Taipei, March 9 (CNA) Taiwan announced Wednesday an immediate relaxation of its visa application requirements for Filipino workers, after Manila replaced its immigration chief in an apparent effort to resolve a diplomatic dispute between the two sides.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino III has named Ricardo David Jr. to replace Ronaldo Ledesma as commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration, the Philippines' Malacanang Palace said in a statement Wednesday.
On Monday, the Philippines Department of Justice also removed Faizal Hussin from his post as head of the Bureau of Immigration Intelligence Division and appointed Maria Antonette Bucasas as his replacement.
The two personnel changes were viewed by Taiwan as a form of apology from the Philippines over its deportation of 14 Taiwanese fraud suspects to China on Feb. 2, which resulted in a month-long rift between Taiwan and the Philippines.
"With these changes, the Philippine government has shown goodwill and regret, " Taiwan Foreign Minister Timothy C.T. Yang said at a press conference Wednesday afternoon.
"The Republic of China government announces the immediate relaxation of some visa application requirements for Filipino workers," he said.
However, Taiwan's other retaliatory measures against Manila will remain in place for now, the MOFA indicated. They include an extension, from 12 days to up to four months, of the process for screening applications by Filipinos seeking to work in Taiwan.
In addition, Taiwan is planning to recall its representative to the Philippines, although it has not yet set a date for doing so. On Feb. 10, the Taiwan government also announced that Filipinos would be required to submit their Social Security System Card, instead of any other social security document, as part of their applications to work in Taiwan.
Taiwan had been seeking an apology from Manila, which cited its "one-China policy" as the reason for sending the fraud suspects to China instead of to Taiwan.
However, Taiwan softened it stance after the Philippines sent a presidential envoy, Manuel Roxas, to Taipei Feb. 21 to try to iron out the issue with top government officials.
After a marathon meeting between Yang and Roxas, the two sides issued a joint seven-point consensus that mentioned the Philippines' intention to punish any of its officials found to have mishandled the deportation case.
According to Yang, the Philippines promised to continue its judicial and congressional investigations into the matter, which means there could be more reprimands.
Taiwan's punitive measures against the Philippines could be removed after Manuel Roxas returns to Taipei for follow-up discussions "very soon, " the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) indicated.
Meanwhile, Antonio Basilio, managing director of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) -- the Philippines' de facto representative office in Taiwan -- said Wednesday that his office appreciates "the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' efforts in resolving this issue, and we look forward to further strengthening our friendship."
MECO Chairman Amadeo Perez Jr. sent a letter to the MOFA Tuesday, under the authorization of President Aquino, reassuring Taipei that Manila was taking steps to resolve the dispute, Yang told reporters.
In the letter, Perez reiterated the Philippines' "deepest regrets" for any hurt feeling the incident may have caused and recognized Taiwan's allegations of possible lapses and mishandling by Philippine immigration authorities.
Perez said the MECO has initiated a process for the establishment of a mechanism for mutual legal assistance and to arrange a joint feasibility study for an Economic Partnership Agreement, Yang added. (By Chris Wang) enditem /pc