission will be tasked to work out a faster mode of reintegration, rehabilitation and restoration to normal life of Filipino deportees from Malaysia.
The President got first-hand reports of maltreatment and the plight of deportees from the deportees themselves as she helped feed the children aboard the BRP Dagupan City.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said the President’s personal interviews with the deportees has underscored the need to review the government’s actions to address the problems caused by Malaysia’s deportation of undocumented Filipinos residing in Sabah.
Bunye also admitted this policy review will include calls from various sectors, including the heirs of the Sultan of Sulu, for the Philippines to revive its claim of ownership of Sabah. Besides the possible revival of the Philippine claim over this North Borneo island, the Philippine government may also demand damages from Malaysia for the displacement and maltreatment of the deportees.
"I’m sure the President will have a better appreciation of the situation after her visit (in Bongao). Let us just wait until she comes back and I’m sure a more appropriate response will be taken," Bunye said.
Vice President Teofisto Guingona, for his part, favored the President’s move to review the deportation incident. The vice president also called for a review of the Philippines’ claim to Sabah.
"This policy must be a subject of a detailed review by the two governments. There should be a renewal of negotiations for this kind of policy on the part of Sabah," Guingona said during a press conference at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) office in Intramuros, Manila.
While "one does not give up a claim," Guingona said, referring to the country’s claim to Sabah, he said the policy of maintaining friendship with Malaysia should continue.
Ramos had put the Sabah claim on the back burner during his term as president to prevent irritants in Malaysian-Philippine relations.
"I’ve heard calls for an investigation and compensation. We will accept responsibility if we are found guilty," Taufik said.
Three deported Filipino children, aged one to three years, died of dehydration, exposure to the elements and lung ailments in the past week, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman said.
Taufik also said he was assured by Sabah authorities that they were not maltreating the Filipinos detained there prior to deportation.
"Of course, I am here in Manila and they are in Sabah. I have to take their word for it," Taufik said.
However, the Malaysian envoy also warned Sabah officials to be truthful in their report to him. "If they have misled me, they have to pay for it."
The ambassador said the investigation into the living conditions at the deportees’ camp in Sabah will take time to ensure a thorough and fair report.
"We have to be very sure. We have to do it thoroughly. Did they deliberately turn away people, injure them, not call for a doctor if they knew the children were sick? If it is proven they didn’t treat people in a humane way, of course we will take action against them," Taufik said.
The Malaysian chief of mission also said the diplomatic protest handed to him by Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople was taken very seriously by Malaysia and a formal response is being prepared.
"Like Secretary Ople said, it has to be carefully worded to preserve the excellent relations (between the Philippines and Malaysia). But in a way, there is already a difference in action, in the way they are treated," Taufik said.
"There may have been a gap between the commitment made to Secretary Ople in Kuala Lumpur and what the people (in Sabah) did on the ground," the envoy added.
In separate statements, the Trade union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) and the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) said the death of the three deported Filipino children was highly deplorable.
"There is no room in the civilized world for this kind of treatment. Assuming even that the deportees violated (Malaysian) immigration laws, they should be given some degree of dignity. The only crime of these people is their desperate attempt to escape poverty."
According Bayan spokesman Teodoro Casiño, these deportees "left Mindanao primarily to escape the endless, all-out wars unleashed by the Philippine government (in Mindanao), as well as the continuing lack of livelihood opportunities for Muslim Filipinos."
The TUCP called on Mrs. Arroyo to personally discuss the issue of the treatment of Filipino deportees in Sabah with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir. "PM Mahathir should realize that the Philippines will not take the matter sitting down," TUCP spokesman Alex Aguilar said.
According to the KMU statement, "Filipino migrants do not deserve such treatment, especially when they are already helpless and indigent in a foreign country. Only a cruel government would execute such terrible actions."
These and other militant groups, including Migrante International, staged a rally yesterday in front of the Malaysian Embassy in Makati City protesting the "Gestapo-like" treatment of Filipino deportees.
However, while he may share their sentiments, Ople has asked militant groups to stop reacting to the issue emotionally to avoid further strain in Malaysian-Philippine relations that may complicate the matter. — With Mayen Jaymalin, Roel Pareño, Sandy Araneta, AFP