MECO chief blames Taiwan media for worsening tensions
(philstar.com) | Updated May 18, 2013
MANILA, Philippines - There seems to be a hate campaign against Filipinos by Taiwanese media, the Philippines' top representative to Taipei said Saturday.
"Emotions run high in Taiwan. Parang may hate campaign ang media against Filipinos," Manila Economic and Cultural Office Chairman Amadeo Perez said in an interview over radio dzMM.
Perez said that the Taiwanese government's earlier order to freeze the hiring of Filipinos could have been a result of media releases accusing their leaders of being too lenient towards the Philippines despite the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman off Batanes province last week.
He added that the Taiwanese media has also been reporting that the Philippine government’s apology to the people of Taiwan was insincere because presidential deputy spokesperson Abigail Valte smiled when she made the public announcement three days ago.
"Lahat, tini-twist nila lahat. Ang report nga sa Taiwanese (media), sinabi nila, hindi ako tinanggap sa Ministry of Foreign Affairs e andun sila mismo paglabas ko mula sa meeting sa ambassador," he said.
Perez said that he was able to hand over President Benigno Aquino III's apology letter to Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on May 15, contrary to reports by Taiwanese media.
He said that he sent another letter of apology to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday.
Perez had confirmed reports that some Filipinos were harassed in Taiwan over the fisherman's killing. He said that at least two Filipinos were reportedly attacked with baseball bats.
Despite the attacks, the official said that the Philippines "should be patient" and wait for the incident to cool down.
PCG personnel violated rules
A report by The Philippine Star quoting an official privy to the Philippine government's investigation on the May 9 shooting of the Taiwanese fisherman, said that the Philippine Coast Guard personnel appeared to be on the defensive but may have violated rules.
“That is what the investigation has shown so far,” said the official, who declined to be named pending completion of the probe.
“While it could have been self-defense, the next questions would be: was it proper to immediately fire the shots? What are the rules of engagement?" the official said.
“Given that they acted in self-defense, is it justifiable to fire right away? What do the rules of engagement of the PCG say?” the official added.
Information gathered so far by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) showed the crew of MCS-3001, a 35-meter vessel jointly manned by the PCG and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), were preventing the Taiwanese fishermen from further entering Philippine territory. One of the foreign vessels, Guang Ta Hsin-28, threatened to ram the PCG vessel several times.
The NBI based its initial findings on the incident report submitted by the PCG and on interviews with coast guard and BFAR personnel involved, as well as ballistics testing of firearms used.
The NBI, meanwhile, presented to the media on Friday the firearms involved in the incident. The guns include eight M-16 rifles, six M-14 rifles and a machine gun.
The bureau will issue an official report next week.
MECO chief blames Taiwan media for worsening tensions | Headlines, News, The Philippine Star | philstar.com