Roxas fails in Taipei

Former Senator Mar Roxas, President Aquino’s personal emissary to Taiwan has come home empty handed. He was not able to mollify Taiwan President Ma Ying Jeou and Foreign Minister Timothy Yang who almost humiliated him by angrily lecturing him on their demand for an official apology. President Ma even accused Manila Immigration officials of “a sheer lie” when they claimed the 14 Taiwanese deported to China were undocumented since they entered legally with Taiwanese passports. Yes, Immigration OIC Ronald Ledesma did lie.

Immediately after Roxas left Taipei, Jennifer Wang, the chairman of the Taiwan Council for Labor Relations announced that without an apology, they will impose more serious punitive measures on Filipino OFWs applying for jobs in Taiwan including a permanent freeze on hiring.

An initial 3,000 workers whose contracts are expiring may be sent home.

Binay –1, Roxas – 0

* * *

EDSA HEROES. . .While President Cory Aquino was honored worldwide for the successful people power movement that unseated President Ferdinand E. Marcos 25 years ago, the same recognition have not been given to Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and General Fidel V. Ramos, the two persons who led the troops in forcing Marcos to leave the country.

JPE and FVR should also be commended for not taking power in a transition government but instead immediately installed Corazon C. Aquino as President at the Club Filipino.

Note that in Egypt, the Generals have taken power from President Mubarak.

* * *

Bad Sign. . . The 21-5 vote in the House Justice Committee to continue the hearings on the impeachment complaint against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez is a bad sign for her. Due to the complaints about her handling of the cases of Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia and Lt. Gen. Jacinto Ligot, there is stronger sentiment in the House to vote for her impeachment. She should have filed a plunder case against Gen. Ligot.

It looks certain that the 94 signatures of Congressmen needed to send the complaint to the Senate for trial is attainable. Public opinion is certainly in favor of such action. The House Committee on Justice is right to resume the hearings. Committee Chairman Niel Tupas Jr. of Iloilo is doing a good job in handling the case.

It’s time for Merceditas Gutierrez to cut her loses and preempt her conviction by resigning.

* * *

DARK CLOUDS. . . DFA has imposed a ban on the deployment of OFWs to Libya, Bahrain and Yemen. The application of 5,000 Filipinos for jobs in Taiwan has been frozen. About 30,000 OFWs in Libya have lost their jobs. This situation has worsened our unemployment problem. The spike in the price of crude oil is also going to worsen the economic situation and make it more difficult for US and European investors to come in. What measures the Aquino Administration will take to remedy the situation, the nation awaits. 900,000 more new graduates this March will join the labor force which will further increase our unemployment rolls which now total 3 million.

* * *

SAD REALITY. . . At the inaugural dinner of the Turkey Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (TCCP), Ambassador Pedro Chan revealed that Turkey, a country smaller than the Philippines, draws 32 million tourists while Malaysia drew 23 million tourists last year.

DOT Sec. Albert Lim should not be boasting about his increase of Philippine tourist arrivals to 3 million. To date, DOT has not yet discovered the right formula to draw more tourists to come closer to the 15 million or so tourists visiting nearby Thailand and Singapore. How is the DOT spending the hundreds of millions collected from the travel tax? Please explain. An audit is in order here.

*      *      *

IMMIGRATION INACTION. . . It has been widely reported that an international drug syndicate headed by Nigerians was responsible for recruiting Filipinos to act as drug mules to smuggle heroin and other drugs to other countries. Former PDEA official Maj. Ferdinand Marcelino confirms this.

It is reported that 630 Filipinos are in jails abroad for drug trafficking. An estimated 72 Filipinos have been sentenced to death in China alone.

So why did not the Bureau of Immigration conduct a crackdown on Nigerian nationals now in the country? Seeing them walking around in Malate, one wonders why they have come halfway around the world to the Philippines. Those found to be overstaying or have no business or visible means of income should now be asked to leave.

The same is true of Chinese nationals who have been arrested operating shabu laboratories in different parts of the country. There are also thousands of Koreans doing business here without valid permits.

DOJ Secretary Leila de Lima is also correct to complain that airport Immigration officials who allowed these 630 people to leave with drugs should be held to account. As she said, heads should roll. The same is true for Avsecom officials. Definitely, there’s a crying need to appoint a permanent Commissioner of Immigration. Blame Ronald Ledesma too, for the hasty, furtive deportation of 14 Taiwanese to China.

* * *

TIDBITS. . . President Aquino has not yet announced his Cabinet revamp. . . A Porsche 911 has a top speed of 205 miles per hour. . .

Two LRT trains collide. Earlier, 10 passengers were hurt when a MRT escalator malfunctioned. Passengers had to go down their trains and walk the rails when the trains stopped. This certainly does not justify increasing the fares on LRT/MRT trans. The corruption in the LRT and MRT should also be investigated.

Nonito Donaire Jr. who knocked out WBC and WBO Bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel in the 2nd round has given the country another feel good day. He’s now Ring Magazine’s 3rd best pound for pound fighter after Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Congratulations!